Huge ICC/Westpac/MAC games...week 3

[Coach]

Post predictions or writeups of any--

C. Twp @ Ridge Is Twp as good as their win over Windber makes you think? Is Ridge as bad as their early loss to Windber indicated? I think this ends up being a very close game. This is Ridge's only home game in the first 6 weeks.


NBC @ Everett Two local rivals going at it this week. NB has been up for the last several years. Everett is on their way back up after having a few down seasons. Everett is coming off a close loss to Bellwood a week ago. Common opponent-Glendale. Everett beat them pretty bad in week 1.


Portage @ Windber We already have a thread about this game. I think Portage and North Star are the class of the Westpac this year. I guess we'll see if Windber wants to keep their name up there with them this year. A loss here puts them at 1-2.


Bellefonte @ Central 2-0 vs.....2-0.... WHAT? After some down years things are going well in Roaring Spring again as Central has won two exciting games to start the season. I love seeing them off to a hot start and I hope it continues. Bellefonte has been tough for a few years and a win here by the Dragons would make a big statement about how good they really are.


Claysburg @ Bellwood Well, I thought CK would beat TM and they didn't. Is Bellwood as good as they have been? Can CK hang with them and make it a game like Everett did last week? I think they might, but Bellwood will prove to be too much when it is all said and done.



Some notes-

Southern Huntingdon just keeps on winning. They have started off really strong this year and they have Williamsburg this weekend. Their 3 games after that will really tell us a lot. They play Mt Union, Bellwood, and Everett---Then NB, TM, Mo Valley. Could they start 3-0 and then not end up being .500? Or will a hot early start propel them to another shot at a league title?

Ferndale has a real tough outlook in front of them. If they lose to Blacklick...things will just be tough... They follow that game with Windber, Twp, Portage, Hancock, Con Valley, and North Star. In week 10 they play Shade. I'm wondering if either team will have a win heading into that final game. It just looks like the Westpac is top heavy with NS and Portage...then you have a combo of Windber, Twp, and CV that might be good enough to beat those top teams.

[Head Roadie]

Good Post! There will be lots of tell/tale games this week.

Tussey and Mt. Union should tell us about those two teams as well as the aforementioned.

5-A, with North Star at AA, is shaping up to be anybody's. Early indications would be Conemaugh Twp. and Everett out in front with a pack that could include as many as 4 teams (Windber, Meyersdale, NBC, Tussey) just a notch below. That situation will sort itself out a bit this weekend.

[S Cube]

There are some pretty interesting stories behind a lot of the teams you mentioned Coach.

Central - There 2-0 start is impressive and Hoenstine has some really good talent, most of which is very young. The Runk kid is outstanding and is just a Soph already with a lot of experience. Really young team they are gonna be very dangerous in a year or two. They have come behind in week 1 and 2 but if they fall behind early against Bellefonte they wont come back. I like Bellefonte to send the dragons to 2-1.

Everett - Veteran team is finally putting it all together. Apparently their spread offense is pretty dangerous and they have some pretty good experienced skill players. How is their line? Probably a 10 point favorite against NBC.

Township big over Ridge
Portage over Windber in a close one.
Saxton keeps it closer than the experts think vs. MU.

[Coach]

no predictions..????

[davesandstorm]

Southern Huntingdon 35, Williamsburg 6
Bellwood-Antis 20, Claysburg-Kimmel 0
Glendale 28, West Branch 6
Moshannon Valley 27, Juniata Valley 14
Everett 27, Northern Bedford 21
Mount Union 27, Tussey Mountain 7

Tough to call this week, minus Southern and Glendale, who I consider the favorites in the divisions. My jury is still out on how good Bellwood-Antis is this season, so this makes me not so sold on if Everett has a good/great team. West Branch isn't that great again this year, which is a shame. I remember when playing West Branch was one of the toughest games of the season. Next week should be fun with Southern Huntingdon coming to Mount Union!

[lhacbigfan]

I think the best 2 games that Coach mentioned will be the Central-Bellefonte game and the NBC-Everett game. I know more than just the LHAC ya know
The people in Dragon country are as excited as ever after watching their team put up 40 points on Indian Valley and the confidence is sky high. Bellefonte also comes in with confidence after winning their first 2 games, a last minute comeback win over St. Marys and a shutout win over Brookville. I'm expecting both teams to come out with their best game, and in the end the team speed of the Dragons recievers and backs and the Central home crowd will be too much for the Bellefonte defense in a shootout. PREDICTION CENTRAL 34, BELLEFONTE 28
Then we have the NB Everett rivalry. NB has had the upper hand in the recent years but this year looks like it could be Everett's year. Even though they lost last week Everett wasnt intimated and took it down to the wire against a heavily favored Bellwood team, while NB struggled with Glendale whom Everett crushed the week before. I think this will be the best chance for the Warriors to get revenge on NB and I look for them to capitilize on this chance with Swindell and Waltman leading the offense to victory.... PREDICTION EVERETT 27 NB 14
Good luck to all teams and I look forward to some good games!!

[S Cube]

The rain today is definitely a good thing for NBC. This one is gonna come down to turnovers and points off of turnovers, and with a wet ball and Swindell throwing it around a good bit I could see him throwing 2-3 picks. And if Everett tries to line up and run the ball on the panthers don't be surprised if they get shut down. If NB can get some turnovers and take advantage they could steal this one. I was thinking Everett by 10 going in, but with the rain changes the complexion of things a bit!

I was also a little surprised that the Altoona Mirror people ALL picked Everett to win. You have to remember this is the same team that struggled the last few years and those are the same players who lost all those games. Bellwood is a good team but they aren't as strong as they have been and a good jr high team would beat Glendale most years. I'm not saying Everett isn't a good team, but I'm not ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet.....maybe in a few weeks.

[Coach]

Well we have answers....

Ridge wins. Are they better than they looked week 1 or did something really go wrong in Windber?

Everett moves to 2-1. Their toughests tests now look to be Mt. Union and S. Hunt late in the year. NB drops to 1-2. What's will happen with Riley? The Panthers are relying heavily on underclassmen right now playing a freshman and 2 sophomores all night long on defense. The young guys are getting better.. Huge 3 game stretch for NB (Williamsburg, CK, and TM).

Wow...6A playoffs will be awesome. Portage just dismantled Windber.

Another 6A that wasn't mentioned in the earlier post...Mo Valley. NB saw them week 1 and knows just how good they are. They smashed JV tonight.

Central is 3-0. AWESOME. I'm really happy for those guys and their coaches. I hope they keep it up.

Bellwood hammered CK. The Knott kid made a great play tonight punching the ball out from behind... I think I've seen him do that a few times over the years. He is a great athlete, but maybe there isn't as much around him as I thought.




In week 3 you get lots of answers. Now in weeks 4-6, you find out just how good most teams are going to be.

[S Cube]

Wow I was really surprised by some of the games tonight. I'll start with the game I attended, Northern Bedford at Everett. Riley limped off the field after the opening kickoff and returned for maybe two or three defensive plays about four drives later and left after two or three plays. Not sure but I would imagine it’s the same knee he hurt in 7 on 7 and held him out of most of camp. If he is out for a long time period the next few games for Northern, in which they were to be favored in all of, could get a little dicey. The offense tonight had no punch. Northern had one long run play the entire night, a 60 or 70 yard run by Zimmerman that would have put the panthers up 6-0. NB had an opportunity to take a 6-0 lead later in the first quarter when NB dropped a pass that would have been a sure touchdown. I wouldn't mind seeing Bowser getting some carries at the tailback spot. He is probably the best athlete on the team and is a tough kid, why not see what he can do as the deep back with Riley out. Don't get me wrong Zimmerman is a really decent back and made a ton of plays on defense, but I just think Bowser could have a nice impact at tailback. They had an opportunity later in the first quarter when NB dropped a pass that would have been a sure 6-0 lead. Everett's offense was steady all night, and I can't imagine what the first down differential was on the night. Overall I though Everett was impressive but does definitely will lose at least one of those games against MU and SH. The running back, #8 not sure his name, broke off some nice runs and Swindell delivered some nice balls but he did throw two picks, both in the endzone.

Really impressed with Central so far. I said to some people before the season I though Central be a pretty good team this year. By pretty good I meant pretty good for Central, maybe 5 or 6 wins, but I definitely didn't expect a 3-0 start.

So let me get this straight. Windber roughs up Ridge. Township roughs up Windber. Ridge roughs up Township. What is going on with all of these teams? Common sense says CT was going to beat up on Ridge last night but that wasn't the case.

I expected Tussey to hang in with Mt Union a little better but they got skunked. Tussey doesn't have the athletes. Wait, the athlete, Donaldson. This team is sounding more and more like the 1 and 2 win seasons from the BD era.

[Sneakers]

As far as the NB-E game,...IF one or two of the following were to reverse to the good for NB, things would have been very interesting at crunch time to say the least,
1.) The hold call that brought back the 70+ yard Zimmerman TD run.
2.) The dropped pass
3.) The injury to Riley

But "IF's" not going your way are such a big part of the game.