Westmont Hilltop and Penn Cambria are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers will host the Penn Cambria Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Westmont Hilltop, yet to win a game, are hoping to taste some of the success that has characterized Penn Cambria's (thus far) undefeated season.
Westmont Hilltop came up short against Greater Johnstown on Saturday, falling 42-21. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Hilltoppers have suffered against the Trojans since September 16, 2017.
Despite the loss, Westmont Hilltop saw an underclassman step up: Bryce Goodman rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown. Goodman got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 53 yards.
Even though they lost, Westmont Hilltop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 261 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 261 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Penn Cambria). They breezed by Central Cambria at home to the tune of 36-0 on Friday. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 95th, while the Red Devils are ranked 456th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Thomas Plunkett and Brady Jones were among the main playmakers for Penn Cambria as the former rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns and the latter rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries. The dominant performance gave Jones a new career-high in rushing yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Penn Cambria's defense and their three sacks. Mason Mento was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up twohimself.
Westmont Hilltop's defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Penn Cambria, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Westmont Hilltop has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 266 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Penn Cambria struggles in that department as they've been averaging 249.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Westmont Hilltop took a serious blow against Penn Cambria when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 39-0. Will Westmont Hilltop have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
