The Penn Cambria Panthers will take on the Central Cambria Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Penn Cambria has four straight victories, Central Cambria has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Penn Cambria's offense will try to repeat the strong performance it gave on Friday, when they got past Bedford's usually-dominant defense. Penn Cambria really took it to Bedford for the full four quarters, racking up a 33-6 win on the road. That 27 point margin sets a new team best for the Panthers this season.
Penn Cambria's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brady Jones, who rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 96 yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance gave Jones a new career-high in rushing yards. Thomas Plunkett was another key back, rushing for 101 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Penn Cambria was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Penn Cambria's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Gavin Harrold and Grant Gides.
Meanwhile, Central Cambria scored the most points they've had all season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They fell 47-36 to Greater Johnstown.
Central Cambria might have lost, but man, Grady Snyder was a machine: he rushed for 221 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per carry, and also picked up 34 receiving yards. With that strong performance, Snyder is now averaging an impressive 114 rushing yards per game. Hunter Pittsinger was in the mix too, providing Central Cambria with two touchdowns.
Penn Cambria's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Central Cambria, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Penn Cambria has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 258.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central Cambria struggles in that department as they've been averaging 159.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Penn Cambria against Central Cambria in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 38-6 victory. Does Penn Cambria have another victory up their sleeve, or will Central Cambria turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
