Penns Valley football shoots for third straight win at Somerset
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A hard-fought loss against 8-1 Central followed up Bald Eagle's first win of October last Friday. Now, the focus is on putting that loss behind it and finishing the regular season strong at Forest Hills (2-7) to give it momentum heading into the postseason.
As it stands, the Eagles (4-5) occupy the No. 6 seed in the eight-team District 6 Class AA playoff field, with a projected quarterfinal matchup against Bellwood-Antis (7-2) in their wake. They have more of a chance of dropping a spot with a loss than moving up with a win.
Last week's loss against Central saw them erase a 14-0 deficit in the second half before the Dragons put it away with a late touchdown. That hard-fought loss came after a 14-0 win over Westmont Hilltop (3-6) ended a four-game losing streak that derailed a 3-0 start.
Against Central, Xavier Nagle led the offense, turning 18 touches into 84 yards and a receiving touchdown. Jack Kleisath added a touchdown on the ground, his third in two games, and Nagle, Kleisath and Sam Clark have all proven capable of leading the backfield.
Injuries have continued to impact the quarterback position, but expect either Chase Cane or Mason Nagle to start under center in Week 10. The pair combined for 101 yards on 24 pass attempts last Friday, with Nagle logging a touchdown pass and interception.
Defensively, Drew Nagle stands 11 tackles short of 100 on the season, and Nino Danneker, Kleisath and Ian Kontier have combined for seven sacks and 21 tackles for loss. Avery Frank and Nick Woodward each have pairs of INTs, with Frank having a team-leading five pass deflections, and Danneker and James Cowan each have two fumble recoveries.
The Eagles face a Forest Hills squad that has struggled to replicate the success of its previous season. The Rangers are now in the midst of a five-game losing streak after starting 2-2, with four of the losses within that span being decided by 26 or more points.
Forest Hills saw starting quarterback Austin Pramuk return against Bishop McCort last week. Pramuk rushed for 157 yards and two TDs in his first start of the season against Westmont Hilltop. Kaden Chumbley has put together over 500 yards of offense (397 rush, 123 receiving) with seven touchdowns, and seven Rangers have rushed for over 100 yards.