H.S. football roundup: Raiders bounce back; Eagles suffer first loss; Rams progress
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CLEARFIELD – After getting punched in the mouth last week, the Bellefonte football team didn't get much of a chance to breathe. For Week 4, it drew a road trip to face Clearfield, a storied Laurel Highlands program that's had the Red Raiders' number through half a century.
However, rather than buckling and accepting a 1-3 record, Bellefonte came out like a team on a mission. 21 unanswered points propeled it to a three-score lead by the end of the first. And though the Bison cut the deficit to seven twice in the third, the Red Raider defense held them scoreless in the fourth to secure the 28-21 victory.
With the bounce-back win, Bellefonte (2-2) is back to .500 with added momentum on its side. It'll look to carry that momentum into a cross-county matchup against Penns Valley (0-4) in Week 5.
"Our kids were met with all kinds of adversity before and during this game, but they stuck together and came out with our first win in Clearfield in 55 years," said Bellefonte head coach Tony Confer on the win.
"Offensively, we struggled our first few drives of the second half which allowed Clearfield to get back into the game. We also had some costly penalties that gave Clearfield a shorter field on their second half scoring drives. But our defense came up big in the fourth quarter for some crucial stops."
Sophomore Parker Jodon played a large role in the win, taking the opening kick the distance to give Bellefonte an immediate 7-0 lead and having a career night on the outside.
He and Alten Howell connected on three touchdown passes, including 25 and 40-yarders in the first half that put the Red Raiders up 21-0 and one to put them up 28-14 in the third. Jodon surpassed 100 yards for the first time, finishing with 116 on three receptions. And he also secured the game-sealing interception.
Howell completed five of his six passes for 138 yards and three scores and added 65 yards on 11 rushes, as the Red Raiders combined for 314 yards of offense (161 pass, 153 rush). Kolten Ammerman reeled in three receptions for 37 yards, and Quinn Park and Ethan Speerstra each logged 33 rushing yards.
The defense buckled in the third, allowing Clearfield to open the second half with a touchdown drive and narrow the gap to 21-14 and 28-21. But similar to its Week 2 win over Forest Hills, it locked in at the right time.
TYRONE 15, BALD EAGLE 6
The Laurel Highlands gauntlet finally produced Bald Eagle's match in Week 4. After three weeks of dodging defeat against tough opponents, its unbeaten surge stagnated on the road, as it fell to Tyrone, 15-6, on Friday.
The loss followed up notable victories over Huntingdon, Penn Cambria and Penns Valley. While offense was their defining strength through the first three weeks, the Eagles were held scoreless through three quarters and finished under 200 yards for the first time.
"The one thing that they did to us that I wasn't really expecting was they took it to us up front on our offensive line," said Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle. "Defensively, they did a nice job blitzing a lot and taking it to us, so it got us a little our of sort."
"I think there was a learning experience for our young guys. We're gonna get better, both as coaches and as players. Tyrone is a really good football team," he added.
After three quarters of scoreless ball, Tyrone picked up 15 points in close success in the fourth to go up 15-0. Ben Walk completed to long passing touchdowns to Mason Emigh (5 receptions, 159 yards). And in the amidst of that offensive surge, the Golden Eagles also forced a safety.
Bald Eagle was able to respond late, as Chase Cane connected with Luke Hosband for a 64-yard passing touchdown. But in an attempt to make it a seven-point, the Eagles failed the ensuing two-point attempt and wouldn't impact the scoreboard again.
Cane completed eight of his 18 passes for 111 yards and a score, adding 52 yards on the 11 rushing attempts. Hosband (2 receptions, 63 yards) and Sam Clark (2 receptions, 30 yards) each finished with multiple receptions, and Clark compiled 51 yards offensively.
The Eagles will look to bounce back on the road at Philipsburg-Osceola (3-1) on Friday.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 35, PENNS VALLEY 28
While the end result was one many might've anticipated, Penns Valley likely earned a fair share of double takes when it came to the final score of its Week 4 matchup. It held its own against a tough Philipsburg-Osceola squad despite being outscored 114-41 through its first three weeks, even going into the fourth with a one-point lead.
Ultimately, the Mounties notched a late touchdown before holding firm to take the cross-county affair by a score of 35-28. But head coach Martin Tobias had plenty to be optimistic about when it came to his team's improvements.
"We've continued to improve every week. We've played against some really good opponents, and more than held our own on Friday night," said Tobias. "Disappointed that we didn't the win obviously. But in the same sense, I'm really proud of the steps we've taken as we've continued to improve week-to-week."
"They're learning how to play together, and they're staying really focused on improving week-to-week. They've continued to show up every day to practice, keeping their heads up and pushing forward," he added.
Sophomore quarterback Cael Smith returned from injury and played a great game, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown while adding three scores through the air. His favorite target on the night was Emory Reed, who had eight receptions for 128 and a 16-yard touchdown. And Christian Merrill and Isaac Harpster also caught touchdowns, with Harpters's coming from 37 yards out.
The Rams will look to build on that performance against Bellefonte this Friday.