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Beating Roman Catholic on Tigers’ to-do list

PIAA Class 5A high school football

By Michael Boytim 5 min read

Following Hollidaysburg's season-opening victory over rival Altoona, many of the Golden Tigers claimed this year's team could match last year's undefeated squad that made it to the PIAA quarterfinals.

Goal achieved -- in fact, perhaps even bettered considering Hollidaysburg defeated Fort Hill, 35-30, this season and only won that game last year after Fort Hill forfeited for using an ineligible player after the game was played.

"We broke a lot of records last year," Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "This year, we did win that Fort Hill game on the field, and we have had a lot of record-breaking performances this year. We shattered our record for total points. We set rushing records, touchdown records -- it's been a lot of things that make it (a great season). There's a lot of guys in town here that I talk to on a regular basis that thought last year's team was the best they have ever seen in the 70 years they have been watching, and they are now saying the same thing about this year's team in a different way."

Now, they would like the rest of the season to progress differently.

Last year's Golden Tigers lost to Roman Catholic, 48-14, in the PIAA quarterfinals.

Friday at 7 p.m. at John H. Frederick Field at Memorial Park in Mechanicsburg -- the same location of last year's game -- the teams will meet again.

"It's a new year, and it's really simple. If you lose, you go home," Roman Catholic coach Rick Prete said. "We have to be in the mindset that this is our Super Bowl. Hollidaysburg has a great program, and they aren't the same as last year. They do some things differently and their personnel is different. They will present some different challenges for us, and our kids are aware of what is in front of them. No one is underestimating them."

Hollidaysburg got off to a horrible start in last year's game, but DeLattre said the way they finished helped build his returning players' belief that they could compete with the Cahillites.

"We got down 28-0 to them last year, but we didn't play badly after that," DeLattre said. "We hung in there and moved the ball. You could see the confidence build after we found some success with some plays. The guys talked about it in the summer. We played some teams at Penn State that were comparable speed wise, and the kids wanted that kind of challenge. You could tell the kids have a different mindset knowing what they have to do to get back."

Some of that mindset came from the players who led last year's team.

"Last year's senior leaders really paved the way for this program and for this season," DeLattre said. "The way they led, the way they overcame a lot of things and showed hard work, dedication and focus has really allowed us to keep doing what we have been doing. It's very rewarding as a coach to see the culture of the program lead to success on the field. It's an honor to be the coach here."

Roman Catholic went on to lose the PIAA Class 5A championship game in overtime, which has fueled the Cahillites this season.

"Being in that last game and leaving with that feeling -- to see our kids want to come back and right the ship is really good," Prete said. "It's a very hungry group, but the focus of the group has been what is impressive. It's been a 1-0 mindset all season. There's no looking ahead. Every week is our Super Bowl."

The District 12 champions opted to test themselves, which has led to three losses -- two by one point -- and a 44-7 loss to Maryland and national power DeMatha.

"Our schedule, playing a national schedule in the preseason, was really beneficial for us," Prete said. "We faced a lot of adversity right out of the door. We lost a game to a nationally-ranked Providence Day team by one point and then the following week we played in Florida and then played DeMatha -- I think that has prepared us and showed us areas that we need to continuously improve."

Roman Catholic's quarterback, Semaj Beals, is back for his senior season and threw for 2,300 yards and 31 touchdowns in the regular season. He committed to Division I Akron.

"It's a really tough group of kids that are really focused on trying to accomplish a goal," Prete said. "I know everybody works hard, but the kids put in a ton of work. Their focus has been really good to see, because that's not always easy. That's an underrated thing that people don't pay attention to as much."

Hollidaysburg fell behind 21-0 to Delaware Valley in the first round of PIAA play last week before rallying for a 56-42 win, and DeLattre realizes that falling into that kind of hole against Roman Catholic can't happen if the Golden Tigers expect to win.

"We talked about how to make sure the guys are confident and make sure we do a better job of starting," DeLattre said. "We have not been efficient in starting games. We have been finishing very well, and as we look back, sometimes our practices are the same way. We start at a low pace and finish really well at practice. That was also shown the last couple weeks at our games. We can't get behind. Roman likes to get an early lead, so we have to have our kids believe and have confidence going in. I think that will go a long way to getting off to a good start."

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