By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

A pair of Blair County football teams that are both riding a hot hand will meet Friday night in a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference showdown.

Unbeaten Bellwood-Antis brings a 3-0 overall and conference record into Friday’s matchup with a Central team that has won two games in a row and is 2-1 overall and in the conference. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Roaring Spring Athletic Field.

Playing on its home field last week, Bellwood spotted Huntingdon an early touchdown before regrouping for a 20-14 victory.

“The game started off a little rough for us, as Huntingdon scored on their first offensive play,” Bellwood coach Nick Lovrich said. “But I was happy that we showed some resilience and that we were able to stop what they were doing, and that we were able to create some momentum for ourselves.”

Junior back Colin Gibbons rushed for 117 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns in last week’s game for Bellwood, which displayed balance on offense. Sophomore back Bradyn Partner rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries, and senior quarterback Holden Schreier completed six passes, including four to senior wideout Griffin Kyle that totaled 49 yards.

“I think that it was pretty much of a total team effort because Colin and Bradyn both had some nice runs and Griffin Kyle had some nice catches, so it was kind of nice to get everything spread out,” Lovrich said.

For the season to this point, Gibbons has rushed for 299 yards on 34 carries and two TDS, and Partner has run for 196 yards on 28 carries and two scores, while Schreier has completed 16 of 29 throws for 274 yards and two TDS, and Kyle has caught six passes totaling 75 yards.

First-year Central head coach Jerry Albright sees Bellwood as a very sound football team overall.

“They are fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball,” Albright said. “On offense, they block extremely well, their quarterback (Schreier) gets the job done, and their running and passing games complement each other.

“There’s a reason why they’re 3-0,” Albright added. “They’re a really good team.”

After suffering a disappointing season-opening loss to Bellefonte at home, Central has rebounded to win its last two games, 20-14 at Somerset and 13-7 at Tyrone last week. The passing tandem of senior quarterback Eli Muthler and senior wideout Jay Hoenstine played a large factor in both victories for Central.

The 6-foot-4, athletic Muthler completed 17 of 32 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in last week’s Scarlet Dragons’ win at Tyrone, and Hoenstine caught eight passes for the second straight week. Muthler, who also rushed for a touchdown in last week’s game, has completed 36 of 79 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns this season, with Hoenstine catching 20 passes for 292 yards and two scores.

Lovrich knows that defending against what Muthler – who was also an all-state selection at safety on defense a year ago — does will play a big role in Friday’s game for his team.

“He had a great year last year, he’s still one of the better quarterbacks in this area, and he’s probably just as good a defensive player as he is a quarterback,” Lovrich said of Muthler, whose 2,815 passing yards last season led the Mirror coverage area. “He’s a really good athlete who uses his height to his advantage.

“He’s a really big dual-threat quarterback, and we are going to need to stick to fundamentals against him, and make sure that our defense keeps their offensive guys in front of us, gets some pressure on him, and tries to make him uncomfortable,” Lovrich added.

Albright said that Muthler, Hoenstine, and the team’s other senior receivers, Kyle Klotz and Thaide Mickel, have worked diligently in the offseason to refine Central’s passing game.

“They have all put in a lot of work outside of practice, even through the summer months,” Albright said. “Those guys have been really trying to work on their timing and chemistry with each other, and now it’s starting to pay off.”

Bellwood-Antis joined the Laurel Highlands Conference last season after spending many years in the Inter-County Conference. Rekindling old and natural football rivalries like the one that the Blue Devils had previously had with Central has been fulfilling for Lovrich and his Bellwood players.

“We play them in a lot of other sports, and whenever I was in high school and first starting coaching (both at Bellwood-Antis), they were on our schedule a lot,” Lovrich said of the Scarlet Dragons. “They’re a Blair County school and the way our section in the Laurel Highlands Conference is set up, we have Central, Bishop Guilfoyle and Huntingdon, along with Tyrone, in our section.

“So not only does our long rivalry with Tyrone remain alive, but we’re also now playing all of these other local schools that we’ve had a history with,” Lovrich added. “It’s pretty nice to have that.”

B-A at Central

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Roaring Spring Athletic Field.

Records: B-A (3-0 overall and LHAC). Central (2-1 overall and LHAC).

Coaches: B-A’s Nick Lovrich (7 seasons, 49-19); Jerry Albright (1st season, 2-1)

Last week: B-A defeated Huntingdon, 20-14, while Central beat Tyrone, 13-7.

Last season: Central won, 41-20, at B-A.