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Coming off its first loss of the season, Central has a chance to rebound and not only solidify its own playoff path but basically derail Huntingdon's when the teams meet at Roaring Spring Athletic Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
"Our goal is to make the playoffs and win a district championship," Central coach Jerry Albright said. "We have control over what we do. We don't have to hope for other teams to lose. If we play our best football, we can still make the playoffs and play well and make the championship. We control our own destiny."
That certainly won't be the case for the Bearcats if they lose Friday night.
Central stands at 4-1 and is the current second seed just ahead of fellow 4-1 teams Central Cambria and Philipsburg-Osceola in District 6 Class 3A. Cambria Heights, at 5-0, is the top seed.
At 2-3, Huntingdon -- last year's District 6 runner-up -- is currently ranked seventh in a field where only four teams make the playoffs.
"From that standpoint, it's a huge game for us," Huntingdon coach Tim Lucko said. "We put ourselves behind the 8-ball a little bit, but if we can go to the Cove on Friday and get this thing figured out, it would be huge for us."
The Scarlet Dragons are coming off a 42-7 loss to Bishop Guilfoyle that looks bad on a results sheet, but the score was just 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
"We have to play in the trenches a lot better than we did Saturday night," Albright said. "We have to get back to what we did the first four weeks. We won turnover battles and rushing yards battles. We set goals week in and week out, and if we get back to winning those little battles, the big battles will take care of themselves."
On the other hand, Huntingdon is coming off its best game of the year -- a 43-19 drubbing of Clearfield in which it took total control from the opening kickoff.
"It's big, even if simply for morale," Lucko said. "It wasn't all doom and gloom. There have been some spots where we have played well, but I think it was very important to right the ship and find a way to get a win."
Huntingdon has seen some improved play from some of its biggest playmakers.
"Cole Lane comes to mind. He had a really nice game Friday night," Lucko said. "Reese Hughes, our quarterback, has done a lot of nice things. Javaughn Dodson has played well. Everett Payne was our lone returning starter up front, but each week, we're taking little steps forward."
Lucko has been impressed with what he's seen from the Scarlet Dragons.
"They have had great quarterback play. The running back is solid," Lucko said. "They are a well-oiled machine offensively and give you a lot of different looks and concepts that can very easily confuse you. You have to focus on your job. Defensively, I think it's overall a great team defense at all three levels. Hopefully we answer the bell."
Belief is there
Altoona played with state-power Harrisburg for the majority of its 40-20 loss (which included a touchdown on the final play) to the Cougars last Friday.
That wasn't a surprise to Mountain Lions coach Vince Nedimyer Jr.
"Our kids believed they could win," Nedimyer said. "We were a couple plays away from possibly a different outcome. (Harrisburg) had good field position for pretty much the entire third quarter. They are a tough team to stop when they only have to go 5 or 25 yards, but I was happy with how our kids played and responded to different situations, and I hope it helps us move forward."
Altoona will host Chambersburg (1-4) with an opportunity to improve to 4-2 Friday night at Mansion Park.
"They have a different kind of look defensively," Nedimyer said. "They get in a three-stack. Their coach is in his second year, and they did a nice job last year against us. They will be good to go and have a good plan every time they play us. They seem to be ready when they get off the bus. But we'll be ready. We believe in ourselves."
Nedimyer believes his team's leadership will keep them from a letdown this week.
"I have said this whole year that this group of seniors has been a really good group of leaders," Nedimyer said. "Our younger guys are falling into place with them as well, and hopefully that continues in the second half of the year here."
Mid-term exam
Through half the regular season, Hollidaysburg is 3-2, and coach Homer DeLattre has seen both positives and things the Golden Tigers need to work on the rest of the season.
"We need to run the football more consistently," DeLattre said. "We need to be able to do that in the playoffs. Running the football is the key to your success at any level."
But he's seen plenty of things that Hollidaysburg can hang its hat on going into Friday's game against Butler at Tiger Stadium.
"We need to continue to play great on special teams," DeLattre said. "We have played great on special teams and created a short field for our offense. Defensively, it's very difficult to drive the football on our defense, especially without many short fields."
Butler also enters the game at 3-2 and has three runners who have 200 yards rushing or more this season.
"They have a multiple-package offense, so we need to make sure we're prepared for numerous sets from double tight end sets to spread empty sets," DeLattre said. "They run all kinds of stuff and have some great athletes. They have guys they like to get the ball to, and they have two quarterbacks that are above average. Defensively, we'll have to be ready for that."
And offensively, the Golden Tigers need to improve on their previously mentioned running game to help combat Butler's defensive look.
"They are athletic on the back end and play a 3-4 defense with a lot of speed on the field," DeLattre said. "We'll need to make sure we balance the run and the pass."