The Penn Cambria Panthers are taking a road trip to challenge the Greater Johnstown Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Penn Cambria has five straight wins, Greater Johnstown has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Penn Cambria didn't have too much trouble with Tyrone as they won 27-10. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 236th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Penn Cambria got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Evan Latterner out in front who rushed for 128 yards on only seven carries. Latterner got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 89 yards. Another player making a difference was Brady Jones, who rushed for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only seven carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Penn Cambria was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 338 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tyrone only rushed for 174.
Penn Cambria didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Grant Gides.
Meanwhile, Greater Johnstown didn't have quite enough to beat Penns Valley Area on Thursday and fell 27-24. The Trojans gained 56 more yards on the day, but it was the Rams that made the best use of them.
Penn Cambria will have to contain Daniel Porter as he made an impact in Greater Johnstown's last game. He threw for 165 yards and two TDs, and also rushed for 109 yards on only 12 carries. Greater Johnstown also got a significant boost from Cordell Porter, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 82 yards.
Penn Cambria's record now sits at 7-1. As for Greater Johnstown, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Penn Cambria has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 356.2 total yards per game. It's a different story for Greater Johnstown, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 200.2 total yards. Will Penn Cambria be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Trojans flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Penn Cambria against Greater Johnstown in their previous matchup back in August of 2022, as the team secured a 42-6 win. In that game, the Panthers amassed a halftime lead of 35-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
