Published: September 21, 2009 12:03 am      

CORY ISENBERG | Trojans tops in District 6-AAA

It’s just three weeks into the high school football season, but Johnstown’s 33-16 victory over Westmont helped move the Trojans into the lead in the District 6 Class AAA rankings.

In fact, at the current time, Johnstown is the lone team in Class AAA with a winning record. Indian Valley and Bellefonte are both 1-2 with Hollidaysburg at 0-3.

Central, Forest Hills and Richland are all 3-0 and are

1-2-3 in Class AA. Tyrone, Huntingdon, Penn Cambria and Ligonier Valley are all 2-1 and are next in the rankings.

Bishop McCort sits atop the Class A rankings followed by Bellwood-Antis, Portage, Marion Center, Moshannon Valley, Penns Manor and Glendale.

All seven squads are 3-0.

Bishop Guilfoyle, United, Laurel Valley, Mount Union and Homer-Center are 2-1.

In District 5, Conemaugh Township and Meyersdale share the top spot in Class A, both at 3-0. Berlin, Rockwood and Tussey Mountain are each 2-1. In Class AA, all three teams - Bedford, Chestnut Ridge and North Star - are 1-2.

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Penalty phase: There were many positives to come out of Johnstown’s victory over the Hilltoppers on Saturday, including a solid balance between rushing and passing on offense.

“The kids have been working hard and we had to get over some hurdles,” Johnstown coach Kevin Marabito said after Saturday’s game. “I think last week (against Cambria Heights) put some confidence in. The kids really don’t care what it takes right now to get it done. Defensively, we feed off our offense. If our offense does well, defense does well. It’s just putting everything in the right place.”

There were, however, several promising drives stalled with penalties as the Trojans were flagged 10 times for 99 yards against the Hilltoppers.

“The one disappointing fact was the penalties,” Marabito said. “We had way too many of them. Whether they were penalties or not, they were called. It’s something we have to correct because in a tight ball game, it’s never going to work.”

According to their team statistics, the Trojans have

18 penalties for 182 yards, an average of 60.7 yards a game.

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The new voice: Joe Ward worked his first two football games as the Westmont Hilltop public address announcer the past two Saturdays at Price Field.

Ward took over for veteran announcer Bill Miller, who stepped down after 42 seasons at the end of last year.

Just as Miller always did, Ward works without spotters, eliminating extra bodies in an already tiny press box like the one that Westmont has.

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Picking perfection: Sports editor Eric Knopsnyder and I were each 15-0 last week with Steve Johncola just behind at 14-1.

Mike Mastovich and Dave Lynch were each 13-2 with Hugh Conrad 11-4.

Overall, I am 38-7 with Knopsnyder 35-10. Lynch and Johncola 34-11, Conrad 32-13 and Mastovich 31-14.



Cory Isenberg is a sports writer for The Tribune-Democrat