District VI Preview @rhsfootball @bedfordfootball @CH_Highlanders @WindberFootball @Heritage_Confer

Tagged under: District 5, District 6, News

Greg Ricupero | August 23, 2021

PFN owner Billy Splain talks to players at Heritage/Westpac media day

District V/VI Preview-A New Year!

Heritage Conference

Teams on the Move!

The new high school football season is about to start with multiple league changes and a new school. The Heritage Conference is still at nine schools. Cambria Heights joined the conference to replace Bishop Carroll who filled in for one season for Ligonier Valley. However Saltsburg and Blairsville merged into a new school, the River Valley Panthers.

Cambria Heights Highlanders(5-4)-Played in the D6 2A championship game last year. Their interior line will dominate the conference. A fun team to watch. They are lead by fullback Ray Haluska. The New Ligonier Valley.
River Valley Panthers -The combination of two schools and more depth could bring a winning season to the valley. The Panthers are the conferences biggest unknown.
Marion Center Stingers(6-1) -Finished 2nd last year and were dominated by the Highlanders in the playoffs last year. The Stingers also hope to play physical.
Homer-Center Wildcats(6-2) – It was hard to pick them this low. Coach Page always gets the most out of his kids. But they need to replace all-world Ben Schmidt.
West Shamokin Wolves(3–5) -I originally had the Wolves lower, but they impressed me at Richland’s 7 on 7 day. Bo Swartz returns at quarterback and I look for a good year from him.
Purchase Line Red Dragons(4-5) -Played better as last year went on, including a big upset win over the Comets. Will need better play out of the quarterback position to compete.
Northern Cambria Colts(4-4) -The Colts will be led by senior two way lineman Issac Wagner and a strong junior cast.
Penns Manor Comets(6-1) -It’s hard to put Coach Packer this low, but the Comets lost a ton of talent. Sophomore Max Hill will return at quarterback.
United Lions(1-7) -The Lions showed improvement last year. They will need to stay healthy and find a replacement for Hunter Cameron.

WestPac

Major changes continue in the WestPac. They are down from 10 team to 8 in the last two years. Last year Ferndale and Conemaugh Valley played as a co-op. This year Shade has suspended their football program. To make matters worse, Bishop Carroll who was to play in the conference for one year, has in the last week decided to co-op with Bishop McCort. Portage will be leaving next year to join the Heritage Conference. The WestPac future is looking bleak. This has led to a lot of open dates and an odd number of teams for week nine’s crossover games between the WestPac and The Heritage Conference.

Crushers and Carroll unite. Photo Tribune

Windber Ramblers(7-2) -Just a great place to watch a game. The Ramblers are coming off a very good year and return 20 of 22 starters. They should be playing Cambria Heights week nine for the Appalachian Bowl Championship.
Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers(8-1) Last years winners. Berlin should be good enough to finish second. They will have to replace Will Spochart at quarterback.
Conemaugh Township Indians(5-3) The co-op with Shade will help with depth and fill some holes. The Indians looked good at the Richland 7 vs 7 and look to have another winning season.
Portage Mustangs(5-3) The Mustangs destroyed non playoff teams last year but were crushed by three playoff teams in a row towards seasons end. Expect them to rebound.
Conemaugh Valley(4-3) The co-op with Ferndale paid dividends last year. Two of my favorite players Nick and Noah Heltzel come back for their senior season.
North Star Cougars(2-7) The Cougars have a lot coming back. Quarterback Connor Yoder will be back.
Meyersdale Red Raiders(2-7) Dalton Sellers takes over at quarterback. The Red Raiders hope to bounce back two years removed from a nine win season.
Blacklick Valley Vikings(1-7) The Vikings will be hard pressed to get out of the bottom three. Coach Rich Price in his fourth year will look to get them to the next level.

The Laurel Highlands held pat with twelve teams with Central replacing Cambria Heights. The smaller schools A and 2A continue to rule.

Bedford Bison(10-1) The defending champs should be the team to beat after winning Richland’s 7 v 7. Mercury Swaim a 1000 yard passer and runner is back to lead the offense.
Richland Rams(8-2) The Rams will be a force again. Seniors Griffin Larue and Kellan Stahl lead a big play offense.
Central Scarlet Dragons – Moving to a tougher conference will cut down on travel and give them playoff caliber competition weekly.
Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders(7-3) They had an off year last year and finish one game short of another 1A state championship game. The Marauders will have to replace Keegan Myrick but seem to have a few candidates.
Chestnut Ridge Lions(7-3) It should be another good year for coach Max Shoemaker. They have 3 of the top 4 at home.
Central Cambria Red Devils(4-3) Starting the season with 3 of the top 4 teams should give us an idea of where the Red Devils are. They are coming off their first winning season since 2013 and will be looking to build on that.
Westmont Hilltoppers (4-4) Always a fun team to watch if you don’t like passing. Gavin Hockenberry returns at back.
Penn Cambria Panthers(3-7) The Panthers started with three wins in four games last year under first year coach Nick Felus. They will need to find that magic early and the schedule gets harder as the season goes on.
Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers(1-7) They will move up in class due to a co-op with Bishop Carroll. The Crushers showed off some exciting skill players at Richland’s 7 v 7.
Forest Hills Rangers(4-4) The Rangers will be returning 10 starters on each side of the ball. Damon Crowley a 1000 yard rusher leads the offense.
Somerset Golden Eagles(2-5) Second year coach Brian Brasília is hoping for a more normal year and continued improvement. Brad Bruner returns at quarterback.
Greater Johnstown Trojans (0-9) The Trojans will be lead by four year starter D’Andre Sampson. Jon Updike will start at quarterback

The Mountain league is down to seven teams with Central leaving.

The Inter-County Conference is up one school from 12 to 13 with the addition of Curwensville.

The rest of D VI.

State College Little Lions(4-3) and Altoona Mountain Lions(4-3) will battle again with the big boys of the Mid-Penn Commonwealth. They both are coming off winning seasons and should play for the D6 6A Championship. The Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers(4-4) (5A) play a very tough independent schedule that includes opponents from Maryland and West Virginia.