Published: October 10, 2008 12:00 am            

Rangers look to rebound against Panthers

On paper, tonight’s Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference matchup between Penn Cambria and Forest Hills in Sidman is pretty even.

The Panthers are 4-2 and the Rangers are 5-1.

Penn Cambria bounced back from a Week 5 loss to crush Cambria Heights 42-7 while Forest Hills suffered its first defeat, a 27-0 shutout by Central Cambria.

“Central Cambria made us take a step back and look at what we have done thus far,” Rangers coach Don Bailey said. “We start up to five sophomores on defense and our young defense got worn down by them. We were only down 7-0 at the half. We committed six turnovers, and any team is going to take advantage of that, especially a good one.”

The Forest Hills School District came into existence in 1966, and since then, the Rangers have played Penn Cambria 25 times with the Sidman squad holding an 18-6 lead with one tie.

Ernie Fetzer is in his fourth season with the Panthers and his squad has been beaten twice by the Rangers including last season’s 10-8 setback.

“It’s really exciting any time you go to Forest Hills,” Fetzer said. “They’ve got such a good program and they’re so well-coached. Coach Bailey is top-notch as far as I’m concerned. We’re looking forward to it. The kids are excited. We’ve had a good week. It’s a good place to play, and it’s good football.”

The Panthers’ Zak Newton has rushed for 1,149 yards on 135 carries.

Receiver Matt Glenn has 13 catches for 259 yards.

“They are a very good football team,” Bailey said. “They are exceptionally big plus they have a lot of speed and skill. They have the area’s leading rusher in Newton, and Glenn is also a big playmaker for them. They will be quite a challenge for us.”

The Rangers’ Scott Mehall has 665 yards rushing on 76 carries while quarterback Zack Glessner is 50-of-84 passing for 946 yards.

Tyler Rosenberger is Forest Hills’ leading receiver with 527 yards on 27 catches.

Central Cambria at Bishop Guilfoyle: After a 1-2 start, the Red Devils (4-2) continue their resurgence, surprising previously unbeaten Forest Hills last week while the Marauders (4-2) needed overtime to dispatch winless Bedford.

The shutout for the Central Cambria defense was the first for the Red Devils since last year’s 21-0 victory over Bedford. It was the second time this season that Bishop Guilfoyle has gone to overtime, with the Marauders winning both times.

The Marauders won 14-7 in 2007.

Johnstown at Bishop McCort: Overall the Trojans lead the series between the two rivals 14-9-1, but since Johnstown came into the Laurel Highlands, the teams have played seven times with the Crushers holding a 6-1 edge. The Trojans last won 14-9 in 2003 and Bishop McCort prevailed 31-21 last season.

The Trojans (4-2) shut out Bishop Carroll last week and the Crushers (6-0) bested another rival, Westmont, to remain unbeaten.

Bedford at Cambria Heights: The winless Bisons (0-6) dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Bishop Guilfoyle and the Highlanders (1-5) were manhandled by Penn Cambria.

Since the teams began playing each other again in 1997, the Bisons have won all 11 meetings, prevailing 48-16 last year.

Westmont at Richland: In the 49-games between the two teams from 1959 to the present, the Hilltoppers lead the overall series 33-13-3, but the Rams shut out the Hilltoppers 34-0 in 2007.

In Week 6, Westmont (1-5) lost to Bishop McCort by its largest margin this season while Richland (4-2) defeated Somerset.

WestPAC

North Star at Conemaugh Township: The Cougars (6-0) kept their undefeated record intact with a big win over Windber last week while the Indians (4-2) won their second straight, defeating Conemaugh Valley.

The 26 points that the Ramblers put up against North Star is the most points the Cougars have given up to an opponent thus far while the 35 points scored by Conemaugh Township is the second-most the offense has generated.

The Cougars were 29-21 winner over the Indians last season.

Conemaugh Valley at Portage: The Blue Jays (3-3) lost their third straight game last week to Conemaugh Township while the Mustangs (6-0) remained unbeaten, notching their sixth with a shutout over Ferndale.

The Blue Jays’ Steve Ling, the area’s top rusher heading into Week 6, was held to 73 yards on 29 carries by the Indians.

The 69 points that Portage put on the board against the Yellow Jackets was its largest margin of victory since the inception of the WestPAC.

The Mustangs won 47-7 last year.

Berlin at Windber: The Mountaineers evened their record at 3-3 after a loss to Blacklick Valley while the Ramblers, also 3-3, fell to unbeaten North Star.

Eric Benning leads the Berlin defense with 15 solo tackles and 46 overall. Kevin Erickson tops the Windber defense with 54 tackles, including 38 solo stops and has four sacks.

The Ramblers shut out the Mountaineers 27-0 last season.

Heritage

Purchase Line at United: The Red Dragons remain entrenched on top of the conference standings, running their unbeaten streak this season to six games with a victory over Marion Center while the Lions (2-4) roared past Homer-Center for their second straight win.

United scored more points (71) in its two wins than it did in its four losses (40).

The Red Dragons caged the Lions 21-12 last year.

Laurel Valley at Homer-Center: The Rams (4-2) failed to get win No. 301 for the program, falling to Northern Cambria last week while the Wildcats were quelled by United.

Jonathan Hart leads Laurel Valley in tackles with 41, including 28 solos.

The teams played twice last season, once in the playoffs, with the Rams winning both, 27-19 in the regular season.

Northern Cambria at Marion Center: The Colts (3-3) snapped a two-game losing streak with a win in a defensive struggle against Laurel Valley last week while the Stingers (1-5) lost their fourth straight, a setback to Purchase Line.

Andy Paronish leads the Northern Cambria defense with 83 tackles, including 35 solo stops, along with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

The Colts were 14-2 winners in 2007.

Ligonier Valley at Penns Manor: The Mounties (3-3) bounced back after a loss to sister school Laurel Valley with a victory over Saltsburg in Week 6 while the Comets (4-2) won their fourth straight, defeating Blairsville.

Matt Beckman leads Ligonier’s defense with 113 tackles, including 82 solo stops along with a quarterback sack.

The Mounties prevailed 41-13 last year.

Also

DuBois at Chestnut Ridge: The contest against the Beavers will be just the second home game for the Lions this season.

Class AAAA DuBois (4-2) got by Bellefonte 32-29 last week while Class AA Chestnut Ridge (3-3) defeated Meyersdale 19-7.

Garrett Malmgren leads the DuBois’ rushing attack with 589 yards on 86 carries. Quarterback Danny Henry has thrown for 375 yards going 23 of 46. Kyle Bush has 11 catches for 174 yards.

Josh McDannell tops the Chestnut Ridge rushing with 375 yards on 70 carries. Quarterback Jase Deffibaugh is 19 of 58 passing for 289 yards with Andy Tomovich his leading receiver with seven catches for 163 yards.

        

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