Meyersdale football coach not surprised by Panthers
District 5 Class 1A championship
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Fourth-seeded Northern Bedford pulled off what many observers considered to be an upset in the semifinal round of the four-team District 5 Class 1A tournament last Friday night, when the Black Panthers went on the road and defeated top-seeded Conemaugh Township, 34-21.
But Meyersdale coach Ryan Donaldson -- whose team faces Northern Bedford in the District 5 Class 1A championship game Friday night at 7 p.m. at Windber Stadium -- isn't joining the crowd who were stunned by the Black Panthers' semifinal-round win.
"Honestly, I'm not surprised,'' Donaldson said about the Black Panthers' victory last week. "Township is a really good football team, and a good program. Township had a good season but I'm not completely surprised by the upset by the Black Panthers.
"They're a good football team,'' Donaldson said. "Like us, they were involved in a lot of close games this season that just kind of went the wrong way for them. They're a really good football program from the top down.''
Northern Bedford (6-5) already owns a victory over Meyersdale (7-4) this season. The Black Panthers accomplished that on their home field by defeating Meyersdale, 28-21 in a regular-season matchup Oct. 9.
Junior quarterback Trace Baker ran 16 yards for the winning touchdown with only 10 seconds left for Northern Bedford, which put together a 70-yard scoring drive.
"We saw what (Northern Bedford was) capable of when we played them during the regular season,'' said Donaldson, whose second-seeded team beat third-seeded Windber, 21-14 in the semifinal round last Friday to advance to the title game.
Baker has come of age this season as the Black Panthers' signal-caller, throwing for 1206 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 617 yards and seven scores.
Baker threw for 166 yards on only three completions against Conemaugh Township, tossing an 82-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Kolson Feathers and an 80-yarder to sophomore receiver Nevin Lloyd.
Lloyd has 20 receptions this season, including a team-eight touchdown catches, while junior Brett Cottle has made a team-leading 25 catches for 345 yards and two TDs.
Junior running back Eric Swanseen has rushed for a team-high 834 yards and 10 touchdowns for Northern Bedford, including two in last week's game.
"Their quarterback is a true dual threat running and passing the ball, and they have plenty of guys they like to get the ball to on offense,'' Donaldson said of the Black Panthers. "We're fully expecting a really good football game Friday night, just like it was when we played them during the regular season.''
Black said that the play of his offensive and defensive lines was an essential part of last week's semifinal win.
"Our offensive line played really well last week,'' Black said. "They gave Trace time to throw and although his stat line read three completions in nine attempts, we had a couple drops (by receivers) or his night would have been even better.
"He did a nice job throwing the ball and we had guys making plays for us,'' Black added. "We had three different guys rush for over 70 yards. That makes it tough to defend against us.''
Black gave credit to the outstanding play last week on NB's offensive and defensive lines, on which seven players -- seniors Brody McCoy, Mason Musselman, Caden Troy, and Gavin Jesse, along with junior Bryan Thomas and sophomores Jordan Talasky and Knox Dibert -- play a variety of positions.
"Those seven guys play on both the offensive and defensive lines for us, and they played like men in last week's game,'' Black said. "They were all fantastic.''
Meyersdale has a solid offensive attack that would provide a formidable test for any opposing defense.
Junior skill position standout Spencer Whitfield has thrown for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns this year, while rushing for 650 yards and 15 scores for Meyersdale.
"Spencer Whitfield has played running back and quarterback for them,'' Black said. "He's really tough.''
Meyersdale junior running back Caleb Sines has rushed for 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns this season, while senior wideouts Carter Vogt (19 receptions, 431 yards, seven touchdowns) and Gavan Steinberg (16 catches, 295 yards, four touchdowns) lead Meyersdale's receiving corps.
Senior back Cooper Porter is back in the Meyersdale lineup after missing most of the season with a knee injury.
"The Sines kid is a really tough running back, and defensively, we have to do a good job against their two receivers,'' Black said. "With Porter returning, it looks like they've got all of their pieces back and they're going to be tough in all aspects of the game.''
Meyersdale is the defending District 5 Class 1A champion, having defeated Conemaugh Township in last year's title game.
Northern Bedford is hoping to unseat Meyersdale and take over the district's top spot for the 2026 season on Friday.
"This is what we play for, and we're excited about the opportunity,'' Black said. "Our community really rallies behind us ... they filled the stands at Conemaugh Township last week. That just makes for a really fun environment.''
District 5 Class 1A Championship
Teams: Northern Bedford (6-5) vs. Meyersdale (7-4)
Where: Windber Stadium
When: Friday night, 7 p.m.
Noteworthy: Meyersdale is the defending district champion, but Northern Bedford won a regular-season meeting this year between the two schools, 28-21.