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Final regular-season games in high school football can sometimes be bland and uneventful events that either serve as playoff tune-ups or close the books on unremarkable seasons.
That won't be the case this Friday night for either Altoona or Hollidaysburg, when both squads take to the road for significant regular-season finales.
Altoona (5-4) has a shot at its first winning season in six years and a home-field playoff berth for the upcoming PIAA Class 6A District 6-8-10 subregional. To achieve those goals, the Mountain Lions need to defeat Cumberland Valley at Cumberland Valley High School's Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.
Hollidaysburg travels to Mansell Stadium in DuBois to face a Beavers team that will very likely provide its opposition in a PIAA District 2-6-9 subregional playoff game next Friday at Hollidaysburg's Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff for both the Altoona and Hollidaysburg games this Friday is 7 p.m.
Altoona put forth an impressive performance on the road last Friday in drubbing Cedar Cliff, 44-14. The Mountain Lions scored on their first five possessions to take a 31-7 halftime lead, with junior quarterback Mekhi Jackson rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for another.
"Our kids played well and made plays,'' Altoona coach Vince Nedimyer Jr. said of the Mountain Lions' effort last week. "We could not be more proud of how they played, especially on the road. We will need to play just as well this week against a very good Cumberland Valley team.''
Senior back Myzick Clemons rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday's game for the Mountain Lions, who are currently tied in the PIAA District 6-8-10 points standings with McDowell, which faces Erie High School this Friday.
Beating a 5-4 Cumberland Valley team this Friday night will likely give the Mountain Lions a home playoff game at Mansion Park, likely against McDowell, in next weekend's District 6-8-10 subregional.
That won't be a routine task for Altoona, particularly on the road, but the Mountain Lions' scores against common opponents are similar and comparable with those posted by Cumberland Valley this season.
The Mountain Lions won last year's game between the two schools, 17-16 at Cumberland Valley, but this is a new and different season.
Cumberland Valley junior quarterback Colton Stamy leads the team's potent passing game, having thrown for 1,265 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
Jackson has rushed for 652 yards and 12 touchdowns this season for Altoona, while throwing for 717 yards and seven scores.
SUBHD: Tigers on streak
Hollidaysburg (6-2) has a three-game winning streak entering Friday's matchup with DuBois (6-3).
The Golden Tigers' offense has been clicking on all cylinders during the team's three wins in the month of October.
Hollidaysburg has racked up a total of 143 points in the three victories, over Butler, Jersey Shore and Williamsport, with the Tigers' offense averaging nearly 48 points per game during that span.
"We started out the year playing pretty well against some really good teams,'' Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "As we approached the end of the regular season, we knew that our last couple games were going to be against some really good playoff-caliber teams, and we wanted to make sure that we were playing great at the right time.
"And I think that we're playing really well right now coming off two big wins and this week heading up to DuBois, which is a potential playoff opponent for us,'' said DeLattre, whose Golden Tigers have reached the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals in both of the past two seasons. "We want to continue to play well, since that's very important heading into the playoffs.''
In last week's 41-34 win over Williamsport, Hollidaysburg junior quarterback Vince Albarano threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 107 yards and another score, and made an interception on defense.
"He's been dominant the past couple of games both running and throwing the ball,'' DeLattre said. "He's done a really good job for us.''