PC, Bedford clash in unbeaten battle
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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
Penn Cambria and Bedford entered the 2024 high school football season as programs seemingly moving in opposite directions, but both the Panthers and Bisons find themselves at 3-0 heading into tonight's 7 p.m. matchup at Bisons Stadium.
Penn Cambria, fresh off falling just short of its first-ever District 6 football championship last year against Central, was expecting to contend for the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference title and likely entered the season as the favorites to win that elusive district crown.
Bedford was licking its wounds after its first losing season since 2017. Those struggles fueled the Bisons this offseason.
"It's been great for our kids," Bedford coach Kevin Steele said. "They worked exceptionally hard in the offseason and summer. It is nice to see their hard work pay off the first three weeks of the season. With that being said, there's a lot of football left. We know Penn Cambria has an outstanding team, so we certainly have our work cut out for us on Friday."
A lot of those outstanding players have plenty of varsity experience, which has paid off for the Panthers with a statement victory over Richland to start the season, a win over Philipsburg-Osceola when things weren't really going their way and a triumph over a future possible postseason foe in Forest Hills last week.
"We're excited about the football we have been playing," Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said. "But we definitely are not satisfied. There are some areas we definitely have to improve on. Each week, we're trying to pinpoint those areas and focus on what we need to get better at as a team. We're happy with the start, but we're not satisfied."
Four different Penn Cambria players have already rushed for more than 125 yards this season, and the Panthers are averaging 6 yards per rush. One of those players is quarterback Brady Jones, who has a favorite passing target in Gavin Harrold. The senior wideout has 12 catches for 248 yards and two touchdowns.
But Felus sees room for improvement.
"We have to eliminate some of the mental mistakes," Felus said. "Some of the procedure penalties that we had in Week 2, I thought we improved on last week. There are a couple things in Week 3 execution wise on both sides of the ball that we need to clean up a little bit.
"Other than that, our kids have been playing extremely hard. They are playing physical and fast, but we are never satisfied. We want to keep getting as good as we can every day. This group isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves and go to work."
Bedford has been running the ball even better than Penn Cambria with an average of 7 yards per carry. Much of that comes from quarterback Quincy Swaim, who has already run for 383 yards. While he's only thrown for 221 yards, it's possible he will be getting one of his better wideouts, A.J. Koontz, back from an injury that has kept him off the field the entire season, soon.
"We have made our mistakes, but we have been able to overcome them by playing hard," Steele said. "We have played together as a team and have run the ball well along with mixing in some play-action passing. We have also taken care of the football and minimized mistakes."
Harrold is averaging more than 20 yards a catch this season, something Steele said Bedford needs to keep in mind.
"Defensively, we have to limit their big plays and make them earn everything and make them drive down the field," Steele said. "If we give up chunk plays, it could be a long night for us. Offensively, we need to make sure we control the line of scrimmage and run the ball a little bit to keep it out of their hands. We also have to win the battle of hidden yards and special teams."
Penn Cambria has defeated Bedford the last two seasons, but both games have been close. Last year, the Panthers won 21-19, and in 2022 it was 27-20. Before that, the Bisons topped the Panthers seven straight times and allowed double-digit scoring in just one of those wins.
"They are very sound," Felus said. "Coach Steele does a great job. They don't make a lot of mistakes. Obviously, defensively, they have been playing very solid. They have only given up 14 points the entire year. They read their keys and are physical. The quarterback, Swaim, is doing a great job of running the offense. He's a great player. We have to be prepared for that."
Bedford has wins over Westmont Hilltop, Penns Valley and Central Cambria, but Penn Cambria will provide the toughest test yet.
"They are athletic," Steele said. "They can pound the ball on you. They can spread you out and throw the ball. They just have so many weapons. We certainly have to account for them. Offensively, they present some challenges in controlling them. Defensively, they are aggressive, fast and athletic and present challenges on that side of the ball as well."
No matter what happens at Bisons Stadium, count on one thing -- Felus losing his voice, which has been a struggle for the coach all season as he, his staff and his players have put everything into their quest for a District 6 title.
"Usually by Tuesday it's better and then practice happens again," Felus said. "It all depends on what day it is. We're just going to keep giving it our all."