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NORTHERN CAMBRIA -- Nolan Clawson knew this was a special night. The Coal Bowl meeting against backyard rival Northern Cambria was just part of the story.
"We knew coming in the atmosphere would be great. I had to put on a show and I did my best," said Clawson after the undefeated Highlanders rolled to a 46-6 victory in a Heritage Conference football game at Duffy Daugherty Stadium on Friday night.
"He's one of our best players and we want him to act like it. And he did that tonight and I'm very, very proud of him," Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said.
Play of the game: Northern Cambria senior Levi Czar ran 99 yards for the Colts' first touchdown, and his third of the season.
Key moment: Northern Cambria drove from its 31-yard line to the Cambria Heights 11, only to turn the ball over on downs. "We've been tough to score on in the red zone. We take a lot of pride in that and make sure that we're playing well (in that facet)," Lewis said. "A lot of that game plan was in place. And we were one block short, one missed assignment short by a player short. And we stall and then, I think, over the course of time it accumulates and we get overwhelmed. And then it goes bad, and the wheels fall off," Northern Cambria coach Sam Shutty said.
Player of the game: Clawson ran for a first-half touchdown, returned an interception for his seventh touchdown of the season, and tacked on two-point conversion that followed a Colton Strong touchdown run to push the Highlanders to a 22-0 lead. Clawson led all rushers with 145 yards on 11 attempts.
Unsung hero: Jack Sherwood and Harrison Snyder spent a great deal of time in the Northern Cambria backfield. Sherwood, a senior defensive end, and Snyder led a defense that amassed 11 tackles for lost yardage.
Most vital statistics: Cambria Heights held a 312-185 advantage in total yards, did not commit a turnover, was penalized only twice for 10 yards, blocked a punt, and rolled up 14 first downs. Northern Cambria managed only five first downs and 185 total yards.
Lewis on the significance of winning the Coal Bowl: "I credit the seniors. This is a game they wanted. They wanted to make sure we got the bucket and make sure we keep a good legacy here."
Coach Shutty: "They're a juggernaut. They really are. They're big up front. They're very physical. Their running backs and their wide receivers run hard. They're a tough physical team and they're hard to match up against."
Clawson: "I think we're looking good. We definitely have some things to work on, but I can definitely assure you we're going to be better." Strong: "(We focused) on limiting the big plays, keeping our assignments and blocking right."
Notable: Northern Cambria prevented the Highlanders from attaining a four-touchdown lead when it staged a goal-line stand that followed a 3-yard punt to the Northern Cambria 9. Czar followed the stand with his third touchdown of the season. He led the Colts with 118 rushing yards on nine attempts. ... Strong ran for two touchdowns (1 and 14 yards). The senior running back finished the night with 56 rushing yards on 12 attempts. ... Brayden DeArmitt followed Czar's long-distance scoring run with a 28-yard touchdown run of his own. ... Bryce Lewis tacked on a 2-yard touchdown run in the third period. ... Nito Kutruff kicked a 22-yard field goal and successfully kicked all five
point-after attempts.
Records: Cambria Heights (5-0), Northern Cambria (2-3).
Next week: Cambria Heights plays host to Conemaugh Valley, and Northern Cambria visits West Shamokin on Friday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Cambria Heights 22 7 17 0 - 46
Northern Cambria 0 6 0 0 - 6
First Quarter
CH - Clawson, 48 run (Kutruff kick), 6:22.
CH - Strong, 1 run (Clawson run), 2:35.
CH - Clawson, 26 interception return (Kutruff kick), 2:17.
Second Quarter
NC - Czar, 99 run (kick blocked), 3:49.
CH - DeArmitt, 28 run (Kutruff kick), 1:38.
Third Quarter
CH - Strong, 14 run (Kutruff kick), 10:35.
CH - Lewis, 2 run (Kutruff kick), 6:11.
CH - Kutruff, 22 FG, 1:41.
TEAM STATISTICS CH NC
First downs 14 5
Total yards 312 185
Rushes-yards 44-284 22-158
Yards passing 28 27
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 4-4-0 8-13-2
Punts-avg. 1-48.0 6-16.6
Fumbles-lost 1-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 2-10 3-21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Cambria Heights, Clawson 11-145, Strong 12-56, DeArmitt 6-32, Warner 6-29, Snyder 3-17, Wharton 1-9, Lewis 2-2, Team 3-(-6).
Northern Cambria, Czar 9-118, Arotin 7-32, Farrell 6-8.
PASSING -- Cambria Heights, Clawson 3-3-0-25. Northern Cambria, Arotin 8-13-2-27.
RECEIVING -- Cambria Heights, Lewis 2-29, DeArmitt 2-(-1). Northern Cambria, Brawley 4-8, Farrell 2-5, Bodek 1-12, Buterbaugh 1-2.