Football roundup: BEA, Rams earn Week 10 wins, Bellefonte named D6-4A champ
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SIDMAN – After defeating Westmont Hilltop and holding its own against 9-1 Central, Bald Eagle football proved that progress wasn't a fluke in Friday's regular-season finale against Forest Hills. In fact, the team kept building upward, posting its most lopsided win of the season in a 48-7 rout on the road.
The Eagles did much of their damage early, getting out to a 31-0 lead by halftime as both units controlled the game from the very beginning. Its a win that clinched their No. 6 standing in the District 6 Class AA playoff rankings, which pits them against Bellwood-Antis in Friday's quarterfinal.
"The last three games, our kids have figured it out, and we've figured where the best puzzle pieces fit for this team," said Bald Eagle football head coach Jesse Nagle on the win. "The kids are doing an outstanding job playing together now, playing for one another. I'm just really proud of them."
Offensively, a pass game that's been stagnant in recent weeks caught fire, as four different passers combined to complete all 15 of the team's pass plays on the night for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Mason Nagle led the way there, going 10-for-10 for 119 yards and a score, and Drew Nagle had a career night as a receiver, turning five receptions in 73 yards and a score.
Rushing wise, Jack Kleisath turned 11 carries into 130 yards and two scores, averaging nearly 12 yards per carry and adding a passing touchdown. His effort led a 233-yard rushing night for the team, with Xavier Nagle and Nino Danneker upping the team's rushing -touchdown total to five.
"Anytime you go 100 percent on completions, you're feeling pretty good," said Nagle on the team's offensive success. "Our offensive line did a really nice job Friday night controlling things up front, and I think we're at our best possible situation on both sides of the ball right now."
Defensively, Bald Eagle largely shut the Rangers down, holding them scoreless through three quarters, with its starting unit never surrendering a point. Isaac Johnson had an interception, Sam Clark logged a sack and three tackles for loss, and Drew Nagle and Nino Danneker combined for 4.5 tackles for loss.
"Defensively, it was a great team effort. We played outstanding," said Nagle.
"Still got to clean a couple things up, of course, but I thought that was probably one of our better team games we've played this season, if not the best," he added.
The win sets the Eagles up well for a tough opening playoff matchup at Bellwood-Antis. The No. 3 seeded Blue Devils play host to Bald Eagle on Friday at 7 p.m.
PENNS VALLEY 20, SOMERSET 19
SOMERSET – Coming off back-to-back wins, Penns Valley football controlled its own destiny when it came to clinching its first playoff bid since 2023. Win, and it's in. Lose, and the season is over.
It wasn't pretty, but the Rams ultimately chose the latter, rallying to edge out Somerset, 20-19, on the road Friday. With the victory, Penns Valley (4-6) earned the No. 8 slot in the District 6 Class AA field and will faced top-seeded Mount Union (10-0) in Friday's quarterfinal.
"They never quit," said Penns Valley football head coach Martin Tobias on the win. "They faced a lot of adversity this week, and they never quit. They stayed focused, played hard and created opportunities for us, and we were able to pull it out."
Senior Spencer Althouse stepped in at quarterback and did what he could, completing six passes for 68 yards and two scores, the latter of which was especially crucial.
With under three minutes to go, he threw a 13-yard touchdown pass for the final go-ahead score of the night, erasing a six-point deficit. That touchdown also complimented a previous 12-yard touchdown to Kyle Conrad that put the Rams up 13-6 going into halftime.
"He handled himself with a lot of composure, no question," said Tobias on Althouse. "We asked a lot of him, but he really came through when he needed to."
Defensively, Penns Valley had issues stopping Somerset receiver Caden Stephens, who surpassed 100 yards and scored a touchdown on the night. But it was largely shut-down outside of that, holding the Golden Eagles to just over three yards per carry while forcing and recovering three fumbles.
It was a strong team win given the team was missing starting quarterback Cael Smith, as it overcame adversity in route to securing a playoff bid. It faces a tough foe in its first district playoff game in three seasons. But whatever happens, simply making it was an accomplishment in itself.
"They showed lot of resiliency and never hung their heads, kepting played the whole way through," said Tobias. "It's exciting. Credit to them for stepping up, continuing to improve and putting things together at the right time.
DISTRICT CHAMPS
While Thursday's regular-season finale didn't go the way Bellefonte wanted it to, as it fell to Bishop McCort, 42-22, to drop to 5-5 on the season, the Red Raiders had a silver lining land in their laps come the following Sunday. With Greater Johnstown opting out of the ensuing District 6 Class 4A championship game, Bellefonte was named district champion for a second straight season and will once again compete at states.
It's the first time the Red Raiders have earned back-to-back titles in program history, another box checked in this current era of Bellefonte football. Next time it competes will be in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A championships, set for either Nov. 20 or 21.