Football Game Preview: Bellefonte Raiders vs. Shamokin Area Indians

The Bellefonte Raiders will square off against the Shamokin Area Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Bellefonte sitting on three straight wins and Shamokin Area on 12.

Bellefonte will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Juniata, who they had gone 0-4 against in their four prior meetings. The Raiders came out on top against the Indians by a score of 17-6 on Friday.

The critical scores for Bellefonte came from Ashten Howell and Alten Howell.

Bellefonte was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 213 rushing yards. They are 4-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.

Meanwhile, Shamokin Area had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They really took it to Jersey Shore for the full four quarters, racking up a 37-0 victory. Considering the Indians have won ten contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Bellefonte better focus on containing Zakem Clinton and Logan Steele as the pair were huge in Shamokin Area's win. Clinton rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry, while Steele rushed for 122 yards and one score on only 12 carries. Those 155 rushing yards gave Clinton a new career-high.

Shamokin Area didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off five passes before the game was over. Colin Steinhart was the real danger to the passing game, picking up five interceptions all by himself. Shamokin Area received some extra help from Bradley Oxenreider, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.

The win got Bellefonte back to even at 6-6. As for Shamokin Area, their record is now 12-0.

Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Bellefonte has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 169 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Shamokin Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 314.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.