Highlanders no longer new kids on the block
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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
A year ago, Cambria Heights made its debut in the state playoffs -- and things didn't go so well.
The Highlanders, fresh off their first District 6 championship, fell to South Williamsport, 33-0, in a Class 1A quarterfinal.
Cambria Heights moved back up to Class 2A in the offseason, which led a lot of people to count the team out of making it back to the state playoffs this season.
But Saturday at 1 p.m. at Armstrong High School in Kittanning, the Highlanders will be playing their second state playoff game, this time against District 9 champion Central Clarion.
"I think it will definitely help," Heights senior Stephen Nelen said. "Last year, it was completely new to us, and we didn't know what to expect. Hopefully, we can be more prepared this year and have a better outcome. It's awesome, because we have shown everyone we can compete at the higher levels, and it's great to get back here for a second year in a row."
Central Clarion represents Cambria Heights' biggest challenge yet. The Wildcats, a co-op between Clarion, Clarion-Limestone and North Clarion, are also undefeated and opened the season with a 66-14 win over Class 5A DuBois.
"They are really good," Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. "Their linemen are huge. They have great skill positions, and their quarterback is special. I think I saw he threw for over 3,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000. Those are like video game numbers. They are really good. Defensively, they are not giving up a lot of points. They have beaten teams in 3A, 4A and 5A. They are definitely going to be a challenge for us, but like I said, I'm hoping our team rises to the challenge like they have all year."
That quarterback, Jase Ferguson, also averages more than 10 yards per run and has thrown nearly 50 touchdown passes this season. But Cambria Heights has been overcoming the odds all season on the way to its second straight District 6 title.
"Last year was sweet, because we made history and went back and beat a couple teams we lost to previously in the year," Lewis said. "But this year was really special as well. I think when we moved up to 2A people thought we would be a factor, but I'm not sure we were the favorites, in fact I know we weren't. But our kids take that personally and continued to work hard. We felt we kept getting better, and that was always kind of the goal. I really thought we did that and had some underclassmen step up and get better each week, which really helped us as well."
In the four years this senior group has played at Cambria Heights, the Highlanders are 41-10 and have won two District 6 titles and two Heritage Conference championships.
"We thought we could be a pretty good team this year," Lewis said. "But the competition we had to go through, we knew there were a lot of good football teams -- not just in our own conference but outside of it as well. Richland, McCort-Carroll, Bellwood and the team we had to play. I felt we could be good, but there's a lot that goes into it like staying healthy, continuing to improve and continuing to stay healthy. To go undefeated is hard. It's hard to stay motivated and play your best every week."
Despite Heights being in the state playoffs last year, Lewis is concerned about the start time on Saturday.
"We traveled over three hours last year, and I don't want to say that played a part, but I think it helped," Lewis said. "This year, we'll have to balance playing Saturday at 1 p.m., which is not typically when high school games are played. I don't think those are ideal for us, but I do think the experience of playing in the state playoffs will help us overcome not playing at an ideal gametime. I would doubt any of our players have ever played at 1 on a Saturday afternoon."
Regardless, he expects the Cambria Heights community to be at Armstrong supporting the Highlanders.
"I'm proud of the team and proud of the coaches," Lewis said. "It's so special to see how the community has gotten behind this. We had 75 students at the game on Friday and a number of community members. I thought we packed our stands really well. We had an escort with fire trucks and all of that. It's just special when your community gets behind you. I know the kids really appreciate it, and it reminds you that you're playing for something more than just the team. You're playing for all the former members of Cambria Heights and the community members."
Keeping tradition
Despite a down year in 2023, Bedford has a strong tradition of success even into the state playoffs.
The current group of Bisons added to that last Friday with a win over District 3 power Steelton-Highspire.
"It certainly felt very good, and it's all about the kids," Bedford coach Kevin Steele said. "They played their hearts out. They executed the game plan against a really good Steelton team. I don't think there were many people that had us picked to win that game, but that did not impact our kids or our approach. Fortunately we were able to make enough plays, control their offense and create some turnovers to come out on the right side of the scoreboard. Really proud of our kids, their work ethic and how they have come together in such a selfless manner to do what is right for the team and continue to forge ahead."
This week Bedford's challenge gets even bigger when it plays Troy in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals on Friday at Lock Haven University. Troy ended Southern Columbia's run of seven straight Class 2A state titles when it pounded the Tigers, 69-28, in the District 4 semifinals.
"They are undefeated and have been blowing people out all season long," Steele said. "They certainly present challenges in all three phases of the game. They are explosive on offense, their defense is aggressive and fast and they have scored a ton of points on special teams. They force you to be ready in all three phases of the game. We will absolutely have our work cut out for us, but our kids are ready to work. We'll go up to Lock Haven on Friday and hopefully play well."
Win or lose, this current group of Bisons have secured their legacy.
"The biggest part is that a lot of these kids played last year as juniors, and we did not have a great season," Steele said. "They were determined to get things turned around and moving in the right direction and were able to finish the season exceptionally well here, make a playoff run and create some memories and get back to what had been traditional for our program here recently with continued success."