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Through two games this season, Altoona has nearly as many passing attempts as it has rushes.
Balance is something many teams across the area are seeking, but for the Mountain Lions, it marks a stark contrast to how they have been playing in coach Vince Nedimyer Jr.'s tenure.
Parker White threw 22 times against State College and had more than 200 yards through the air after throwing 21 times against Hollidaysburg in the opener.
"Looking at the skillset of the kids we have, we're just trying to evolve a little bit," Nedimyer said. "We're just trying to do what we think is best for the kids that we have."
Altoona has been able to move the ball successfully through the air at times this season but has struggled with consistency in its 0-2 start.
The road doesn't get any easier on Friday as the Mountain Lions travel to Cumberland Valley.
The Eagles lost their opener, 7-0, to Manheim Township but rebounded with a 42-0 victory over Carlisle last week.
Their best player is four-star offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, who is committed to play college football at Notre Dame.
"They are well coached and have decent size," Nedimyer said. "They have the big kid that's going to Notre Dame. They are fundamentally sound and do things right. But as I say all the time, we have to worry about ourselves more than we worry about the other team and make sure we're where we need to be both offensively and defensively and just execute."
Nedimyer felt Altoona did that in the first part of the Lions' losses to Hollidaysburg and State College but fell off in the second half in both games.
"We got a little bit tired, and those are things we're trying to work on in practice," Nedimyer said. "In terms of how we practice, we want Friday nights to be a little easier. We'll try and get kids some breaks here and there whenever we can find a way. We have to get to the point where when something goes bad, we don't let it spiral and snowball and let multiple things happen after one thing happens."
Bouncing back
Bishop Guilfoyle Academy didn't lose a game last year until the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship game but dropped Saturday's showdown with Richland.
Before the game, coach Justin Wheeler said the high-profile matchup with the Rams would benefit his team win or lose, because he would learn how the team needed to grow.
Mission accomplished.
"They definitely don't quit," Wheeler said. "The game went back and forth, and even when we were down a little bit late, we drove right down the field and scored. I like that our guys have that mentality that they are never going to quit in a game. We just have to limit our mistakes. Young teams make them early, and hopefully we can grow from that."
The Marauders will travel to Bellefonte on Friday to play the Red Raiders, who beat Tyrone to open the season but lost 35-0 to Forest Hills last week.
"They are big up front and run a lot of misdirection and outside stuff," Wheeler said. "They will stretch our perimeter and test our speed there. That's a little different than we have seen. Richland was trying to pound up the middle and has athletes that can throw over the top. This team is more trying to get outside and use their speed and quickness. It's going to be a different challenge. They run a lot of misdirection, and guys will have to be ready for that."
The unknown
Maryland doesn't open its high school football season until this weekend, so Hollidaysburg's game at Allegany will serve as the season opener for the Campers.
"It's a difficult task when they haven't played any games yet," Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "We do have a couple scrimmages that we can see on them, but there's not a ton of down and distance type stuff on there. Getting tendencies for the game could be difficult, but we have been in that situation with them the last couple years. We have played them in the past, so we're basing a lot of stuff off what we saw then. A couple years ago, they rolled up 400 yards on us with a Wing-T offense, which was very fundamentally sound."
Hollidaysburg has already played two games and is 2-0 with wins over rival Altoona and Allderdice. The Golden Tigers were tied with the Lions at the half and trailed Allderdice in the second half before pulling away in both games.
"I'm really happy with the way they have stuck together," DeLattre said. "They have been resilient and a cohesive unit regardless of what has happened. They have stayed together, and there's been no dissension. Their character has shown. They have maintained self control, and those are things we coach just as much as we coach offense and defense. It was great to see that pay off, because they are great kids who play hard. They know the opportunities are going to come. They just have to trust the process."
Carter Muth has run for more than 100 yards in each game so far for Hollidaysburg, and that will have to continue against Allegany.
"Defensively, they have some athletic kids in the secondary and play a lot of man coverage," DeLattre said. "They are really good at it. We'll have to make sure we run the football successfully to maybe open up the passing game."