HENRY HUBER/For the Express The Bald Eagle Area football team breaks the huddle following a 21-0 win over Central Cambria on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. With the win, the Eagles punched their ticket to the District 6 Class AA playoffs.

WINGATE – Following Bald Eagle Area’s Week 6 win over Bellefonte, senior Gage Gardner set the team’s goals high when discussing what was next. The hope at that time was to carry that momentum into a playoff bid, then make a run all the way to a District 6 Class AA title.

It may have taken what Gardner referred to as ‘divine intervention’, but the Eagles checked the first of those two boxes on Friday.

A regular season filled with strong defensive outings was capped with a masterclass, as they held a potent Central Cambria rushing attack to just 22 yards and forced four turnovers on their way to their third shutout. Grady Fisher surpassed 100 yards by halftime and headlined a 15-point second quarter, Jackson Millward posted a two-INT, two-FG third and the Eagles punched their district ticket in an emphatic, 21-0 win on Senior Night.

Just one day after the battle of 4-5 squads was announced to have playoff implications, Bald Eagle was sure to make the most of its second chance, putting together a composed, controlled outing and erasing the woes of last week’s loss. Now, instead of its campaign being over, it stands three wins away from its second district title in three seasons.

“We had an opportunity, and we took advantage of it,” said Gardner. “We’re going to continue to do that week-by-week.”

“When I told them they were taking eight, everybody was ready for the challenge,” said Bald Eagle Area head coach Jesse Nagle, referring to the district board going with eight instead of seven after Mount Union dropped out.

“I’m proud of these kids. We challenged them this week and for the seniors, there’s nothing better than to go out on this home field as a winner.”

After two three-and-outs to start, the Bald Eagle offense showed its first signs of life with a bang, as Fisher found a seam on power run to the left and took it 51 yards down the left sideline, juking out a defender at the third level to add an additional 20.

The drive would see its bumps from there, as it was forced to convert one third-and-long before facing a fourth-and-15 just out of field goal range. But there, Fisher was able to shake off a sack on the previous play, finding Luke Hosband on the left sideline for a 24-yard gain. Hosband’s effort in keeping his toes in bounds was also noteworthy.

“That kind of allowed us to come back and relax,” said Fisher on the play. “Just reset.”

Four plays later, Fisher punched it in on a tush push from one-yard out to get the Eagles on board. And that momentum carried into their next drive.

With it clicking on all cylinders, the Bald Eagle offense would face just one third down on what ended up being an 11-play, 86-yard touchdown drive. It did have issues with penalties deep in the red zone, but when a holding call negated a ten-yard touchdown from Fisher, Fisher just responded with a 20-yard one.

That drive knocked six minutes off the board as well, as the Eagles left Central Cambria with just one minute to try to cut into the 15-0 deficit before break. With the defense playing how it was, that was all it needed to finish the job.

“That’s who we are. We’re gonna drive, get a couple touchdowns and the defense is gonna keep us in the game,” said Nagle. “So, I’m proud of the offense. We’ve got to clean some things up. We could have taken a four or five-touchdown lead, but all in all, I was very proud of the kids who worked very hard this week.”

From there, defense and special teams did the heavy lifting.

After forcing two turnovers through the first half, including one on what ended up being Central Cambria’s most promising drive, Jackson Millward doubled that total with two third-quarter interceptions, one which he reeled in with one hand on a deep ball.

As Nagle mentioned, the ensuing drives there didn’t result in touchdowns, but that didn’t matter. Both picks set the Eagles up well within Red Devil territory, as Millward ultimately set himself up for field goals from 26 and 23 yards out to up their lead to 21-0 by the early fourth.

“It felt great that I could contribute that much,” said Millward, who also led the team in receiving on the night. “Being up at halftime is a good feeling, but we knew we had to keep our foot on the gas.”

Defensively, the Eagles went into the game knowing full well what they’d have to shut down to succeed.

Central Cambria running back Ryan Chappell entered the game with over 1,200 rushing yards on the season, seven 100-yard rushing performances and an average of 140 yards per game. The Eagles held the prolific back to just 22 yards on ten attempts, forcing the Red Devils to call more pass plays (20) than runs (19).

“We made it our goal to keep certain people under a certain amount of yards, and we did that,” said Bald Eagle linebacker Kaden Clark, who posted a sack and was in the mix on numerous tackles for loss. “Everyone played tough. They didn’t really pass on us, and they couldn’t run on us either. That was all part of the plan that we worked on all week.”

All those factors combined for what ended up being a dominant, well-rounded win, one that propelled Bald Eagle Area (5-5) back into the District 6 Class AA playoffs after seeming to be on the brink of a two-year drought.

It faces a difficult climb, as it heads into the tournament as the bottom seed facing the top and will face either Bishop McCort or Richland. But with plenty of momentum, it looks forward to the challenge.

“Got to keep going, keep studying, keep preparing,” said Fisher on his thoughts heading into next week. “Got to dominate.”

Bald Eagle 21, Central Cambria 0

C. Cambria 0 0 0 0 – 0

Bald Eagle 0 15 3 3 – 21

2nd Quarter

BEA – Grady Fisher 1 run (Jackson Millward to James Cowan pass), 10:19.

BEA – Fisher 20 run (Millward kick), 1:01.

3rd Quarter

BEA – Millward 26 field goal, 5:52.

4th Quarter

BEA – Millward 23 field goal, 10:24.

TEAM STATISTICS BEA CC

First Downs 11 4

Rushes-yards 38-177 19-22

Passing yards 57 111

Comp-Att-Int 6-10-0 8-20-3

Total yards 234 133

Fumbles-lost 3-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 3-25 1-5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

RUSHING: Central Cambria, Dylan Chappell 7-19; Mason Pittsinger 2-3. Bald Eagle Area, Grady Fisher 24-117, 2 TDs; Nick McCully 8-30; Sam Clark 2-17; Luke Hosband 2-8; Kollin Cunningham 1-3; Nino Danneker 1-2.

PASSING: Central Cambria, Mason Pittsinger 4-7-1 71 yards. Bald Eagle Area, Grady Fisher 6-10-0 57 yards.

RECEIVING: Central Cambria, Cam Stevens 2-58; Jett Williams 1-9; John Dill 1-4. Bald Eagle Area, Jackson Millward 2-26; Luke Hosband 1-24; James Cowan 1-4; Nick McCully 1-3; Kollin Cunningham 1-2.

INTERCEPTIONS: Central Cambria, none. Bald Eagle Area, Jackson Millward 2, Luke Hosband 1.

Records: Bald Eagle Area 5-5 (5-5 Laurel Highlands); Central Cambria 4-6 (4-6 Laurel Highlands).