Mid-Season Report
With half of the regular season down, here’s a look at some of the highlights and lowlights around the Big 8 Conference over the first five weeks.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Without a doubt, it’s the much-improved Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties. In just one season, coach Jeff Vroman has transformed the Mounties from a 2-8 cake-walk into a serious contender for the Big 8 title.
P-O’s turnaround is due is no small part to the big-play dimension added by senior running back Adam White, who leads the Big 8 in rushing yards with 897 on 114 carries. But the Mounties are also much improved on defense, where they’re allowing just 18 points per game, and have allowed more than two touchdowns in a single game only once.
The Mounties have been particularly strong against the run, surrendering just over 95 yards per game on the ground. In its biggest game of the season, the Mounties fell at home to conference leading Huntingdon 34-16, but rebounded to defeat Indian Valley 22-15 last week. The Mounties last true test will come in one week when they visit Tyrone.
BEST GAME: Huntingdon’s 23-20 overtime win at Tyrone in the second week of the season may well go down as the Big 8 Game of the Year, let alone the best in the first half of the season. It featured high drama, drastic changes in momentum, and possibly the best create-on-the-run player in the Big 8 since Jesse Jones.
Huntingdon trailed by two scores early and was never able to move the ball with any consistency against an inspired effort by Tyrone’s defensive line, which held the ‘Cats to negative gains 13 times.
But play-making quarterback Geoff Kozak was undeterred and, despite suffering a mild concussion in the second quarter, turned two broken plays into points, giving Huntingdon 13-10 lead before the half.
Tyrone tied it at halftime on a 26-yard field goal by Ben Gummo and took a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles, who turned the ball over three times, were never able to sustain a clock-eating drive with the game on the line.
Kozak tied the game on a 1-yard run with 18.2 seconds left in regulation and gave the ‘Cats a 23-20 lead with a 34-yard field goal in overtime.
When Tyrone lined up for its first possession in the extra frame, quarterback Brandon Maceno was unable to handle the snap and Huntingdon recovered, and escaped with a three-point victory.
Kozak finished the game with two touchdowns, 106 yards passing and 17 of his team’s 23 points.
BIGGEST STRUGGLE: Carrying a roster replete with inexperienced underclassmen and letter-winning sophomores, Bellefonte coach Tom Gravish knew the Raiders would be a work in progress. He may not have envisioned that his team would be seeking its first win after the midway point.
The Raiders, true to form, have put up impressive passing numbers. Quarterback Josh Mundy is second in the conference only to Lewistown’s Nathan Heider, having completed 56 of 108 passes for 787 yards and two touchdowns.
But their defense has been abysmal particularly against the run, where the Raiders are allowing 293 yards per game.
Bellefonte’s defense hasn’t been helped any by their offense, which has put it in bad situations on more occasions that Gravish would like to recall with 19 turnovers.
BEST FINISH(es): The resurgent Mounties have two of them.
In Week 2, P-O rallied from a 14-0 deficit against Bellefonte to tie the score at 14 in the fourth quarter. After Mundy was intercepted, the Mounties drove 62 yards in 12 plays to set up Lou LaFuria’s 27-yard game-winning field goal with one second left.
P-O followed that up a week later when, tied at 14 with Penns Valley, linebacker Stan Koguc sacked Valley quarterback Todd Bumgardner for a safety with just over two minutes to play.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Indian Valley returned its top two rusher from a season ago, along with four starters on defense. They were expected to challenge for the Big 8 championship, but that push hasn’t materialized.
After last week’s loss to P-O, the Warriors were 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big 8 with games against Tyrone and Huntingdon remaining.
Things couldn’t have started worse for Valley, which dropped two of its first three games, all against non-conference opponents.
GAME OF THE SECOND HALF: The best game of the second half of the Big 8 season may well involve Tyrone, as well. Tyrone takes on P-O next week at Gray Vets Memorial Field.
TOP PERFORMERS
Huntingdon’s Jerrod Smith led the Big 8 in rushing for Week 5 with his 21-carry, 242-yard effort in the ‘Cats’ 24-7 win over previously unbeaten Bishop Guilfoyle. Smith scored three times on runs of 25, 63 and 95 yards.
Bald Eagle Area’s Camdin Crouse led the conference in passing, completing 9 of 18 passes for 155 yards in a 28-0 loss to Tyrone.
MILESTONE
With its win over BG last week, Huntingdon became just the 10th school in PIAA history to record 600 career wins.
