Lucko

After enduring an 0-10 season a year ago, the Huntingdon Area High School football program began this season under third-year head coach Tim Lucko with a new outlook.

“It started in our two-a-days (summer practices),” Lucko said. “It looked to me like a different team taking the field at practice. I’m proud of my kids’ efforts and their buy-in to what we’re trying to do.”

After opening the season with a hard-fought 14-6 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference road victory over Bald Eagle Area, Huntingdon improved to 2-0 overall and in the conference last Friday with a 48-12 rout of Somerset.

“At the end of the day, you have to start winning games,” Lucko said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to do that over the first two weeks and I think that’s really helped with the team culture here. I’m proud of my kids’ efforts and we’re just grateful that we’re in this position right now.”

Huntingdon hopes to improve upon its success this Friday night, when the Bearcats host Bellwood-Antis (1-1, 1-1) in a Laurel Highlands matchup at War Vets Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Bellwood opened its season with a 28-21 conference road victory over Clearfield in a game where standout junior running back Alex McCartney scored the winning touchdown in the final minute.

Last week, the Blue Devils were beaten at home by undefeated McCort-Carroll, 21-6.

“The Clearfield game against a 4A (classification) school was a tough challenge for us,” Bellwood coach Nick Lovrich said. “Our kids played well, scoring at the end of that game for the win. Last week against McCort, one of the better teams in District 6, it was pretty much a heavyweight bout out there, and they came out on top.

“We wish we were 2-0 instead 1-1, but we’re pretty happy with where we’re at,” Lovrich added. “Hopefully, we’re just going to keep getting better throughout the season.”

Both Bellwood and Huntingdon boast a group of excellent skill players. The Blue Devils’ rushing game is led by the standout McCartney, who missed all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered in the preseason. McCartney is bouncing back strong this year, with 213 yards on 47 carries and four rushing touchdowns in the Blue Devils’ first two games.

Junior running back Chase Plummer, who also missed most of last season with an injury, has rushed for 93 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown for Bellwood. Junior quarterback Bradyn Partner has completed 14 of 27 passes for 197 yards, giving Bellwood two dimensions on offense.

“This is Bradyn’s first year at quarterback,” Lovrich said. “Last year, he played running back for us, and he’s been a starter in the defensive backfield. So he’s had plenty of field experience, just not at quarterback.

“Over the first couple games this year at quarterback, he’s been pretty efficient for us,” Lovrich added. “We expect him to just keep getting better every chance that he goes out and plays.”

Lucko expects a stiff challenge from Bellwood this Friday night.

“It’s your typical Bellwood (team),” Lucko said. “They’re just big and physical up front, and I think that they have one of the better running games in the area. Our kids will be competing against a great team.

“Now we want to see how we stand here,” Lucko added. “I’m just anxious to see how we compete against one of the better teams in the conference.”

Senior Elliott Guisler has been a multi-talented Swiss Army Knife for Huntingdon. Guisler has lined up at quarterback, running back and wideout on offense, is a stalwart in the secondary at safety on defense, and is a valuable contributor as a return man on special teams.

Guisler has 10 carries for 120 yards and three rushing touchdowns, has made 13 tackles (four solo) on defense, and last week against Somerset, he returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s a jack of all trades for us,” Lucko said of Guisler. “We have him at quarterback at times, he’ll get some carries at running back, and he’ll be a receiver for us. Plus he’s helped in our return game and as a safety on defense.

“Against Bald Eagle Area, he scored a touchdown to make it a 14-6 game and give us some breathing room after it had been a 7-6 game for the longest time,” Lucko added.

Huntingdon also has an excellent senior back in Landon Erdman, a three-sport standout who has rushed for two touchdowns on 147 yards on 22 carries this season.

“He’s a really tough, big, strong kid who is hard to bring down,” Lovrich said. “As a team, (Huntingdon has) looked pretty good this season. I know that they have some really good athletes on their team.

“They beat us two years ago and we beat them last year, so we’ve split our two games the last two seasons,” Lovrich added. “In the previous two years, I know that they had struggled a little bit, but they’ve been a solid team this year and Tim is a really good coach who is doing a very good job with that team. I think that they’re turning the corner.”

Friday could be a bit of a statement game for both teams.

“We have to make sure that we take care of ourselves, eliminate the little mistakes that we made last week, and keep improving,” Lovrich said.

Lucko likes what he’s seen of his team through the first two weeks.

“I think that the biggest thing for us, truthfully, is just the way that we are playing the game,” Lucko said. “We had our backs to the wall several times in that Bald Eagle Area game, and we found a way to win, which is a positive step. I think that things are coming along for us.”

Bellwood-Antis vs. Huntingdon

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: War Vets Field, Huntingdon.

Records: Bellwood-Antis (1-1 overall and in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Huntingdon (2-0 overall and in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference).

Coaches: Nick Lovrich is 55-24 in eight seasons at Bellwood-Antis; Tim Lucko is 4-18 in three seasons at Huntingdon.