Central Cambria Controls 1st Half to Win 32-22 Over Central
Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News, pfn
Hunter Myers | October 11, 2025
EBENSBURG — Central Cambria controlled the ball for 16:01 and scored 18 unanswered points in the first half on their way to a 32-22 win over Central. The Red Devils outgained the Dragons 200-67, taking an 11 point lead before the halfway point of the 1st quarter. Central Cambria was able to establish their run game early, something that Coach Klezek mentioned was a key in winning this game and once they took the lead, they never gave it back, even as Central narrowed the gap to three late in the game.
“Our line did a great job opening things up and offensive play calling was great too” Coach Klezek said about his team. The Red Devil line had struggled recently, due to injuries to two of their starters, only managing 286 rushing yards combined in their last three games (95 per game). Tonight, the run game certainly opened up early, rushing for 97 yards in their first half. Most of these rush yards came on a monumental drive late in the first quarter, when Central Cambria drove 67 yards over 16 plays that drained 9 minutes and 10 seconds of clock, ending with a touchdown that made the score 18-0. As Ryan Chappell capped that drive, the air left the Central sideline, as a pattern of big halftime deficits had reemerged, and climbing out of an 18-point hole seemed improbable.
Regardless of the deficit, Central brought energy out of the half, which is not surprising considering their 11-point comeback win last week against Penns Valley. They found the end zone for their first time on a long drive of their own, going 70 yards and 13 plays finished with a Carter Schenk receiving touchdown. Entering the fourth quarter still down by 19, the Dragons had to get creative with their offense, as Coach Klezek noted “they had nothing to lose and were chucking it all over the place. They ran multiple trick plays and double passes”. One of those trick plays ignited Central’s fans as a double pass ended in a long 65 yard touchdown reception by JJ Moushlian, cutting the lead to 11 and seemingly flipping the momentum. After forcing a punt an 80 yard drive cut the lead to three, with only three minutes to play. On the ensuing kickoff the ball bounced free and multiple Dragons dove on the fumble. After a conference, the officials ruled the returner down by contact. Just two plays later, Central Cambria’s star Ryan Chappell burst through the line for a 71-yard touchdown, putting the game out of reach and icing the Dragons’ comeback attempt.
Ryan Chappell’s 71 yard touchdown was only the icing on the cake for a superb overall performance, finding the end zone a total of three times, and gaining 172 yards on 29 attempts. “He’s such a physical runner and he has that breakaway speed. He’s a special player”, Klezek said about the junior running back. Chappell wasn’t just a force on offense, he also anchored a front seven that limited the Dragons to just 37 rushing yards (2.3 yards per carry) in the whole game. Chappell was integral down the stretch, rushing it 14 times in the second half and scoring twice in the final quarter when his team needed him the most.
In the end, Central Cambria’s dominant first half proved to be too much to overcome, aided by Chappell’s gutsy performance. This game promised to be a star-studded, physical football game and Friday night proved exactly that. As the season winds to a close, there are aspects of this game that are promising for both teams: Central’s fight until the end and explosive play potential flashed, while the Red Devil’s offense completely reversed their recent woes.
Next week, Central (2-6) will take on Bald Eagle (4-4), while Central Cambria (3-5) will travel to play Somerset (2-6).
Score Summary:
Central – 0 – 0 – 6 – 16 — 22
Central Cambria – 11 – 7 – 0 – 14 — 32
1st Quarter:
#87 L. O’Brien 26 yard field goal. Central Cambria 3-0 6:58
#3 C. Stevens 29 yard reception from #5 M. Pittsinger. Central Cambria 11-0 6:06
2nd Quarter:
#21 R. Chappell 2 yard run. Central Cambria 18-0 3:50
3rd Quarter:
#2 C. Schenk 6 yard reception from #4 J. Muthler. Central 6-18 6:48
4th Quarter:
#21 R. Chappell 1 yard run. Central Cambria 25-6 11:55
#10 J. Moushlian 65 yard reception from #27 K. Horn on pass from #4 J. Muthler. Central 14-25 10:59
#2 C. Schenk one yard run. Central 22-25 3:08
#21 R. Chappell 71 yard run. Central Cambria 32-22 2:38
Box Score:
| Central | ||||||
| Passing | ||||||
| # | Name | Completions | Attempts | Yards | TD’s | INT’s |
| 2 | Carter Schenk | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Jesse Muthler | 21 | 34 | 185 | 1 | 2 |
| 27 | Kaden Horn | 1 | 1 | 65 | 1 | 0 |
| 85 | Adam Loucks | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 23 | 37 | 255 | 2 | 2 | |
| Rushing | ||||||
| # | Name | Attempts | Yards | TD’s | ||
| 1 | Semaj Musei | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Carter Schenk | 5 | 13 | 1 | ||
| 4 | Jesse Muthler | 3 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Coltin Harbaugh | 5 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 16 | 37 | 1 | |||
| Receiving | ||||||
| # | Name | Receptions | Yards | TD’s | ||
| 2 | Carter Schenk | 8 | 50 | 1 | ||
| 9 | Bentley Dickson | 6 | 81 | 0 | ||
| 10 | JJ Moushlian | 2 | 80 | 1 | ||
| 12 | Coltin Harbaugh | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Cole Marks | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Kaden Horn | 3 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 85 | Adam Loucks | 2 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23 | 255 | 2 | |||
| Central Cambria | ||||||
| Passing | ||||||
| # | Name | Completions | Attempts | Yards | TD’s | INT’s |
| 5 | Mason Pittsinger | 8 | 12 | 105 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 12 | 105 | 1 | 1 | |
| Rushing | ||||||
| # | Name | Attempts | Yards | TD’s | ||
| 0 | Andrew Chappell | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Mason Pittsinger | 5 | 39 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Ryan Chappell | 29 | 172 | 3 | ||
| Total | 35 | 215 | 3 | |||
| Receiving | ||||||
| # | Name | Receptions | Yards | TD’s | ||
| 2 | Jett Williams | 3 | 27 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Cam Stevens | 3 | 44 | 1 | ||
| 4 | John Dill | 2 | 28 | 0 | ||
| 9 | AJ Galli | 1 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 105 | 1 | |||
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