The Eagles, facing a Philipsburg-Osceola team that had won three of its first four, put together their most well-rounded performance to earn their biggest victory of the season, beating the Mountaineers, 21-14. And the Red Raiders broke through after a three-game skid, shaking off a 20-point second quarter from Penns Valley to claim the cross-county bout, 27-20.

Now, each team will test how far that momentum can carry it against the other. Residing just ten minutes away from each other, the stakes are high for this year’s rendition of the Curtin Bowl, as the rivals look to improve to .500 and post their first win streaks of 2025.

Since 2004, Bellefonte has won 12 of the last 21 matchups between the teams, with its most dominant stretch being a six-game win streak between 2014 and 2020. But despite typically sitting a class or two below the Red Raiders, Bald Eagle has had dominant stretches of its own, posting win streaks of three from 2011 to 2013 and 2021 to 2023.

While there’s typically been a more dominant team within the matchup, with the fluctuation of wins and losses matching the programs’ ups and downs through the decades, it’s worth noting that this year’s may be the most even in some time.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bald Eagle Area football team takes the field before a matchup against Penns Valley on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Spring Mills.

As it stands, each team has a win over Penns Valley (0-5) and another over a winning Laurel Highlands program. Both are run-heavy, defensively stout squads, and both see question marks when it comes to throwing the ball, having departed with senior quarterbacks in 2025. Both also have a running back that has surpassed 500 yards through five games.

That makes this year’s rendition of the Curtin Bowl one that realistically could go either way.

For Bald Eagle Area (2-3), the focus coming off last week’s win is to carry its continued defensive success forward while also building on what was a promising debut for its more run-oriented approach.

Defensively, the team now has three games on its resume where it’s held its opponent to less than 14 points and 150 yards, two against teams with winning records in Huntingdon (4-1) and Philipsburg-Osceola (3-2). It’s certainly been the strong point of this team, highlighted by experience and talent across the board.

“We’ve got a really nice defense that’s keeping us in games,” said Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle following the team’s loss to Tyrone. “We’ve just got to figure out the offense and once we do that, we’ll hopefully be fine.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bellefonte football team takes the field before a matchup against Clearfield on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Rogers Stadium.

And after weeks of attempted balance and shortcomings offensively, the Eagles moved athlete Grady Fisher to starting quarterback and ran to ball on 84-percent of their plays against the Mountaineers, with Fisher himself going for 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

It’s a game plan that ultimately helped the team limit its mistakes, as it finished with just one turnover after turning it over in droves against Tyrone. And though it wasn’t needed last Friday, Nagle believes Fisher can throw the ball effectively when needed.

“You’ve got to defend the feet and defend the pass, so it just gives us the ability to do that,” said Nagle when discussing Fisher’s move to QB. “He’s a great athlete. He’s not going to throw it all over the place like the kids we’ve had in the past, but it’s going to throw it enough with his ability to run. That’s the biggest thing.”

For Bellefonte, the goal is to produce the same energy it’s had in the second half of games through all four quarters.

Against Tyrone and Clearfield, it was forced to erase multi-score deficits due to early issues, a situation that cost it in the latter. And against the Rams last Friday, it was truly a tale of two halves, as it dominated the third and fourth to the tune of 13 unanswered points.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Grady Fisher (3) tries to get into the endzone during a football game against Penns Valley on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Spring Mills.

“These guys like turning it on in the second half,” laughed Bellefonte head coach Tony Confer following the team’s win over Penns Valley. “It’s not how we scripted this game to go all, but we made a lot of mistakes and got us in the situation we were in.”

Other question marks entering the game include the statuses of starting quarterback Brennan Huntsinger and lineman Ian Valimont, who each left the field with injuries last Friday. Both will be missed if they’re out, but the Red Raiders proved capable of adjusting to their absences, with freshman Alten Howell playing well through two quarters under center.

In terms of players to watch, expect the Red Raiders to continue to feed Kaven Smith-Kirk the ball, with the junior having almost 400 rushing yards through the last two games. Whoever starts at quarterback will likely be the second rushing option, and athlete Ashten Howell should also be well within the mix.

For the Eagles, Fisher has averaged over 95 rushing yards through the last three games at a clip of five yards per rush while senior running back Nick McCully has posted three 100-yard games, 19 rushes per game and five yards per carry. If necessary, Jackson Millward and Kollin Cunningham have also proven reliable at receiver.

Diving into the second half of the season, a win here would be huge for both programs as they look to take a turn for the better. With the heightened stakes, the nature of the rivalry and how even the matchup is on paper, Friday’s Curtin Bowl should be a memorable one.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bellefonte defense waits for action to resume during a football game against Clearfield on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Rogers Stadium.

“One of our goals is to win the county,” said Confer. “We got the win (over PV), our first county win. Now, we’ve got Bald Eagle next.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Kollin Cunningham (1) watches as a run develops during a football game against Penns Valley on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Spring Mills.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte's Gavin Dufour (2) dives for extra yardage during a football game against Clearfield on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Rogers Stadium.