LHAC Football Forecast Week One

[Crimson's Ghost]

[center]Bishop Carroll at Bishop McCort  Friday 7:00 Point Stadium[/center]
The "Battle of the Bishops" rivalry will be renewed Friday after a two year hiatus.  The Crushers and Huskies have gone through some tough times in the years since, but it appears one team is ready to make a run in 2016. Second year coach Brian Basile has an experienced team returning, and one that is picked to finish towards the top of the league. 

Bishop McCort's offense is option based, but has weapons to run the ball straight ahead and air it out as well. Levi Cook will orchestrate the offense for the Crushers. The 6'1" 215 senior has plenty of experience, and has displayed the ability to be a dual-threat type of player. He has a pretty significant arsenal of weapons as his disposal most notably junior fullback, Anthony Walters, running backs, Andre Nash and Carnell Andrews as well as senior wideout Anthony Formica. The Crushers' line isn't imposing by any stretch, but they have some experience and skill.  On defense, McCort's linebacker duo of Anthony Walters and Ridge Phillips is among the best in the league, and Josiah Jones can be a disruptive force up front. 

The decline of one of the best football programs in the league continued last season with the Huskies going 0-10.  With small numbers on the roster, and a first time varsity football coach calling the shots, the expectations will not be high for Carroll. The strength of the team however, is likely the size of their offensive line. Massive 6'6" 315 pound senior Geno Laurer anchors a line that also features some other experienced players like Tim and Steve Morris, and Roman Lessard. The question marks surround the skill players, though. Bishop Carroll went the first six weeks of 2015 without scoring a single point, and offense still seems to be what could hold them back this year. 

Prediction - I think Carroll will play one of their better games of the season. They only have 22 players listed, and should be at full strength. Obviously depth is something I worry about moving forward with this team.  They may have their way with a smaller McCort team at times, but in the end the Crushers just have too many weapons on offense. I think McCort will prevail on their home turf in week one. 

Crushers 28 Huskies 0

[center]Penn Cambria at Johnstown Friday 7:00 Trojan Stadium[/center]

Coming off a memorable playoff run, Johnstown will look to swing that momentum into a successful season. Johnstown has all the tools to contend for an LHAC title and perhaps more.  Tony Penna Jr. will hand the offense over to junior quarterback Austin Barber, who will be replacing the school's all-time leading passer Jeremy Updyke.  He will not be short on weapons however. He has a talented group of receivers headed by senior Exree Loe, who is coming off a 1,000 yard receiving season. Loe is potentially committing on Friday, and will be deciding between his final two schools, Maryland and West Virginia.  Theo Tinsley is another solid receiving option. Bryce Gibson will be handling the running back duties. The Trojans' defense is highlighted by a secondary with Loe, Gibson, and Tavis Price, and they will make things difficult on any opponent. 

Penn Cambria is coming off an uncharacteristic 1-9 season. There is some optimism that it can be a quick turnaround for the Panthers. The quarterback position seems to still be somewhat unsettled, but look for Austin Zupon and Nick Hite to be the main cogs on offense. The Panthers have some experience on the line with Pat Farell and Darian Conrad.  Scoring was certainly an issue last season, and getting a steady running game with a better passing game than they had last season will be what they need to accomplish to move forward this year. 

Prediction - Johnstown is poised for a big season, and I think they can get it rolling early. The Trojans should have their way in week one.  I think Penn Cambria will be improved from last season, but I can't see them ready to take down the LHAC Section II favorites on their home field. 

Trojans 42 Panthers 7

[center]Central Cambria at Somerset Friday 7:00[/center]

Central Cambria is coming off a 3-7 year, but have some pieces in place to improve this season. Bill Corrente welcomes back Justin Bezek to anchor his offense from the quarterback spot.  Bezek had his ups and downs as a sophomore, but with a year under his belt, a leap forward is expected in his game. Central Cambria combined for just over 1,000 rushing yards as a team last season, and establishing a running game will be a concern again this season. Bezek has some pretty reliable targets with Billy Davis and Nate Gillen. The line has some veterans returning, but they aren't overly big. Keeping Bezek healthy will be their biggest task. 

Somerset has been on a roll for a few seasons now, but they may be at a bit of a crossroads. Gone are stars like Dylan Barnes and Jake Heiple, so some new playmakers will have to emerge.  The strength of the team though will be the four seniors starting on the line led by Brock Leazier.  Austin Hemminger will be the featured back this season, and has displayed the ability to make plays.  QB isn't set in stone, but wherever George Coyle plays, he will be a key factor.  Defense should be a strength led by junior linebacker, Ryan Funa, one of the best in the conference. 

Prediction - Both of these teams have some question marks, but at the end of the day Somerset looks like the more complete team. Bob Landis has established the Golden Eagles as a power in recent years, and they should be here to stay. 

Golden Eagles 35 Red Devils 14

[center]Cambria Heights at Richland Friday 7:00 Herlinger Field[/center]

Richland enters the 2016 season with some new faces in key places. The quarterback position is unsettled, but there are some talented players competing for the spot. Brandon Bailey could even turn to a freshmen to run the show, which seems to be in the cards at this point. What he does have is a special talent in Ethan Dabbs. The bruising runner could play some QB, but may best served to be the team's featured offensive weapon as a running back. He may not be on the radar of a lot of people right now, but I expect him to have a breakout season. 

Cambria Heights is coming a successful season that saw them make the playoffs. In fact, Heights was playing as well as anyone down the stretch before the playoffs started. They will look to recapture that magic, and start playing well early in the year. They have to replace a lot of their skilled guys, but an experienced and big offensive line should give some newer guys space to operate. James Baum and Nick Brawley are talented athletes that should be able to be able to make things happen in space. 

Prediction - This is a big game for both sides, and one I could honestly see going either way.  Both teams are picked to be about in the middle of the pack in the conference, and have a lot to prove still. I'm going to lean with Richland in this one though. I think the home field advantage could be a nod in their favor. 

Rams 28 Highlanders 18


[center]Bishop Guilfoyle at Bedford Friday 7:00[/center]

Bishop Guilfoyle comes into this season boasting the state's longest winning streak with back to back 16-0 state championship teams. They are also the Pa Football News' preseason #1 team in class A. The expectations are there for Justin Wheeler's team to make another run at Hershey. They will be forced to make this next title run without the reigning state player of the year, Evan Chadbourn, who is out for the season with a knee injury.  Even with the news of Chadbourn, the team still boasts the biggest line in class A, and also a tight end in Luke Frederick that is garnering college attention.  Josh Trybus is back as the team's starting quarterback, and Harvard commit, Andrew Irwin, should have an elevated role on offense. BG's defense should be equally as dominant, as they rarely gave up meaningful touchdowns last regular season. 

Bedford is coming off an 11-1 season in which they were the co-champions of the LHAC.  Now this is a game we all wanted to see last season, but we'll have to settle for week one of this year. Unfortunately Bedford will be ushering in new starters all over the field. The strength in Bedford's team will likely be with their offensive and defensive lines, it's the new set of skilled players that leave uncertainty. Austin Montgomery and August Cook were a very special backfield, but now Davis Kline and Chris Ellis will be asked to handle those duties. 

Prediction - Bedford will definitely put up a fight in this game, but as I mentioned above, we may be a year too late for this matchup.  Guilfoyle should be revved up for another big year from the start, while Bedford may have some growing pains to start the season. I think Bedford is a team that will grow into a good team, but it's an awfully difficult opener for them. 

Maraduers 42 Bisons 12

[center]Game of the Week[/center]

[center]Forest Hills at Westmont Saturday 1:00 Trojan Stadium[/center]

Please note the game here is being played at Johnstown, due to the construction happening at the site of the former Westmont Middle School. Unlike the building, Westmont's football team won't have to be built from scratch. This team has an identity and a game plan, and the personnel to carry it out on the field. Ideally, Westmont wants to throw the ball as little as possible and control the game with their imposing offensive line and methodical play calling. The Hilltoppers feature three seniors Cameron Bryga (6-3 285), Justin Bulas (6-4 260) and Mike Weinzierl (6-3 315) up front to pave the way for the running game. Brock Bennett will be tasked as the primary ball carrier after the Hilltoppers having graduated two 1,000 yard backs from last season. 

Forest Hills will be very dependent on underclassmen with just six seniors on the roster for this season. A run of injuries led to a 5-6 campaign in 2015, but there is hope Forest Hills could rebound from this season. That hope with that starts with 6'4" 220 pound sophomore Quarterback Adam Cecere. He was more of a game manager last season as a rare freshman starter in Sidman, but should be able to unleash his skills more this season. Eric Elgin will be one of the featured offensive weapons after an injury riddled sophomore season. The Rangers are a bit undersized, and will turn to Tanner Gavlak to be the anchor on both sides of the line. 

Prediction - This could turn into being a very good football game. You have two contrasting styles going against one another. Westmont should be able to execute their ground and pound offensive game, but at the same time Forest Hills will be able to use their speed to air it out on the Hilltoppers.  I'm going to go with Forest Hills, but I can definitely see Westmont taking this game as well. The Hilltoppers gained some momentum as a program for the first time in years last season.

Rangers 24 Hilltoppers 20

[WPIAL~Titan]

Great work CG!

[Coach]

Good stuff as always!

[peytonsaturday]

Awesome as always CG. Do you do this type of work for a living, or more of a hobby? Very talented.

Only one disagreement with you on my end. I got Westy winning in a low scoring game.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Just something I do for fun, appreciate the kind words. 

[dougkeklak]

Excellent as always CG! I am wondering what you (or anyone else for that matter) thinks about potential sloppy play week one as this is really the week the second scrimmage should go down. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for-real games are being played but just playing devil's advocate.

I was able to see some video on Johnstown's scrimmage. I don't tend to ever put TOO much stock in scrimmages, because like preseason NFL, you're not really game-planning, running vanilla stuff, etc, etc. However I thought Barber threw the ball around pretty well (both short and long). Defense looks good too but then again, you're talking about a team that was picked by the coaches 2nd in the LHAC going against CC and Blairsville, so not sure you can say TOO much about that.

As for your other picks, I pretty much agree but I'll say the Westy game might be a tad lower in scoring. That Hilltopper offense is a grrrrrrrinder. hahaaha. I'm glad they are playing at Trojan Stadium this year, much better facility parking-wise, and if I'm in town on a weekend they're "home" I can catch an extra game!

So glad the season is almost upon us!!!

[SFB14]

Great work as always CG. Very thorough as usual. It should be a fun year in the LHAC, although I don't see anyone knocking off the Maruaders.