Football Preview: Cambria Heights Highlanders vs. Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils
Cambria Heights has won seven straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Bellwood-Antis has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Cambria Heights Highlanders will face off against the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. Cambria Heights' defense has only allowed 5.6 points per game this season, so Bellwood-Antis' offense will have their work cut out for them.
Last Friday, Cambria Heights beat Bishop McCort 24-17.
Marshall Eckenrode was a one-man wrecking crew for Cambria Heights as he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, and also picked up 33 receiving yards. Eckenrode got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 73 yards. Another player making a difference was Stephen Nelen, who gained 135 total yards and a touchdown.
Cambria Heights was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 229 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 171 rushing yards in 13 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Bellwood-Antis had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They breezed by River Valley to the tune of 43-14 on Friday. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 22-0.
It was another big night for Cayden Pellegrine, who rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeffrey Waite, who picked up 45 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Bellwood-Antis didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Griffin Kyle and Owen Stoltzfus.
Cambria Heights' win bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Bellwood-Antis, their victory bumped their record up to 8-3.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Cambria Heights has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 243.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bellwood-Antis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 201.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Cambria Heights came up short against Bellwood-Antis when the teams last played back in November of 2019, falling 15-8. Thankfully for Cambria Heights, Zach Mallon (who picked up 83 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 93 yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
