District Six Class A Football Playoff Preview

[Crimson's Ghost]

[font=Arial]T[/font]he Favorite - Bishop Guilfoyle

I mean, could it really be anyone else?  Bishop Guilfoyle is a force, and they are the only real legitimate state championship contender in the District Six region.  The Marauders boast a 26 game winning streak dating back to last year. They only surrender 3.8 points per game, and have pitched six shutouts on defense. The offense has been a wrecking ball centered around one guy - Evan Chadbourn. The junior running back has been this team’s workhorse this season, and has done a little bit of everything to help this team dominate. He has rushed for 1,424 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. He has caught 15 passes for 385 yards and another 5 scores. He his even 11-12 passing for 252 yards on the season. Basically, he can hurt you in just about any way. Josh Trybus has been steady at quarterback and Aaron Yasulitis has provided solid support in the running game. In short, this team does not have a ton of weaknesses. They are big and strong up front, they have the explosive offensive weapons, and the stout defense a championship contender needs.  They are without question the team to beat heading into first round.

The Challenger  -  Penns Manor

Penns Manor has been nearly as impressive as Bishop Guilfoyle this season. The Comets come into the postseason with an unblemished record and champions of the Heritage Conference. Penns Manor only gives up 4.3 points per game in the nine games they have actually played. They received one win by forfeit, as one team actually thought it was in their best interest to not even line up against Penns Manor. That’s how good this team is. They have a dynamic rushing attack headed by three seniors -  Bailey Mumau, Beck Branton, and Nate Dumm. Clayton Stupic has been solid at quarterback, and runs the show efficiently.  This team has the size, speed, and talent to win the district title.

The Sleeper - Westmont

Westmont enters the postseason for the first time since 2007 with a 7-3 record. There is optimism around this football team, and they may have what it takes to pull an upset or two.  Westmont’s only defeats this season have been at the hands of 10-0 Bishop Guilfoyle, 10-0 Bedford, and 8-2 Somerset.  They have been challenged more so than most, and the battle tested nature of this team may be their best asset. Westmont has a massive offensive line that have paved the way for 2 1,000 yard backs - Evan Dluhos (1,183 yards 11 touchdowns) and Kyler Pyshnik (1,007 11 touchdowns.  If there is a weakness out there, Westmont has not proven to be able to make the offense go through the air much. If a team can slow their running game down, it will be interesting to see if they can adapt.

The Forgotten -  Moshannon Valley

Not a lot of buzz with Moshannon Valley at the moment, and I can’t figure out why. Bishop Guilfoyle and Penns Manor have received most of the attention right now, but the Knights are 10-0 themselves. This is a really good football team, and they may even have the best player in the tournament in Eric Sherkel.  The senior do-it-all player leads the team in passing, rushing, and is second in receiving. He is a special talent and is generating some college interest.  He is the type of player that can lead his team to a deep run in this bracket.  Again, not a lot of buzz with Mo Valley right now, but make no mistake about it - they can play.

The Old Reliable - Bellwood-Antis

Bellwod-Antis makes their annual return to the District Six Class A tournament.  It seems they are in the hunt every year. Legendary coach John Hayes may have a few tricks up his sleeve to lead his Bellwood squad to their seventh district six title in school history. The Blue Devils have had some ups and downs this year, but they closed the regular strong with a pair of shutout victories. Jarrett Tanneyhill has been very good in his first year as the starting quarterback, and he is the best passer in the bracket.  Jake Burch has been moved to a more useful role as a play-maker, and he has excelled by leading the team in rushing and receiving. This isn’t the best Bellwood team we have ever seen, but it’s one that has weapons and can be a tough out for anyone they go up against.  John Hayes is one of the most accomplished coaches around, it’s never wise to doubt him.

The Longshot  - Cambria Heights  

Cambria Heights gets the dubious task of opening with Bishop Guilfoyle in the first round. Guilfoyle is the team with the bulls-eye on their backs, and Heights should be able to play loose and like they have nothing to lose. The two teams met about a month ago, and Bishop Guilfoyle came out on top with a 42-0 victory in Patton. The familiarity should be there along with the revenge factor and that could bode well for Heights. Now obviously we know the challenge will be tough, but let’s not forget this team can play too. With their backs against the wall, they went out and outlasted a solid AAA team in Johnstown last week to secure a playoff berth. They also hung close with Bedford and Somerset the previous two weeks.  The schedule the last three weeks should be a great simulation for Cambria Heights going up against BG.  I’m not saying upset, but I’m not NOT saying upset either.

The Unknown - Portage

What team from Portage will show up this weekend?  Will it be the team that averaged 54 points per game in their eight wins?  Or will the team that got beat by Berlin by 45 points just a week ago? It’s a legitimate question. Portage has rolled through the WestPac relatively easily, but they just couldn't hang with an elite team like Berlin. The Mustangs have a potent offense that averages 348 yards per game on the ground. Braedon St. Clair has been their go-to back, but Luke Dividock has provided good production as the team’s quarterback this season.  They have talent, but they need to get over their loss to Berlin quickly and be ready for a tough Bellwood team in the first round.

The Deeper Sleeper - Northern Cambria

Northern Cambria has a quality team, but one fact is hard to ignore with them: they are 0-4 against playoff teams this season. The Colts have not managed a win over a quality team, and that’s a concerning thing to think in evaluating this team.  They have played some teams tough, but they haven’t gotten over that hump.  They will travel to second seeded Moshannon Valley this week. Northern Cambria has a strong running game with Chris Rippin and Adam Weiland and that could be their ticket to an upset.


The Picks
(1) Bishop Guilfoyle over (8) Cambria Heights
(5) Bellwood-Antis over (4) Portage
(2) Moshannon Valley over (7) Northern Cambria
(3) Penns Manor over (6) Westmont

(1) Bishop Guilfoyle over (5) Bellwood-Antis
(3) Penns Manor over (2) Moshannon Valley

(1) Bishop Guilfoyle over (3) Penns Manor

[PortagePride]

Portage's problem has little to do with the actual loss to Berlin on saturday. It's unfortunately much worse and some major internal issues happening currently. Will be interesting to see where the Mustang program goes from here. Oh and unless the players come together and play for each other on Saturday night it's probably going to not go well for us.

[Crimson's Ghost]

I noticed you mentioned that in a different post and that certainly played some part in my preview. Even from the outside, it's unusual to lose by 45 points to a team in your own league and go out and host a playoff game a week later. It's one of the situations where you don't want a game to carry over into next week.

But having heard there are some team issues, Bellwood is well-coached and will try and take advantage as best they can.