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Penn Cambria is the defending District 6 Class 3A champion, but the Panthers lost a lot of talent to graduation last year.
That has opened the door for Central, Philipsburg-Osceola, Tyrone, Forest Hills and Huntingdon to attempt to claim the crown though Penn Cambria will certainly still be in the hunt as well.
With all the teams relatively equal, Friday's Central and P-O game has a lot of importance as the six teams battle for four playoff spots.
"We have made our kids aware of that," Philipsburg-Osceola coach Jeff Vroman said. "They know the importance of it. First games always bring upon the unknown. It's hard to predict what could happen. You don't know how your kids are going to react. We don't have an inexperienced team, so that's a good thing. I think all this game experience we have had the last couple years should really help with that, but we know this is important. When we're playing another triple-A school within District 6, we know it is a doubly-important game for us."
Prior to Penn Cambria's win last year, Central had won the last four District 6 titles at 3A. But many of those players have graduated.
"We're very young and inexperienced this year," Central coach Jerry Albright said. "We just have to work on improving week by week. Philipsburg has a lot of guys coming back. They have their quarterback back. A lot of their line is back. We're just taking it week by week. We know we're going in as the underdogs. We have to make sure we show up fundamentally and try to build on that."
One player the Dragons have who is experienced despite his youth is starting quarterback Jesse Muthler, who started a few games at the end of the season when his brother Eli was injured.
"He got two or three games experience there which he would not have gotten," Albright said. "He has shown great leadership running our offense as a sophomore. He's helped our younger receivers out with different reads and patterns. He's getting us in and out of plays. He's not playing like a sophomore. He plays like a much more mature player."
Vroman said his team will be focused on Muthler.
"The quarterback got some playing time last year," Vroman said. "He has a good arm. He can move. He has the ability to get outside the pocket. We have to contain him and limit the big plays from him."
If Friday's game comes down to the final moments, Vroman is hoping the experience players like quarterback Archer Baughman have gained over the years pays off.
"Last year, we had some come-from-behind wins," Vroman said. "I'm not concerned about my guys. We're healthy. I was pleased with our scrimmage for the most part. You can't replicate the playing-time experience our guys have. It's my hope that playing time these guys have received over the years shows up not only Friday but the whole year."
BG hits the road
The defending PIAA Class 1A champion Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Marauders will take the long trip to Spring Mills to play Penns Valley to open their title defense on Friday.
"They are always a well-coached team," BG coach Justin Wheeler said. "They run a lot of RPOs that can take advantage of the way your defense aligns, so you have to be disciplined. We're going to have a lot of new starters. It's the first week, no matter if you're experienced or who you are or what you are, everyone has the expectation to win. We have a lot of guys that are unknown and unproven. Week 1 is always a little nerveracking."
The Rams and Marauders met in the 2022 District 6 title game, and BG won a high-scoring affair, putting a little history behind this contest.
"The temperature, the travel, everything that goes into the first week -- I'm always concerned," Wheeler said. "This is one of those games where we are breaking in a new quarterback, new running backs and wideouts. We have had a great summer, so hopefully guys play like we know they can."
Role reversal
The last two seasons, the Claysburg-Kimmel vs. Berlin Brothersvalley game did not show up on many people's radar -- mostly because Berlin was such a big favorite.
It can be argued that this season with Berlin having a new coach and many new skill position players that the Bulldogs have made the Mountaineers the underdogs.
"Don't let public opinion fool you," C-K coach Chuck Kassick said. "That team is a lot bigger than we are. They have a co-op with a couple schools and have a lot more to choose from, so they are a lot bigger than we are. They lost some really good kids last year, but they bring back some pretty good players like their leading tackler and they are big -- which is one thing we don't have a lot of at Claysburg."
With that said, the defending Inter-County Conference North champions have star quarterback Mason Campagna leading the way with several returning skill players and linemen. And their goal is to be playing at Mansion Park for a District 6 Class 1A title in November.
"It's difficult to have high expectations and then start the year off with a loss," Kassick said. "It's a game we need to be competitive in and win. We have not fared well against this team. We have played them two years in a row, and we have not been very successful the last two years. We were more competitive last year than the year before, but at the end of the game, the scoreboard has not looked good for us. This game will test our manhood."