Northern Bedford, Claysburg-Kimmel to battle for first high school football win of year
H.S. football
Garry Black
Chuck Kassick
Garry Black
Chuck Kassick
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Northern Bedford has been at or near the top of the class in District 5 1A football over the last few years.
Claysburg-Kimmel would like to get there in District 6.
But both teams hit a bump in the road to start the 2025 season last Friday.
This Friday, they will both seek to avoid an 0-2 start when Claysburg-Kimmel travels to Northern Bedford at 7 p.m.
"No matter what, when these two teams meet, they don't need extra motivation," C-K coach Chuck Kassick said. "But with both of us coming off losses that stung a little bit in two different ways, will add a little something to the game atmosphere."
The Bulldogs lost to Berlin Brothersvalley, 35-7, and the Black Panthers fell to Southern Huntingdon, 13-7.
"Like us, they probably had this game circled anyway," Northern Bedford coach Garry Black said. "We're real close to each other. Our kids know each other well. I have coached a team with big expectations too, and sometimes it can be hard to play that way. We know we're going to get Claysburg's best shot, and we're going to give them our best shot. We'll see what happens."
Though his team lost, Black wasn't torn up about the opening-week loss.
"We had more yardage than they did, we blocked well, we didn't turn the ball over and we were inside the 20 four times without coming away with points," Black said. "We moved the ball and allowed less than 150 yards of offense. We played good defense and consistent offense, we just couldn't finish."
Kassick also saw some positives.
"We were in the right place a lot of times but didn't finish plays," Kassick said. "We didn't finish blocks up front or finish tackles. There were a number of times we had plays made at the line of scrimmage and we didn't finish the tackle. If you play fundamental football, you take care of those little things, and maybe it's a different outcome. We were right there."
Northern Bedford won last year's game, 18-15, and it's very possible this year's game could also come down to the wire.
"It's very similar to last year," Kassick said. "We're coming off a tough loss to Berlin, which is a good football team, and we move into this week facing a lot of the same stuff like a bigger line that plays physical. I imagine we'll see a lot of similarities from last week to this week."
Staring down a possible 0-2 start, Black isn't concerned.
"All four teams in District 5 will make the playoffs," Black said. "Conemaugh Township, Meyersdale and Windber will all have good records and be good teams. We want to be wherever we can be in that mix, but we want to grow so that we can be the best we can be at the end of the season. No matter how many wins we get, we'll have a chance to do something at the end."
Swimming upstream
Cambria Heights was picked to finish third in the Heritage Conference by the league's coaches this year behind United Valley and River Valley.
The Highlanders, who are the defending conference and District 6 Class 2A champions, knocked off United Valley in the first week and now take aim at River Valley, which beat Penns Manor, 33-0, last week.
"They have some really nice football players," Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. "They have a big offensive line and a running back that runs the ball with a lot of power and heart. They have a quarterback who is mobile and throws a nice ball. They have athletes, and they are doing a good job and getting the ball in their hands and letting them make plays."
River Valley is coached by former Altoona head coach Ed Dalton, who is in his first year with the Panthers.
"There's that surprise factor with a first-year coach," Lewis said. "The league hasn't figured out everything that they can do offensively, defensively or with special teams. It's a benefit being there for a long time, because you are established and the players have run the offense through junior high, but it's also a benefit when you're new because of the unpredictability."
Cambria Heights was trailing late in its game against United Valley but rallied despite having many new starters.
"We knew it was going to be a battle," Lewis said. "I like the way our kids bounced back. We were down in the fourth quarter, and then we had some nice defensive stands. We were resilient, and you have to have that."
You again?
Hollidaysburg will play Taylor Allderdice for the third time in a year when the Golden Tigers host the Dragons at Tiger Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
"They have a lot of athleticism," Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "They have a lot of great athletes at every skill position. They have some Division I players on their roster that we know are very good football players on both sides of the ball. They have a big offensive line as well, which is a concern for us. We have to make sure we're getting better every week."
Last year, Hollidaysburg beat Allderdice by a combined 83-7 in two matchups, including a postseason subregional victory at Hollidaysburg.
The Golden Tigers should be in a position to compete with the Dragons' big line after a strong performance against Altoona in the first week of the season.
"Our offensive line did a really good job," DeLattre said. "We have some size up front this year, and those guys did a great job getting on linebackers."