The Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers will venture away from home to square off against the Somerset Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Westmont Hilltop will come in still looking for their first win of the season.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 57-21, which was the final score in Westmont Hilltop's tilt against Richland on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Hilltoppers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 461st, while the Rams are ranked 169th).
Westmont Hilltop's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Derek Gartner, who gained 102 total yards, and Landen Valente, who rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Gartner got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run and that went for an incredible 52 yards. Fisher Stratton was in the mix as well, providing Westmont Hilltop with a touchdowns.
Even though they lost, Westmont Hilltop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 265 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 175 rushing yards in four consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Westmont Hilltop wouldn't let Richland keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Westmont Hilltop can thank Stratton and Jonah Mccoy for forcing both of them. Stratton also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble and making four total tackles which he returned for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Somerset had to endure a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They blew past Greater Johnstown 35-12 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Eagles have posted since September 22, 2023.
Rowan Holmes was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in total yards. Camden Lowery was another major influence, as he rushed for 75 yards and ran in a TD.
Westmont Hilltop's defeat dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Somerset, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Westmont Hilltop lost to Somerset on the road by a decisive 31-13 margin in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Somerset's Lane Lambert, who rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and also threw for 80 yards and a touchdown on only five passes. Now that Westmont Hilltop knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
