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Week 10 brings more rivalry competition for area teams

It’s hard to believe that the last week of the high school football regular season has finally arrived. It feels like just yesterday that our local teams were baking in the sweltering heat during two-a-day practices, now they’re braving the cold for their 10th game this year.

Even though it’s sad to see things drawing to a close, fans can look forward to some great rivalry football action tonight.

Though the games might be a little extra taxing for players on our area squads, as they have only had three days to recover after rain moved last Friday’s games to this past Monday, you can bet everyone on the field will be playing their heart out tonight.

Here’s what to look for:

JERSEY SHORE AT

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN

In the last three meetings between these two teams, the Wildcats have not found a way to beat the Bulldogs or even make the games remotely close. If you combine the scores of the last two contests alone, the Bulldogs have outscored the Wildcats 106-26.

Don’t expect to see a change in that trend tonight.

Sure, Central Mountain (3-6; 2-2 HAC-I) has proven itself to be a better football team than it was over recent years, but the group still has work to do before it can expect to be competitive with Jersey Shore (6-3; 2-3 HAC-I) – a team that lost a bunch of weapons coming into 2016, but has maintained its potent offense nonetheless.

For an idea of the edge Shore might have in this one, consider that it enters the game on the heels of a three-game win streak, and has only lost two of its last seven games. By contrast, the Wildcats have seen blowout losses over the last two weeks, with just three combined touchdowns over that span while giving up 14 scores.

With 250 total points on the season, Jersey Shore has nearly doubled the scoring output of CM (130 points), and has surrendered 102 fewer points than the Wildcats on defense.

The Bulldogs come equipped with a balanced offense that averages close to 215 yards per game through the air and 150 yards per game on the ground. On the other hand, Central Mountain has shown a nice rushing attack at times (180 YPG average), but has a passing game that is virtually non-existent.

As far as I can tell, CM’s only two advantages in this contest will be its extremely explosive special teams unit that has already scored a few TDs this year, and the fact that the game will be played at Don Malinak Stadium.

So far this season, the Wildcats have seen two of their three wins come in Mill Hall, so hopefully the raucous home crowd will be enough to spur them on and make this a close one.

PREDICTION: JS 28, CM 17

BALD EAGLE ARE AT BELLEFONTE

In another battle between geographical rivals, Bald Eagle Area (3-6; 1-5 ML) will make the short trip from Wingate to take on Bellefonte (4-5; 4-2 ML), where both groups will be hoping to end their season on a bright note.

If you would have asked me at the onset of the season which team my money would be on, I would have likely picked the Bald Eagles, who started the year off with a few crushing victories.

But with BEA dropping five games in a row, it’s hard to envision the team taking down Red Raiders, even though Bellefonte has seen its own share of tough times over recent weeks.

The most telling thing about these two teams is that, of the common opponents they have played, Bellefonte has managed to pick up wins in three games (Penns Valley, Tyrone, and Huntingdon) where BEA took losses.

Though I expect a close game with lots of rushing yards from both teams, I give the slight edge to the Red Raiders, especially since they have a chance to avoid a losing season with the victory tonight.

PREDICTION: Bellefonte 20, BEA 18

BUCKTAIL AT

MONTGOMERY

Though Bucktail (0-9) and Montgomery (1-8) are separated by nearly 65 miles – quite a bit more distance than you see with most rivalry teams – these squads get extra pumped for this game every season simply because of the size of their schools, as they each represent two of the smallest teams in all of District 4 and the state.

For Bucktail, this could likely be the most winnable game they have seen all season long, and you can bet the Bucks want to take advantage of that.

It won’t be easy, however.

While the Red Raiders have seen plenty of lumps in 2016, they have had far more offensive success than Bucktail has, averaging nearly 10 points more per game. They have also given up 12 fewer touchdowns.

All things considered, I think Bucktail might be in for its closest game of the season, but may not have enough in the tank to come back with the victory.

PREDICITON: Montgomery 14, Bucktail 10

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