The Central Cambria Red Devils will face off against the Bald Eagle Area Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Central Cambria will be strutting in after a victory while Bald Eagle Area will be coming in after a defeat.
On Friday, Central Cambria needed a bit of extra time to put away Somerset. They walked away with a 35-28 win over the Eagles. Things were looking grim for the Red Devils in the second quarter (they were down by 21) but they stormed back to get the game.
Ryan Chappell continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 208 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 8.0 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 65 yards. Cam Stevens was another key player, picking up 78 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Central Cambria proved: they limited Somerset to a paltry 3.4 yards per carry. The team can thank John Dill for the heroic effort on defense: he. Central Cambria hasn't allowed more than three yards per carry in three consecutive contests.
Central Cambria didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Chase Sinosky and Ridge Kutchman.
Meanwhile, Bald Eagle Area and Central were almost perfectly matched up on Friday, but Bald Eagle Area suffered a 26-25 loss.
Even if they lost, Bald Eagle Area's defense still kept up the pressure with 4.5 sacks. Nino Danneker refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Central's side was Kaden Clark, who picked up a sack and made eight total tackles.
Bald Eagle Area's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 4-5. As for Central Cambria, they picked up their first road victory, bumping their record up to 4-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Central Cambria has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 190.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bald Eagle Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 158.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Central Cambria suffered a grim 39-14 defeat to Bald Eagle Area in their previous matchup back in August of 2024. Can the Red Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
