To tell the truth: Grassi believed Penn Cambria could be here again
PIAA Class 3A high school football
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If Penn Cambria football coach Jason Grassi is speaking, it is wise to listen to what he is saying because he's been speaking the truth since he was reinstalled as the Panthers head coach after Nick Felus left the program after last season.
He told everyone that would listen to him that Penn Cambria still had great athletes on the team following its run to the PIAA semifinals last year.
He said the Panthers could repeat as District 6 champions.
And last week, he said if Penn Cambria needed to pass to win a playoff game it could despite a strong, physical running game being its calling card all season.
Well, the Panthers have used a versatile group of athletes to have plenty of success this season, beat Huntingdon to repeat as District 6 champions and last week, Brady Jones threw for 300 yards and four touchdown passes to four different players in a 27-0 state playoff win over Brockway.
"I said that -- not thinking we would have to do that -- because I thought we would be able to run the ball a little better than we did on Friday night, but credit to Brockway. They had some really good defensive linemen that gave us some problems," Grassi said. "We ended up having to go to the air a lot more than we anticipated, but it's nice to have the ability to do that and know that you can be successful at it."
Now Penn Cambria has a chance to match its longest playoff run in school history when it travels to Clarion University tonight at 7 p.m. to take on District 10 champion Sharon.
"They are really good," Grassi said. "Hickory is a very good football team as well. Those two teams battled it out, and it came down to a field goal at the end of the game that Sharon executed. They are athletic, big and strong. They have two good running backs and their quarterback is elusive. They have a lot of team speed and fly around. It's going to be a challenge just like every week now. We have to be ready to go and be strong up front and run the ball better than last week."
Penn Cambria defeated Hickory in this round last year before falling to Avonworth in the PIAA semifinals. The winner of tonight's game will play either Avonworth or Imani Christian next week.
"This senior group, there's 13 of them, have played so much football now beyond the regular season," Grassi said. "I think they are loose when we go on these long bus rides. We got off the bus and were ready to go. They stay focused and want to play football. They know what it is all about and what each game takes, and they get it done."
Sharon finally made it past the roadblock of Hickory, which had served the same role as Central did for Penn Cambria before the Panthers finally broke through last year.
"We have a ton of momentum," Sharon coach Jason McElhaney said. "That's a game where we have been very close the last two years, and this year we were able to find a way to win and win in dramatic fashion. That gives us momentum and confidence, but at the same time, we also understand that the time for celebration and reading the newspaper is over. We have a really good team in front of us that we have to prepare for."
McElhaney is impressed with what he's seen from Penn Cambria.
"They are a really quality football team obviously with the pedigree of winning last year and winning in this round last season," McElhaney said. "I have been fortunate enough in my coaching career to run up against some District 6 schools at some other stops, and those games have always been close. Those teams play good football, always physical teams that have good athletes and are well coached. We can tell from the film we were able to get that Penn Cambria has good size and has pretty good skill players. Their quarterback presents a pretty big challenge in terms of his ability to throw the ball in scramble situations, and their physicality as a unit is something that jumps out."
Like Penn Cambria, Sharon prefers to run the ball with senior back Terrian White, who ran for more than 1,250 yards in the regular season.
"Terrian White jumps out because of the numbers," McElhaney said. "He's been great for us and incredibly reliable. He can hit a home run for us but also runs with great physicality. Receiver wise, we have had a bunch of guys step up for us depending on how teams try and cover us and what is available. Carmez Norris jumps out with the big yards per catch, but Rakeem Hughes has been big for us when he's had the moment and Bishop Root is a do-it-all guy for us offensively and defensively."
Penn Cambria allowed a lot of rushing yards to Huntingdon in the District 6 final but made second half adjustments and did not allow a touchdown in that game.
"Our defensive staff through the playoffs has put some really good gameplans together," Grassi said. "We held teams to seven, six and zero, so we're playing really good defense right now. Our guys are locked in on defense. We take pride in stopping people. We have to stop the run like every week. If you can take the run game away and make them pass, you're going to have success."
McElhaney said three things have allowed the Tigers to finally get back into the state playoffs.
"We have been able to stay pretty healthy," McElhaney said. "That's been something that has been a challenge for us the past couple years. We have been fortunate in that regard this season. Two other things have been the maturation of our offensive line, which is basically a brand new unit -- three out of five are new starters who had never played a down of varsity football before. And midseason we went through a defensive transformation as far as moving guys into different positions and changing things from a philosophical standpoint which has been a big deal for us."
Meanwhile, Penn Cambria will keep leaning on its versatility.
"Grant Gides had a huge game for us (against Brockway) and really stepped up," Grassi said. "I said this all year -- it doesn't matter who it is. It was his turn to step up and make those plays. Brady trusts our receivers. He threw a couple up and Grant made some phenomenal catches. Blake Nadolsky did the same thing going up over top of a guy to score a touchdown. Brady trusts those guys, and he knows they are going to go up and try to get the catch if he gives them a chance."