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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
There has been an electric atmosphere surrounding the high school football games at Claysburg-Kimmel's posh stadium this season, and that electricity figures to amp up to another level this Friday night, when the Bulldogs host Mount Union in a game that could determine the champion in the Inter-County Conference North Division.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
Claysburg brings a 6-2 overall record and a 6-0 ICC North mark into Friday's game, while Mount Union is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the ICC North.
Claysburg is riding a six-game winning streak and enjoying its best football season since its 2019 team won eight games and qualified for the District 6 Class 1A playoffs. Winning the ICC North this year would serve as a thrilling prelude for the Bulldogs as they enter this year's postseason competition.
"This is for the North Division championship, and I think that adds a lot to this game,'' second-year Claysburg coach Chuck Kassick said. "It's been a long time since Claysburg has played in a game with these kinds of stakes, and in the regular season to boot.''
A victory would give Claysburg-Kimmel the outright ICC North title. A Mount Union win could trigger a three-way tie with Moshannon Valley that would be broken by point differential.
Claysburg has posted some particularly thrilling wins over the last four weeks, sandwiching an eye-opening 47-0 shutout of a talented Glendale team between come-from-behind victories over Curwensville, Southern Huntingdon, and last week, Moshannon Valley.
"The Glendale game was not indicative of the football that Glendale has played all year -- they're a solid team, and they can play, but everything kind of went wrong for them in that game and went right for us,'' Kassick said.
"But that game opened our eyes, because I think that our kids really started believing that they can make a difference right now, and they're playing pretty well,'' Kassick added.
Keeping their composure has been vital for the Claysburg players during their streak, and the Bulldogs stayed level-headed last week while overcoming an 18-7 third-quarter deficit to beat Mo Valley, 29-18.
"I credit our kids -- we got behind 18-7 after the first possession of the second half, but our kids didn't panic,'' Kassick said. "They have really focused on the job at hand in the games this year, and they're not trying to make up 20 points on one play.
"They understand that there is a process, and that you have to play every possession, and that every possession is important,'' Kassick added. "That is starting to sink in with them, and we've had a couple comeback victories.''
Junior quarterback Mason Campagna is a dual-threat talent who has provided excellent field leadership for Claysburg. Campagna has completed 76 of 143 passes for 1,149 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 882 yards on 137 carries and 16 touchdowns.
"We run things through our quarterback, and Mason does a great job for us,'' Kassick said. "Maybe we get spoiled because of how well he does, but as an offense, we've run for almost 2,000 yards this season and thrown for almost 1,200 yards, so there's a balance there.''
Senior back Mark Lattieri leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 994 yards on 127 carries and has scored 13 touchdowns. Lattieri has also caught eight passes for 141 yards and a score.
Three junior receivers -- Tyler Mowry (with a team-leading 24 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns), Jacob Herline (21 catches for 381 yards), and Remi Diehl (18 catches for 138 yards) have helped Claysburg to be multi-dimensional on offense.
"Their offense is balanced with the run and the pass, they have some pretty big kids on the line, and obviously, they have a special kid at quarterback as well,'' Mount Union coach Jamie Brumbaugh said of the Bulldogs. "They're athletic, they play good defense, and I think they're a good football team.''
Defensively, Claysburg is led in tackles by junior linebacker Collton Replogle (58 stops), linebacker Lattieri (50 tackles), and defensive back-linebacker Campagna (48 stops). Diehl, a defensive end, has made 33 tackles and has registered an impressive 15 quarterback sacks.
"Both Remi Diehl and Collton Replogle have set the tone among our front seven players on defense,'' Kassick said.
Mount Union brings a decent offensive mix to the table. Sophomore running back Nasir Collins has rushed for 1,266 yards on 119 carries (a 10.6 yards-per-carry average), and 19 touchdowns for the Trojans, while also catching seven passes for 134 yards and two scores.
Senior back Jake Ryan has rushed for 657 yards on 108 carries and 11 scores, and provides a physical element to the Trojans' ground game that complements Collins' speed and elusiveness very nicely.
"They have two really good backs who have earned their way to the star status that they have received,'' Kassick said of Mount Union's Collins and Ryan. "They give that team a thunder-and-lightning type of effect.
"(Collins) can beat you laterally on the field as much as north and south, and (Ryan) can go east to west on the field also, but when he runs downhill, he lets (an opposing) defense know it. He's all of the 210 pounds that he's listed at, and he's a load to try to bring down.''
Collins possesses an ability to extend plays with his athleticism.
"He's a really good running back -- he's a special kid,'' Brumbaugh said. "He not only has speed, but he possesses a great ability to cut well. He's a playmaker for us, so that even when things break down on a play, we can still count on him to make something out of nothing for us.''
Freshman quarterback Maddox Hobbs has managed the Mount Union offense very well, completing 29 of 52 passes for 452 yards and four touchdowns, while senior wideout Georgie Bilger has a team-leading eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Brumbaugh said that Hobbs has shown steady week-by-week improvement and development.
"He's a young quarterback, but his numbers have increased and he's been improving as the season has gone on,'' Brumbaugh said.
Kassick said that his team must prepare against the pass as well as the run against Mount Union.
"They're definitely multiple on offense,'' Kassick said of the Trojans. "They can run the ball and they can throw it, and they get after you up front. There's no doubt about it -- that is a good football team.''
Mount Union is a relatively young team overall, but the players on its roster have embraced a calculated, measured attitude that has served them well this season.
"We talked with the players at the beginning of this season about the team being young -- not just in regards to the ninth-graders on the team, but also in regards to the kids coming out this year who hadn't played in a couple of years,'' Brumbaugh said. "Our kids have been pretty balanced on offense and defense, they've committed to the program, and they've bought into the program.
"They've put the time in, they've improved, and we're looking to continue that improvement,'' Brumbaugh added.
All of which sets the stage for a riveting showdown with high stakes on the line Friday night.
"It's senior night for us, and I'm sure that Mount Union is going to come down here with a purpose,'' Kassick said. "They have only one loss this season, and they're playing extremely well. I think the atmosphere here for Friday night's game is going to be unbelievable and electric.''
Mount Union at Claysburg-Kimmel
Time: Tonight, 7
Records: Mount Union (7-1, ICC 5-1); Claysburg-Kimmel (6-2, ICC 6-0)
Coaches: Mount Union's Jamie Brumbaugh (18-2, 3rd season); Claysburg-Kimmel's Chuck Kassick (9-9, 2nd season)
Last week: Mount Union beat Southern Huntingdon, 35-8. Claysburg-Kimmel beat Moshannon Valley, 29-18.