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In one of the more intriguing area matchups on the opening Friday night of the high school football season, Hollidaysburg will roll out the welcome mat for archrival Altoona in front of what should be a packed crowd at Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff between the two teams for the non-conference showdown is set for 7 p.m. Friday, and coaches and players on both teams expect a very competitive game.
"Going in, it seems like an evenly-matched game,'' veteran Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "It's going to be an exciting night.''
While Hollidaysburg made school football history last season by reaching the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals and posting a school-record 13 wins, Altoona managed just one victory in 10 games in 2024.
But the Mountain Lions' record was somewhat deceptive, because Altoona was very competitive in most of its games, and, by making a few more plays in those games, Altoona could have had a much better record.
"They have a lot of good solid returners from last year's team,'' DeLattre said of the Mountain Lions. "They had a 1-9 record last year, but if you look at some of their scores, they competed great with some of the top teams in the Mid-Penn (Conference), and they were only a couple of plays away from winning several of those games.
"They have good guys returning at the skill positions, and on the offensive line,'' added DeLattre, whose team won last year's matchup with Altoona, 27-14 at Mansion Park. "I'm sure that both teams will be hungry. It's a big hyped game.''
Incoming Altoona senior Logan Wuckovich, who will be a four-year starter at linebacker for the Mountain Lions, expects an electric atmosphere for Friday's season-opener.
"I think there will be 10,000 people in the stands for this game,'' Wuckovich said. "There will be a lot of nerves, but we're excited to show our town what Altoona football is made of.''
Opening against Hollidaysburg before starting their conference schedule next week always creates plenty of excitement, according to Mountain Lions coach Vince Nedimyer, Jr.
"Every year, our kids look forward to it,'' Nedimyer said. "I think it's good for both towns and both schools. It can be tough opening your season against your cross-town rival, because we don't know a lot about our own team yet, let alone their team.
"But we're definitely looking forward to it,'' added Nedimyer. "We know that they will be well-prepared for us, and we will be prepared for them, too.''
Incoming senior tackle Jackson York leads a veteran offensive line for Hollidaysburg that also includes returning starters Austin Harr at one guard position and Lincoln Wertz at the other tackle spot.
"I feel like we are going to be dominant on offense this year, and we have some tough guys on defense as well,'' York said. "We have a pretty big offensive line, we'll move the ball pretty well, and we have a lot of knowledge at the quarterback position.''
DeLattre's son, Cole, is an incoming senior with fine athletic skills who will take over the quarterback position this year for Hollidaysburg. Cole DeLattre has taken some snaps at the position in both of the past two seasons, and threw a very nice 36-yard roll-out touchdown pass against Altoona last season after taking an option pitch.
Cole DeLattre was the Golden Tigers' third-leading pass catcher last year when he played wide receiver. He made 35 catches for 575 yards and five touchdowns last year, while also rushing for 168 yards and two scores.
"He's a coach's son and he's been around the game a long time,'' Nedimyer said of Cole DeLattre. "We saw him in 7-on-7 (competitions) in the summer. He's a kid who can make all the throws, and he has some pretty good feet too.''
Altoona will have a new starting signal-caller for the season opener in incoming senior Parker White, who transferred to Altoona from Bishop Guilfoyle Academy prior to his junior year.
"Parker White is a great athlete,'' Homer DeLattre said. "I remember watching him in summer workouts when he was at Bishop Guilfoyle. He looks like he possesses the ability to throw the ball better than the quarterbacks they've had in the past couple years, so that's obviously something for us to be concerned about.''
York said that several of the players from the two teams are friends who participate in summer sports together, but that Friday night's game will be all business.
"Once we get out on the field, it will be all about the game,'' York said. "It's always good to start with a rivalry game like this. It really gets the season going.''
Altoona vs. Hollidaysburg
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Tiger Stadium, Hollidaysburg.
Coaches: Vince Nedimyer is 21-41 in his seventh season at Altoona; Homer DeLattre is 124-123 in 23 seasons, including 72-59 in 12 seasons at Hollidaysburg.
Last season: Altoona (1-9), Hollidaysburg (13-1). Hollidaysburg beat Altoona, 27-14, in the season-opening game at Mansion Park.
Noteworthy: Hollidaysburg, which qualified for the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals with a school-record 13 wins last year, has won five of the seven games played with Altoona since the series between the two schools resumed in 2018.
Radio: HANK-FM 96.1; JACK-FM 107.1
Last season: Altoona lost 27-14 to Hollidaysburg.
Last seven games: Hollidaysburg is 5-2 against its rivals over last seven years.