Both Juniata Valley and Southern Huntingdon have been in this position before. Come the third week of the season, their respective campaigns intersect with both carrying unbeaten marks.
Such is the case again this year when the unbeaten Rockets (2-0) travel up Route 22 Friday evening to A.R. Simkins Field to face the unbeaten Green Hornets (2-0) in an Inter-County Conference interdivisional battle. Kickoff is set for seven o’clock.
Both teams are among just five unbeatens in District Six Class A heading into week three. The Hornets are tied for first place in the rankings with Ligonier Valley at 110 points, while the Rockets are tied for third with Portage with 105. Conemaugh Valley is the other Class A unbeaten and ranked fifth with 100 points.
Juniata Valley has dominated its first two opponents to the tune of a pair of 26-0 shutouts. Last week, the Hornets rolled up 301 yards of total offense while limiting Glendale to just 107 yards. Senior halfback Joey Basil paced the Juniata Valley ground game with 10 carries for 103 yards and a pair of scores and goes into this week’s contest with 222 yards on 25 carries.
“Our defensive coordinator, Don MacEachern, has done a nice job and has our defense playing real well right now,” commented Hornet coach Mike Smith. “Our offense is also doing well, but my concern is that we can’t seem to finish off drives when we get down into scoring position. We are moving the ball, but, once we get in close, we can’t finish the job. That’s something we need to improve upon as the season progesses.
“Glendale had everyone back from the year before and has a nice team that ran all over Everett the first week. Our line did a nice job handling Glendale up front and we were able to somewhat contain their two good running backs.”
Southern Huntingdon has been just as potent the first two weeks of the season, tearing apart its opponents by a combined 91-27, including a 48-13 pummeling of Northern Bedford in the Rocket home opener last Friday. Southern chewed up 470 yards of total offense, which came from 252 on the ground and another 218 through the air. Senior fullback Troy Hoover led the ground attack with 26 carries for 159 yards and three scores. Hoover goes into tomorrow’s showdown with 47 totes for 280 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Senior quarterback Tyler Mansberger aired the ball out 20 times against NBC, completing 14 for 218 yards and three scores and utilizing six different receivers.
“Overall, I felt we played well against Northern Bedford,” stated Rocket coach Ryan Garlock. “I am concerned some about our special teams in that we had to pick up a couple bad snaps, and I felt our offensive line needed a little work. But, overall, Tyler has great presence in the pocket and doesn’t get rattled. (Senior split end Josh) Crull does a great job coming back for the ball and Hoover has had a very good running game.
“We gave up one big pass play, which I take the blame for. We had made some defensive adjustments the day before the game and I think that had the guys confused a little. But, we still played solid on defense.”
Southern Huntingdon holds a 27-18-3 edge in the series, which began back in 1959, including a 37-6 rout a year ago on the Rocket gridiron. Southern has won three of the last four meetings while Juniata Valley has won just three of the last nine meetings.
“Southern Huntingdon has a good team and it should be a good test for both of us,” added Smith. “Southern ran mostly in week one against Moshannon, but opened things up last week against Northern Bedford. Mansberger is quick, can throw very well and doesn’t seem to get rattled. They also have some good receivers and tight ends, plus Hoover is a big back who can also run very well. We have our work cut out for us.
“Defensively, they have some very quick linebackers who are very active and blitz a lot, along with some very good athletes in the secondary. The first week, with the weather, we counted on our opponent’s running game, which was easier to defend. We’ll definitely have to be on our toes against a much more balanced attack this week.”
Zach Boyd will again run the offense as the signal caller with Basil and Jared Johnson at halfback spots and Nate Paterson at fullback. Paterson has carried the ball 27 times for 148 yards this season.
Cody Shook is the tight end with Drew Peterson and Ethan Espy sharing time at split end. Jim Peters and Terry Musser are the tackles with Jared Ensminger and Jake Peters at the guards. Josh Heaster is the center.
Defensively, Shook and Peters are the ends with Heaster and Peters at the tackles. Boyd is the middle linebacker with Shawn McCrum and Musser on the outside. Basil and Johnson are at the corners, while Eric Sneath is the free safety and Paterson the strong safety.
“Juniata Valley lost some big-play makers, but is still a good football team — just with different personnel,” noted Garlock. “They again show a lot of speed and size and still swarm to the ball. We haven’t seen them throw much in the first two games, but know they have the capability to put the ball in the air. But, our number one priority will be to shut down the running game.
“They run a 4-3 package defensively, which we don’t see against another opponent, so there are going to be some new offensive adjustments for us. They stunt and blitz in every direction, which is tough to prepare for.”
Mansberger will again be under center along with Hoover at fullback and Nick Hall at tailback. Ryan Shade and Corey Knepper rotate at flanker with Jordan Yohn and Josh Crull at tight end and split end, Devin Miller and Shane Thomas are the tackles with Josh Welch and Jason Foor at the guards. Denton Spencer is the center.
On defense, Spencer and Nathan Goshorn are the ends with Matt Parks and Brandon Parks at the tackles. Foor is the middle guard, while Thomas is the middle linebacker and Yohn and Hoover are on the outside. Mansberger and Hall are the corners with Crull at safety.
“The keys for us will be to take care of the ball and eliminate our mistakes,” concluded Smith. “Last year, we put the ball on the ground nine times. We need to continue playing solid football like the last two weeks.”
Garlock concludes, “We need to be able to sustain our drives while eliminating our mistakes. Our offensive line has to have a good week and we have to make Juniata Valley earn everything it gets. We can’t give up the big plays.”
