LHAC Football Forecast Week Three

[Crimson's Ghost]

[left]I went 4-2 last week, bringing my season total to 9-3.  I was a little surprised by the Forest Hills-Somerset outcome. I really expected the Golden Eagles to go into Sidman and use their line and running game to go right at Forest Hills, but I should know better to never count out Don Bailey, he had an answer.  I accurately predicted the score of the Bishop Guilfoyle/Westmont game at 35-7, and I had a feeling Westmont would be in that game, and they were. Their offense isn't built for comebacks, but they are a pain to play against, and the Guilfoyle players reiterated that statement in their post-game comments. [/left]
It's a good slate of games this week. Some teams will really be out to the test and we should start separating contenders from pretenders. 


[center]Bishop Carroll (0-2) at Bedford (1-1) Friday 7:00[/center]
[left]Bedford got into the win column last week with a 37-15 victory over Central Cambria. The defending co-champions of the LHAC have gone through an offseason makeover, but it appears the cupboard is not bare. Junior quarterback Davis Kline is operating the Bedford option offense at a high level, and has 114 rushing yards and 128 passing yards on the year. Chris Ellis is pacing the offense with 123 rushing yards. Senior Andrew May has provided a spark in both the passing and running games. The Bedford defense held down Central Cambria pretty well last week, and all state caliber linebacker, Tanner Coughenour, recorded 14 tackles and a sack. [/left]
[left]Bishop Carroll suffered another one-sided setback with a 42-15 loss to Johnstown. The Huskies are obviously undermanned this season in the ever-competitive LHAC.  Trevor Hogue is coming off a solid performance against the Trojans, and perhaps first-year Head Coach Chris Kozak has found a focal point of his offense.  The defense continued to struggle with speed, as Johnstown struck early with big plays much like McCort did in week one. [/left]
[left]Prediction - Bedford is a solid football team. They may not be what they were last season, but I suspect they will get better each and every week. I look for them to take care of business and grab a win this week. [/left]
[left]Bisons 49 Huskies 7[/left]

[center]Central Cambria (0-2) at Richland (1-1) Friday 7:00 Herlinger Field[/center]
[left]Central Cambria is off to a slow 0-2 start. The Red Devils have struggled to get anything going offensively against two very good teams in Somerset and Bedford. The running game is averaging just 2.6 yards per carry, and that's not taking enough pressure off the passing game. Justin Bezek is making plays and has 337 passing yards through two games, but he's being asked to throw a lot of passes. Luke Bennett has been the beneficiary of the heavy passing playbook, as he is up to 15 receptions for 234 yards already.  The two questions going into this season were the running game and defense, and so far those have the two issues holding this team back from winning games. [/left]
[left]Richland struggled last week against Penn Cambria. The Rams had trouble stopping the run, and couldn't get any consistency on offense. Junior Quarterback Ethan Dabbs has been the main man on offense, with 156 rushing yards and 236 passing yards and having accounted for six touchdowns already. The offense moves with him, and they need big things from him each and every week. Turnovers have been a problem, as the Rams are -5 in turnover margin on the young season. Taking care of the ball and stopping the run sound cliche and generic, but it would go a long way in winning this week. [/left]
[left]Prediction - This has a chance to be a very good game. Both teams have a lot to prove this season, but what we have is a battle of two good junior quarterbacks in Justin Bezek and Ethan Dabbs. Both players are relied upon so much for their respective teams, and likely the player with the better game should set up his team for victory.  I'm going with Richland for a slight victory. [/left]
[left]Rams 28 Red Devils 21[/left]

[center]Cambria Heights (0-2) at Somerset (1-1) Friday 7:00[/center]
[left]Cambria Heights will be looking for their first win of the 2016 season on Friday night. The Highlanders are coming off a pair of losses to Richland and Bishop McCort. Heights has really struggled on offense, and a lack of a passing game is a big reason why with just 4 completions through 2 games.  The running game has also had it's woes as they average just 3.0 yards per carry. They need some life and some big plays into the mix. They pulled out a trick play in the form of a halfback pass that resulted in a touchdown against McCort. They may need more razzle dazzle like that to open up the offense. [/left]
[left]Somerset was driving the ball and heading for a potential tying touchdown, but a big Forest Hills defensive play sealed the deal. The Golden Eagles played tough, but came up short to fall to 1-1 and will look to rebuild at home on Friday night.  The Somerset offense has been paced by a pair of seniors, Austin Hemminger and George Coyle as they have combined for 480 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns through 2 games.  Look for these two to carry the offense again this Friday. [/left]
[left]Prediction - I look for Somerset to bounce back from their loss last week. I think Hemminger and the Somerset running game gets it done at home. [/left]
[left]Golden Eagles 32 Highlanders 12[/left]

[center]Penn Cambria (1-1) at Westmont (1-1) Saturday 7:00 Trojan Stadium[/center]
[left]Penn Cambria is coming off a dominating performance in week one in which they handled Richland 48-15. Nick Hite had a spectacular 179 rushing yards 2 touchdown rushing performance. Austin Zupon chipped in three rushing touchdowns himself. If they are controlling the line of scrimmage like that, this Penn Cambria team can be dangerous. They'll be in for a tough test this Saturday, as the team they are going against tries to do the same thing on offense. [/left]
[left]Westmont battled in week one against Bishop Guilfoyle. The game was closer than the 35-7 score would indicate. Pat Barron's team is tough to play against, and they are good at what they do. If they get behind however, they can struggle to get back into games.  Westmont has attempted three passes in two games.  Ian Valente, Camden Moors, and Brock Bennett have combined for 91 carries 642 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. The offensive line is packing it in and running guys over, there's no secret what this team wants to do. [/left]
[left]Prediction - Again, another one of those boring old football cliches, BUT it's about controlling the line of scrimmage. Pen Cambria just had a big rushing performance against Richland. Obviously Westmont is Westmont.  So who can do it better?   I like Westmont.[/left]
[left]Hilltoppers 29 Panthers 18[/left]

[center]Forest Hills (1-1) at Johnstown (2-0) Friday 7:00 Trojan Stadium[/center]
[left]Forest Hills scored a big home win over Somerset in week one. Two games, two close finishes that have come down to the closing minutes for the Rangers. It's close battles like that, that can shape the team moving forward this season. Sophomore Quarterback Adam Cecere has now accounted for all 8 of the Rangers' offensive touchdowns after passing for one and rushing for two more last week. He's showing he's the real deal, and Jon Long is making a name for himself after hauling in a touchdown from Cecere last week and recording a cool 104 yard interception return for a TD to win the game. I still have concerns with Forest Hills completely stopping the run, but they took the "bend don't break" approach last week and came up with some turnovers.  It may be that way the rest of the year. [/left]
[left]Johnstown had an easy 42-16 win over Bishop Carroll last week. The Trojans raced out to a 42-0 halftime lead, and coasted from there.  We all know the talent this Johnstown team possesses, and it's starting to catch some statewide attention, as they have forced their way into the state's top ten by some publications. Johnstown can beat you with the pass with quarterback Austin Barber hitting Exree Loe and Theor Tinsley for big plays there, or with the running of Bryce Gibson. It's a dynamic offense. The defense is also filled with playmakers. [/left]
[left]Prediction - Forest Hills can make big plays with Cecere and Long connecting in the passing game, they've seemed to settle down the defense as well. Still, going into Trojan Stadium and beating Johnstown won't be an easy task. As I mentioned above, Johnstown can hit you in so many different ways.  I just like the Trojans at home in this one. [/left]
[left]Trojans 38 Rangers 21[/left]

[center]GAME OF THE WEEK[/center]
[center]Bishop Guilfoyle (2-0) at Bishop McCort (2-0) Friday 7:00 Point Stadium[/center]
[left]It's early, but I'm sensing a common theme: Bishop Guilfoyle is going to get everyone's best shot. When you are riding a 34 game winning streak, that sort of thing just comes with a territory. Bedford gave everything they had, as did Westmont, but even so BG came away with multiple score victories in both contests. Justin Wheeler's offense has been paced by steady play from the senior quarterback, Josh Trybus. He has been efficient, made plays with his feet when needed, and has taken care of the ball. He's doing everything that's being asked of him. Andrew Irwin has handled the new role of starting running back well. The Marauders are playing well, they are winning games by a few touchdowns, but they still miss the big play threat of Evan Chadbourn. It's something to watch throughout the year. [/left]
[left]Bishop McCort cruised to another easy win with a 43-6 victory over Cambria Heights. Two games in and they are outscoring opponents 111-6. Still, we don't know a whole lot about this McCort team, but we should know a lot more on Friday. The improved Crushers will find out how improved they are with the #1 ranked team in the state coming to town. McCort has what can be a scary offense. Levi Cook played a nice game on Friday, and he's a very experienced quarterback. Anthony Walters and Carnell Andrews among a host of others have been making big plays in space.  The Crushers' defense has also been good, but the competition picks up this week.[/left]
[left]Prediction - Bishop Guilfoyle beat McCort by 50 last season, and I don't think that'll happen this season. What you have here is an experienced, physically bigger team going up against an athletic big-play type of team.  The difference really is the Guilfoyle line against McCort, the size advantage is considerable.  I think McCort will make plays and keep it interesting for a while. but Guilfoyle will prevail and win it in the end.[/left]
[left]Marauders 35 Crimson Crushers 21[/left]

[Panthersfan]

If McCort plays a perfect game, they could pull the upset... They definitely have the athletes to do so, controlling the line of scrimmage against BG will be HUGE this week for them. If they don't let Trybus throw the ball all over them, they have a good chance, but BG has won 35 games in a row for a reason. Forest Hills's strength plays right into Johnstown's strength- that being that Forest Hills loves to throw the ball to score points (Cecere to Long is a huge one) but I can bet Exree Loe, Bryce Gibson, & Tavis Price won't let that happen. Johnstown 42 Forest Hills 14. I was very impressed with Westmont last week but once they got down it was hard for them to come back. I told you Penn Cambria will surprise some people this year and they certainly did that last Friday. I could see this going either well, but I think PC's athletes are better and they are motivated this year, they will definitely score more than 18 points, Penn Cambria 34 Westmont 28. Richland should bounce back for a win this week, Somerset and Bedford both roll at home.

[CCDevil2012]

With 2 weeks completed, this is how I would rank the teams based on what we have seen:
1. BG
2. Johnstown
3. Westmont
4. McCort
5. Forest Hills
6. Somerset
7. Penn Cambria
8. Bedford
9. Richland
10. Central Cambria
11. Cambria Heights
12. Bishop Carroll

[ChrisKentRam]

With 2 weeks completed, this is how I would rank the teams based on what we have seen:
1. BG
2. Johnstown
3. Westmont
4. McCort
5. Forest Hills
6. Somerset
7. Penn Cambria
8. Bedford
9. Richland
10. Central Cambria
11. Cambria Heights
12. Bishop Carroll

McCort better be better than Westmont if they are going to win a District title...

[Crimson's Ghost]

The McCort-Westmont game last season was pretty good and went to overtime. I expect this year's game to also be pretty good, could go either way - that type of thing. 

Last year McCort would score on a big play or something, Westmont would respond with a 20 play drive that would just eat clock. I could see that playing out again. 

[CCDevil2012]

I don't think this is how things will finish, just based on what I have seen so far. 5-10 is pretty much up for grabs at this point.

[silentbob]

I would rank it like this.

1) BG Until they lose
2) BM I liked them last year. I think they are mature and ready to go now.
3) J-town always seem to slip up at some point, but super talented this year.
4) Som I know they lost to FH, I'm calling that an upset
5) Bed better than expected
6) Westy Just because what they do will cause some teams to tap out
7) FH 2 man show. won't get them above .500 IMO
8) PC a little better than last year.
9) Rich Dabbs is a great athlete, not much help though.
10) CC struggle on both sides of the ball, and they don't have a JV schedule?? not good.
11) CH maybe as good as 9th or 10th...
12) BC just in bad shape as a program.

[El-Moldo]

I see FH's 2 man show held Somerset to 14 points.

[CoffinCorner]

I think Somerset is getting too much belief from what they did in the past.   Very underwhelming.   Not sure is beating CC really means anything.   FH has no seniors, meaning this team should improve as the season goes on and experience is gained.  Could be a playoff shocker like Jtown last year.
I think BM has all the pieces , question for me is Basile, can he out coach Wheeler or Penna?
Cc, BC, Richland, Heights and PC. All sit at the bottom.   
BG is king until someone takes it, anxious to see if Crushers step up

[Crimson's Ghost]

I thought the 2014 Somerset team was excellent, they had a tremendous season and ran into an immovable object in Archbishop Wood. Last year they had a lot of that team back, but showed some flaws. Still another solid season. So I get that sense for sure that they may be riding the coattails of the previous teams. Still, I think they have some talent on the field. I'll give them a few more weeks before I write them off just yet. 

I'm still iffy on McCort, I think there's some serious talent there. But they still have to prove they can win a big game. It's been a while since they have done that as a program. 

I'll go with this as my 12 for now..

1. Bishop Guilfoyle
2. Johnstown
3. Westmont
4. Bishop McCort
5. Forest Hills
6. Somerset
7. Bedford 
8. Penn Cambria
9. Richland
10. Central Cambria  
11. Cambria Heights
12. Bishop Carroll