Luke Malaney struggles to the end zone against Richland in the District 6 Class 2A championship game.
Written by Michael Boitim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
A year ago, Cambria Heights made its state playoff debut, but things didn’t go so well.
Fresh off their first District 6 championship, the Highlanders lost 33-0 to South Williamsport in the Class 1A quarterfinals.
Cambria Heights moved back to Class 2A in the offseason, which led many to think the team might not make it back to the state playoffs this season.
But Saturday at 1 p.m. at Armstrong High School in Kittanning, the Highlanders will play their second game of the state playoffs, this time against District 9 champion Central Clarion.
“I think it will definitely help,” Heights senior Steven Nellen said. “Last year was completely new to us and we didn’t know what to expect. This year we will prepare better and hope we can get better results. We will compete at a higher level.” It’s great because we showed everyone what we can do and it’s great to be back here for the second year in a row.”
The Central Clarion represents the Cumbrian Tablelands’ biggest challenge yet. The Wildcats, a cooperative of Clarion, Clarion Limestone and North Clarion, are also undefeated, opening the season with a 66-14 win over Dubois in Class 5A.
“They’re really good,” Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. “Their linemen are huge. They have great skill positions and their quarterback is special. I think we saw him throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards. These are video game numbers. They are like. They’ve been really good. Defensively they haven’t conceded too many goals. They’ve won against 3A, 4A and 5A teams. Those will definitely be a challenge for us, but like I said. I hope our team rises to this challenge as it did this year.”
Quarterback Jace Ferguson also averages more than 10 yards per run and has thrown nearly 50 touchdown passes this season. But Cambria Heights overcame those challenges all season long en route to its second consecutive District 6 championship.
“Last year was a great year because we made history and went back and beat some teams that we had previously beaten that year,” Lewis said. “But this year was also really special. When we moved up to 2A, I think people thought we were going to be the favorites, but I don’t know if we were the favorites. Actually, I know it wasn’t. But our kids took it personally. We stopped and kept working hard. We felt like we were getting better and better and that was always kind of the goal. We really thought we did it and some. Our juniors have stepped up and gotten better every week and that has really helped us.”
In the four years this senior group played at Cambria Heights, the Highlanders went 41-10, won two District 6 titles and two Heritage Conference championships.
“I thought we were going to have a pretty good team this year,” Lewis said. “But with the competition we had to go through, we knew there were a lot of good football teams not only within our conference but also outside of our conference. Richland, McCourt-Carroll, Bellwood. , and we have to play A team that wasn’t. We felt like we had a chance to do well, but it has a lot to do with staying healthy, continuing to improve, staying healthy. It’s hard to keep going. It’s hard to stay motivated and do your best every week.”
Even though Heights made the state playoffs last year, Lewis is concerned about Saturday’s start time.
“Last year we traveled over three hours. I don’t want to say it affected me, but I think it helped,” Lewis said. “This year, we have to balance that with playing games at 1 p.m. on Saturdays, which is not a time normally when high school games are played. I think the experience of playing in the playoffs will help us overcome not being able to play at ideal game times. I don’t think any of our players have ever played on a Saturday at 1 p.m. .”
Either way, he expects the Cambria Heights community to come to Armstrong and support the Highlanders.
“I’m proud of our team and our coaches,” Lewis said. “It’s very special to see how the community has supported this. We had 75 students and a lot of community members at Friday’s game. I think they packed the stands really well. The fire department We got escorts in cars and stuff. It’s special when the community supports you. I know the kids really appreciate it, and it’s not just for the team. It reminds you that you are playing for Cumbria. I’m playing for all the former members of the Heights and the members of the community.”
preserve tradition
Despite having a down year in 2023, Bedford has a strong tradition of making the state playoffs.
The current group of Bisons gained even more momentum last Friday with a win over District 3 powerhouse Steelton Highspire.
“It definitely felt really good, it was all about the kids,” Bedford coach Kevin Steele said. “They played hard. They executed their game plan against a really good Steelton team. I don’t think a lot of people picked us to win that game, but it was our Luckily it didn’t affect the kids or our approach. We were able to make plays, control their offense, create some turnovers and be on the right side of the scoreboard. Just doing what was right for our kids, their work ethic, and our team. I’m really proud of how selflessly we came together to keep moving forward.”
Bedford’s challenge gets even bigger this week as it faces Troy in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals on Friday at Lock Haven University. Troy defeated the Tigers 69-28 in the District 4 semifinals, ending Southern Columbia University’s run of seven straight Class 2A state titles.
“They’re undefeated and continue to surprise people all season long,” Steele said. “They certainly present a challenge in all three phases of the game. They’re explosive on offense, they’re aggressive and fast on defense, and they’re scoring a ton of points on special teams. Everything requires us to be ready. We’ll definitely have work assignments, but the kids are ready to work. We’ll go to Lock Haven on Friday and hope to play well. ”
Win or lose, this current group of bison has secured a legacy.
“The biggest part is a lot of these kids played as juniors last year and we didn’t have a great season,” Steele said. “They’re determined to turn things around and move in the right direction, and they finished the season on a very high note here, made the playoffs, made some memories and continued the tradition of our program as of late.” We were able to get back to the basics and have continued success.”
