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Frustrations show in Altoona Mountain Lions’ loss

By Michael Boytim 5 min read

Things went from bad to worse for Altoona in its game against defending PIAA Class 5A champion Bishop McDevitt at Mansion Park on Friday night.

The Mountain Lions gave up a 78-yard touchdown pass late in the first half to fall behind by three scores, and then some players lost their composure in the second half of a 38-0 loss.

Altoona coach Vince Nedimyer Jr. took his team almost immediately to the locker room after the game.

"We lost focus in the second half," Nedimyer said. "We let our attitudes and our mouths get out of line, but that's my fault. I have to go handle that right now. That's why we're going into the locker room. Credit to (McDevitt). They are a good football team."

With 38 seconds to play in the third quarter, Parker White completed a pass to Cody Chathams for a 2-yard loss on first-and-10 from the Altoona 26. After the play, an Altoona player threw a McDevitt player to the ground. A McDevitt player retaliated and was ejected, and another Altoona player was also assessed a personal foul.

Both Altoona players that were called for personal fouls were escorted off the field by Nedimyer and did not return to the game.

After a long huddle by the referees, they strangely and without explanation, placed the ball at the Altoona 31 and the Mountain Lions resumed possession with a second-and-5. White ran for a first down on the next play, but it was the last time Altoona made a first down in the game.

"We have to take care of the silly stuff, the penalties and that kind of stuff," Nedimyer said. "That's on me to get taken care of. We're going to play with guys that are going to be able to prevent those and not lose their cool and get penalties like that. That's on me. That's a direct reflection of me, and we're going to handle it."

Play of the game: With 3:25 to go before halftime, Bishop McDevitt quarterback Sebastian Williams found Jontai Quick on a pass near the sideline. He made a defender miss and went 78 yards for a score to make it 21-0.

"(Quick is) probably about 70 percent and didn't play the last two games," Bishop McDevitt coach Jeff Weachter said. "Two games ago on the opening kickoff, he ran down to the 5-yard line and got tackled and had a lower-leg injury. He didn't play the rest of that game or last week. He didn't practice until Wednesday, and we weren't even sure in the pregame. He's a gamer, but he made a great play after a great throw."

Player of the game: Williams was 11-for-15 and threw for 222 yards. He did not throw his first incompletion until midway through the third quarter.

Unsung hero: McDevitt kicker Aidan Grella was excellent on kickoffs, either pounding them through the end zone or kicking high efforts that landed inside the 5 that resulted in Altoona being backed up. He also kicked a 38-yard field goal and was perfect on extra points.

Most vital statistic: Altoona ran for just 51 yards on 25 carries.

"We had some first half goals of trying to hold them to 14 points," Nedimyer said. "We had them at 21. We had some opportunities offensively to score. We tried to put our kids in a situation to make some plays. We maybe got a little ahead of ourselves with some different things, but credit to them. They made plays and stuffed us on the run. We had a couple creases here and there, but overall, they are a good team. I thought in the first half we played well."

Weachter: "We won states in 2022 and were complacent in 2023. I let some things go, and we got upset in the state semifinals. All offseason we talked about not being complacent and going after it this year. Hopefully we're back in Altoona on Black Friday playing in the state playoffs."

Nedimyer: "I think we have winnable games left on the schedule. The goals we set at the beginning of the year are still attainable."

McDevitt quarterback Williams: "We're trying to prove ourselves as an undeniable team. We made a lot of mistakes in the first part of the season, but we have come a long way. It really showed in this game. We were all clicking. This team is going to be an undeniable team."

Notable: Altoona forced a fumble and recovered it on the second half kickoff and took over at the McDevitt 34, but the Lions managed to gain just 3 yards before turning it over on downs. ... Tyler Reinhart and Patrick Wright had interceptions for Bishop McDevitt. ... Altoona Football League youth cheerleaders spent the whole game on the sideline cheering the varsity team, and former basketball standout Corey Tubo was honored with the captains before the game.

Records: Bishop McDevitt (4-2); Altoona (2-4).

Next week: Bishop McDevitt hosts Cumberland Valley next Friday, and Altoona travels to Harrisburg for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Oct. 4.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop McDevitt 14 7 10 7 -- 38

Altoona 0 0 0 0 -- 0

First Quarter

BM--Jones-Davis 13 run (Grella kick), 3:15.

BM--Holton Jr. 14 pass from Williams (Grella kick), :53.

Second Quarter

BM--Quick 78 pass from Williams (Grella kick), 3:25.

Third Quarter

BM--Grella 38 field goal, 5:17.

BM--Barnes 3 run (Grella kick), 1:38.

Fourth Quarter

BM--Palmer 51 punt return (Grella kick), 6:30.

TEAM STATISTICS BM A

First downs 18 8

Total yards 389 120

Rushes-yards 31-167 25-51

Yards passing 222 69

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 11-15-0 10-18-2

Punts-avg. 1-42 5-41.6

Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-0

Penalties-yards 5-35 2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Bishop McDevitt, Jones-Davis 13-63, Larue 7-37, McFarland 5-33, Williams 2-17, Barnes 4-17. Altoona, Clemons 7-16, White 4-15, Hazlewood 7-13, Chathams 3-9, Jackson 3-8, TEAM 1-(-10).

PASSING--Bishop McDevitt, Williams 11-15-0-222. Altoona, White 9-16-1-61, Jackson 1-2-1-8.

RECEIVING--Bishop McDevitt, Quick 4-126, Holton 3-47, Ruth 3-41, Larue 1-8. Altoona, Chathams 3-7, Wuckovich 2-26, Chisolm 2-25, Hazlewood 2-3, Moyer 1-8.

Starting at /week.