Class 2A Quarterfinal Preview: Central Clarion vs. Cambria Heights
Tagged under: District 6, District 9, News, pfn, Playoffs
Phil Myers | November 20, 2024
CH photo credit Paula Kibker-Nedock
Central Clarion vs. Cambria Heights at Armstrong – Saturday November 23 at 1:00 PM
Central Clarion Wildcats (12-0)
Dave Eggleton is the head honcho at Central Clarion (D9) and has been since 2021. Prior to that he coached Clarion-Limestone from 2013 to 2018. He has compiled an overall record of 67-41. Coach Eggleton is 37-9 with Central Clarion and 33-3 over the past three years. His offense is explosive and will eventually find a weakness to exploit. The defense is made up of lunchbox type of guys who do things the right way and they are tough hombres. Central Clarion is the #2 team in Class 2A.
Jase Ferguson is the quarterback extraordinaire for the ‘Cats. He is the top QB in Pennsylvania in touchdown passes with 46 and he is the D9 career leader in TD tosses. He has thrown for 2,904 yards in 2024 good enough to put him in the 5th spot as far as yardage goes. But he can do more. He is a 1,000-yard runner to, scrambling for 1,126 yards to date and scoring 13 touchdowns. He has some speedy receivers to throw to in Mason Burford and Ethan Rex. Burford has grabbed 38 passes for 890 yards and 15 TDs. Yes, that is 23.4 yards a catch. Rex has 64 snags for 700 yards and 14 scores. RB Noah Harrison has scored 6 touchdowns and averages 7.4 yards when he runs the ball. Kicker Thomas Uckert is a weapon too as he has nailed all 54 PATs. It is no wonder that the Wildcats are second in the state in scoring, averaging 53.5 points a game.
The Wildcat defense is led by leading tacklers Charlie Hepfl and Braylon Beckwith. The team has picked off 18 opponent passes with Ferguson showing the way with 7 picks. The defense is third in the state allowing only 6.6 points a game. The Central Clarion ‘D’ has pitched 5 shutouts, and held a fast and athletic Farrell eleven to 6 points last week.
Cambria Heights Highlanders (13-0)
Jarrod Lewis won his second consecutive D6 title last week. Last year it was the 1A championship. Lewis has been coaching the Highlanders since 2012 and has amassed a record of 81-64. But since 2020 he is 44-14. Cambria Heights is very good at ground and pound when they smell blood or if their game plan is to control the tempo and time of possession. This year’s squad can also pass and do it well. Their kicking game is one of the best, which in a close game, can be the difference. The Highlanders are ranked #5.
The Highlander offense is a good, averaging 37 points per contest. They usually spread the ball around quite well, so no one guy can be keyed on. QB Isaac Weiland is having a nice year, throwing for 1,479 yards and 17 touchdowns. Running backs Stephen Nelen and Marshall Eckenrode are big contributors in the ground game. Nelen has 794 yards and 11 scores, while Eckenrode has 10 rushing touchdowns so far in 2024. Nelen, Eckenrode, and Trey Trybus are the go-to guys when Weiland throws. Among the three of them they have caught 63 passes for 1,427 yards and 17 TDs. Cameron Abrams has connected on all but two of his 56 point after tries. He is also 5 for 5 in the field goal department. Garrett Jasper is the punter and averages almost 43 yards a punt.
Cambria Heights is 4th in the state in scoring defense only permitting 7 points a game. Eckenrode, Jasper, Bryce Lewis, and Luke Mulraney all have over 100 tackles for the Highlander defense. The team has an amazing 159 tackles for loss and 28 sacks. Mulraney leads the team in interceptions.
The Outlook
This has the makings of a very good game. Both teams are undefeated. Both teams have great defenses. Both teams can score a lot of points, however the advantage there has to go to Central Clarion. For Cambria Heights to win, they have to slow down Ferguson somehow. No one has done that to this point in the season. The Highlanders also have to find a way to keep the ball for long periods of time and keep that CC offense off the field. Central Clarion’s key to winning is to just continue what they’ve done all year, making adjustments where needed, playing disciplined defense, and not turning the ball over.
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