BY MIKE MASTOVICH
The site has been changed, but the stakes remain high for Berlin and Conemaugh Township tonight in the WestPAC.
The game, originally scheduled to be played in Davidsville, has been moved to Richland’s Herlinger Field due to wet field conditions.
The Indians (6-1) will try to build on an already impressive season while Berlin (4-3) attempts to bounce back from two straight close setbacks in see-saw games.
“The last two weeks we’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Berlin coach Doug Paul of losses to Windber (42-35) and Blacklick Valley (21-14). “We played two of the better teams in the WestPAC, and both were one-touchdown football games. We made mistakes in both of those.”
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Mountaineers, with Township and a Week 9 date against undefeated Portage looming.
“We knew at the beginning of the year that these last four games of the year were probably four of the better teams in the WestPAC,” Paul said.
“We’ve had the motto one week at a time. We’ve been in the playoff mode since the beginning of the season with the schedule we have. We have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
That “A” game centers around option quarterback/running back Ian Sayler, who ranks fourth in the area with 1,195 rushing yards on 154 carries.
“Ian is the one who gets the headlines for us, but Tyrell Stockwell is a junior running back who has been coming into his own as the season goes on,” Paul said. “Alex Will is a 6-foot-6 wide receiver. He’s getting better as the year goes on. We have three or four role players. We’ve completed passes to 10 different receivers this year.
“There are a lot of players who can step in and get the job done.”
Stockwell has 546 rushing yards.
Will presents a big target and has 303 receiving yards on 16 catches. Saylor has passed for 272 yards, and Josh Riley has thrown for 199.
“We’re trying to prepare for some of the offensive weapons that they have,” Conemaugh Township coach Sam Zambanini said. “Ian Sayler is as dangerous a guy as we’ve faced throughout the year. We had a task last week trying to prepare for (North Star’s Josh) Kuncher. We had guys trying to simulate as best they could his quickness and cutback style. I think Sayler is similar. He’s looking for the cutback. You can’t overpursue. He does it from a couple different places. They’ll line him up at quarterback. They’ll line him up at running back.
“We feel he’s got a pretty good supporting cast. He’s not their only weapon. Stockwell can hurt you. Their fullback, Jacob Craig, can hurt you.
“They have a couple receivers, Alex Will and Brandon Leydig, who are threats.”
Conemaugh Township also has a dangerous offense. Seth Zaman is the area’s top rusher with 1,298 yards on
156 attempts. Zaman has 20 touchdowns and 120 points, and fullback Brett Byers had 325 rushing yards on
53 runs, a 6.1 average.
Quarterback George Bivens has thrown for 696 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Kyle Zambanini has 19 catches for 324 yards, and Zaman (169 yards) and Keith Myers (120) each have 12 catches.
“Seth, by virtue of the position he plays, has gotten a lot of touches because of some of the things we’ve been able to exploit on other teams’ defenses,” Coach Zambanini said. “Brett Byers at the fullback position is as athletic a fullback as you’re going to find. We’ve lined him up at tailback at times. We think we’ve got a pretty good receiving corps. Kyle (Zambanini) is our leading receiver right now, and he’s versatile. We’ll put him at tight end and use him on reverses and flanker sweeps. We can throw to Keith Myers, who can get some yards after a catch.
“We’re just getting back Danny Blank, who we lost after the second scrimmage. He’s an athletic kid at receiver. We’ve thrown to our younger receiver, Jordan Shroyer. George Bivens is doing a really fine job of managing the games. George can hurt you in a couple ways. He can throw, and he’s got quick feet.”
With the Indians and Mustangs up next during the final two weeks, Paul believes his Mountaineers will learn a lot about themselves.
“In all honesty, we’ve told the players you’re playing the top team in District 5 and one of the top teams in District 6,” Paul said. “You’re not going to play too many teams in the District 5 playoff race as tough as these two games. We told them once the playoffs start it’s a new season and everybody is 0-0. We want to work on improving each and every week these last two weeks and get better.”
WestPAC
North Star at Portage: Portage will recognize six decades of football tonight during a special ceremony that spotlights the 60th anniversary of the 1949 team as well as players who were on the first teams after the merger of Portage Township and Portage Borough’s districts in 1948.
If he has another big game, Mike Sinosky might make some history, too.
Sinosky is 138 yards from tying Mike Chobany’s Portage career-record 4,017 rushing yards set in 1976.
The undefeated Mustangs rank third in District 6 Class A with 940 points, trailing Bishop McCort (1,040) and Bellwood-Antis (960).
North Star is 2-5 and has dropped three straight. The Cougars are led by Josh Kuncher’s 1,237 rushing yards, which rank third in the area.
Shade at Windber: The Ramblers have won four straight after opening the season at 1-2. Last week, Windber won a 42-35 shootout at Berlin and two weeks ago edged North Star 20-13 in the rain at Windber Stadium. The Ramblers are battle-tested.
Shade (3-4) has three wins for the first time since the 2001 team won four games. Last week the Panthers fell 41-18 to Blacklick.
Windber has beaten Shade 11 straight seasons. The Panthers’ most recent victories over the Ramblers were in 1997 and 1996.
Windber’s Jarid Cover has 1,157 rushing yards and
13 touchdowns. Brandon Ulasky caught 28 passes for 603 yards and seven scores, and quarterback Erick Strapple has passed for 778 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Shade’s Cody McDonald has a team-best 500 rushing yards.
LHAC
Bishop Carroll at Cambria Heights: Each team will be vying for its first victory of the season tonight in Patton.
Bishop Carroll has been outscored 160-59 in seven games, though the Huskies have been in close contests against Somerset (20-11 last week), Westmont (21-16 in Week 5), Forest Hills (13-7 in Week 2) and Bedford (14-9 in Week 1).
Bishop Carroll also hung with Richland before falling 29-10 in Week 3.
Shawn Perich leads the team with 491 rushing yards. Cambria Heights has been outscored
313-85 through seven weeks.
The Highlanders fell 42-24 last week at Bedford. Heights’ Caleb Vescovi has thrown for 938 yards, with Bryce Brawley catching 26 passes for 451 yards, and Erik Welteroth making
19 catches for 313 yards.
Bishop McCort at Central Cambria: Central Cambria
(4-3) will pit its physical brand of football against the undefeated Crushers in Ebensburg. The Red Devils are coming off a 13-7 win over Bishop Guilfoyle.
This series has been close, with the Crushers holding an 8-6 advantage since 1993. McCort won 14-13 in 2008 and has won five straight since the Devils’ most recent win in 2003 (22-7).
Two games in the series since 1993 have been decided by one point, and eight by a touchdown or less. McCort outscored Central Cambria 258-206 since 1993, once again revealing how tight these teams typically play each other.
Bishop McCort (1,040 points) is ranked first in District 6-A. Central Cambria (440) is seventh in 6-AA.
Richland at Forest Hills: The Rams (6-1) and Rangers
(7-0) will play a marquee game in Sidman as veteran Forest Hills coach Don Bailey and his son, former Rangers quarterback Brandon Bailey of Richland, lead their teams against each other.
The game will be spotlighted by the Great American Rivalry Series and the United States Marine Corps. Two $500 Scholar-Athlete Awards will be presented prior to the game to the senior athlete from each school with the highest grade-point average. The schools also will participate in a chin-up contest during the game.
In addition to being a key LHAC game, the contest will have a big impact on the District 6 Class AA rankings. Forest Hills is third (860) behind Tyrone (900) and Central (880).
Richland (740) is fourth and would make big strides with a victory.
Greater Johnstown at Bishop Guilfoyle: Johnstown (4-3) will try to shake off a disappointing loss to rival Bishop McCort. In that 40-21 setback the Trojans had nine turnovers.
When Johnstown held onto the ball, the Trojans were competitive with the unbeaten Crushers.
Quarterback John Siciliano has passed for 534 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he’s rushed for a net 383 yards and nine touchdowns.
Alkwan Williams has been a force on defense with 73 tackles, 10.4 stops a game, three sacks and one interception. The Trojans are ranked second in
6-AAA with 340 points, trailing Hollidaysburg (480).
Bishop Guilfoyle (3-4) dropped a 13-7 game at Central Cambria last week and has lost three of its past four games.
Somerset at Penn Cambria: The Golden Eagles (3-4) beat Bishop Carroll 20-11 last week, snapping a two-game skid.
Quarterback Trevor Niemiec has a team-best 535 rushing yards on 97 carries. He also has passed for 324 yards.
Penn Cambria (5-2) will try to bounce back from a 27-6 loss last week to Forest Hills.
The Panthers’ Zak Newton has 1,239 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Adam Zaliznock has 587 rushing yards and three scores. The Panthers have run for 2,065 yards overall.
Westmont Hilltop at Bedford: Bedford (2-5) won for the first time since Week 1 by beating Cambria Heights 42-24 a week ago. Marcus Shippey has passed for 489 yards on offense and made a team-high 94 tackles on defense. Brian Gibbons has 82 tackles, and Tanner Ripple has 66 stops. Paul Detwiler has seven touchdowns for
42 points as well as 60 tackles.
Westmont (1-6) is coming off two tough losses to conference frontrunners Richland (42-14 last week) and Bishop McCort (41-14 in Week 6). Hilltop got its only win against Bishop Carroll in Week 5 (21-16).
Steve Popchak has 383 rushing yards for Westmont, and Casey Eckenrod has passed for 837 yards.
Heritage
Blairsville at United: The Lions (6-1) won their sixth straight game last week at Purchase Line (36-0) and are tied for fourth in 6-A (800). United has outscored its past three opponents by a combined 86-18.
Adam Waddell has four interceptions, and Dom Chero and Shaquille Howard each have two fumble recoveries.
On offense, Kody Oliver has 883 rushing yards, and Chero has 632 on the ground.
Blairsville (3-4) edged Saltsburg 13-12 last week after falling to Penns Manor 55-7 in Week 6 and being blanked 27-0 by Homer-Center in Week 5.
Laurel Valley at Marion Center: The 2-5 Rams have dropped four straight after a promising 2-1 start. Last week Homer-Center edged Laurel Valley 20-14, but the Rams had lost via shutouts in the two previous weeks to Northern Cambria (20-0) and Ligonier Valley (42-0). In the past month, the Rams have scored 22 points while allowing 96.
Marion Center edged Northern Cambria (22-16) last week to improve to 6-1. The Stingers have won two in a row since their lone setback of the season, a 28-22 double overtime defeat to Penns Manor in Week 5.
Ligonier Valley at Homer-Center: Ligonier (4-3) fell 27-14 to Penns Manor last week. The Mounties’ Jackson Corcoran has 710 rushing yards on 109 carries.
Russell Markosky and Johnny Jones each have run for
326 yards as the Mounties have gained 1,831 on the ground.
Devon Cesario has 93 tackles for Ligonier.
Homer-Center (5-2) edged Laurel Valley 20-14 last week.
The Wildcats only losses were to conference front-runners United (22-6) and Marion Center (26-20 in overtime).
Northern Cambria at Saltsburg: The Colts (2-5) lost to Marion Center by six points last week (22-16), ending a two-game winning streak.
Quarterback Anthony Penksa has passed for 654 yards. Andy Hancharik has 434 rushing yards, and Gary Paronish has 215 rushing yards.
The Colts have scored 141 points while allowing 164.
Last week Saltsburg (1-6) lost a close one to Blairsville, 13-12.
Non-conference
Chestnut Ridge at Northern Garrett (Md.): Chestnut Ridge (3-4) upset Quad-A DuBois 31-25 in overtime last week, boosting the Lions’ record and playoff scenario. Chestnut Ridge has won two straight while playing a challenging non-conference schedule that has the team facing some of the top WestPAC squads as well as Greenville and DuBois.
Jude Donatelli has 692 rushing yards for the Lions, while Brad Hengst has 369 and Justin Taylor has 352 rushing. Hengst has thrown for 586 yards.
Northern Garrett (1-5) is led by Alex Bauer’s 572 rushing yards on 101 carries. Bauer has four touchdowns. Jake Bosley has completed 25 of 49 passes for 293 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. Linebacker Adam Moranduzzo has 98 tackles.
