Grassi
Penn Cambria has started to make playing in the District 6 Class 3A championship game a yearly tradition.
But the Panthers would like to make last year’s feeling of winning gold a new standard.
“Winning last year was big for us to break that string of making it several years and not winning it,” Penn Cambria coach Jason Grassi said. “It was huge for us. It’s a step in the direction we want to take our program. We expect to be there now, and we expect to win when we get there. That’s kind of our goal now to win that district championship every year and move on from there.”
Penn Cambria will take on a team that is not used to appearing in a district final — or really even the postseason recently — in Huntingdon at 7 p.m. on Friday at Mansion Park.
The second-seeded Bearcats come into the game 8-3 after winning just four games over the last five seasons combined, including three winless campaigns.
“It means a lot (to make the district final). You could just tell as the success was happening throughout the year that you could see more and more support at our home games,” Huntingdon coach Tim Lucko said. “Given the history of the program, we’re definitely excited to be fortunate enough to be in this position.”
Though both teams are in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference, they have not played since the Bearcats joined, but the way they both have won games this year has mirrored each other.
“We’re both spread, but we’re both old school and like to run the football,” Lucko said. “They are definitely talented. The (Corbin) Vinglish kid is very talented. What stuck out to me when I started watching film on them Friday night is just how hard he runs the football. That’s kind of scary. Then you have (Brady) Jones, the quarterback, who runs the ball well. They have experience up front. They are physical up front. It’s definitely going to test our run defense, and hopefully we’re going to be able to rise to the challenge.”
The teams won in very similar fashion in their semifinal games. Both avenged losses from the regular season in dominant fashion. Penn Cambria beat Forest Hills, 41-7, and Huntingdon beat Tyrone, 42-7.
“The crowd itself was fantastic, but the effort of our kids taking advantage of opportunities for success was the most exciting thing about Friday night,” Lucko said.
Penn Cambria has had the more explosive offense throughout the season, and the strength of the Panthers has come from their versatility.
“It starts with Corbin at the running back position,” Grassi said. “But it’s nice to have two dual-threat quarterbacks in Brady (Jones) and Evan Latterner. He didn’t play a lot last week, but he’s definitely in our game plans. It’s nice to have that, and it’s tough to defend when you have a mobile quarterback that can run the football. We have Blake Lilly that does a lot of great things for us on the outside. We have Grant Gides and Blake Nadolsky — we feel like any of those guys can get it done for us when their number is called.”
Huntingdon also has options offensively.
“They have some athletes, they really do,” Grassi said. “(Elliott Guisler) and (Reese Hughes) both play quarterback and run their offense pretty well. They don’t do a lot of different things, but the things they do, they do well. They have two tough running backs that are physical and get downhill fast. It’s going to be a tough challenge to stop their running game.”
Penn Cambria has allowed just 150 points in 11 games this year.
“Defensively, once again it starts with Corbin,” Grassi said. “Ayden Himmer has done a great job at linebacker beside Corbin, and our defensive line has done a pretty good job at picking up blocks and letting those guys run around and make tackles. Grant does a great job at safety, and Blake and Evan are at corner — we feel pretty good with those guys back there. They are settled into their spots and that’s helped us grow as a defense.”
The Bearcats have held four opponents, Bellwood-Antis, Bald Eagle Area, Bedford and Tyrone to single-digit scoring outputs this season.
“They have played so well defensively,” Grassi said. “They are aggressive. They get after it and bring different people. They show a lot of different fronts and blitz schemes. They are going to be a challenge for us in the run game, but we have done a great job of adjusting to our opponents and being able to run the ball.”
The game could come down to the fact Penn Cambria has been in this position many times before.
“I have been around this sport long enough to know when you have playoff experience, it can give you the upperhand,” Lucko said. “But at the end of the day, the thing we’re trying to stress is that it’s a football game. We know the challenge ahead of us, it’s a great challenge. Their kids are seasoned. We’re fortunate to be here and have an opportunity to play for the title.”
