Bishop McDevitt Has Too Much For

HARRISBURG-Speed, power and size. The Bishop McDevitt football team has it all and Saturday afternoon, Altoona found out the hard way.

The Crusaders rolled up 307 yards - 281 in the first half - while limiting the Mountain Lions to 85 total yards in a 43-6 Mid-Penn Conference victory.

Bishop McDevitt, ranked second in the state by PFN, improved to 7-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Commonwealth Division. Altoona fell to 3-4 overall and in the conference.

"They just nullified us with all the speed they have. They're real good up front and they controlled the line of scrimmage, but the difference was their overall team speed," said Altoona head coach Phil Riccio. "We had some success early, but they made some adjustments and we couldn't contain their quickness."

The Crusaders blistered the Mountain Lions with their passing game. Star receiver Aaron Berry caught five passes for 144 yards and three scores. Maryland bound quarterback Jeremy Ricker was 9-of-12 for 196 yards with four touchdowns.

McDevitt got on the scoreboard with its opening drive. The 5-play, 44-yard effort was capped when Mike Jones took it in from 15-yards out for the score. Mike Comasco's PAT made it 7-0.

After an Altoona punt, Ricker connected with Berry on the fly route that went 58 yards for the touchdown. The PAT made it 14-0 with only three-plus minutes gone.

"Berry is an incredible kid and an incredible receiver for them and he can get himself open at anytime," said Riccio. "He's a very good player with good moves and great hands."

The Mountain Lions got on the board at the 6:05 mark; marching on a 6-play, 76-yard drive that ended when A.J. Alexander ran it in for 15 yards and the score.

Joe Mummert keyed the drive with a 35-yard scamper to the McDevitt 39. A 15-yard roughing penalty gave Altoona the ball on the 15.

The Crusaders responded with three touchdowns in the second quarter.

Berry caught eight and 12-yard TD passes, while fellow wideout Aaron Brown hauled in a 12-yarder to make it 36-6 at the half.

The mercy rule came into play in the third when Jones got his second touchdown of the game - this one coming from eight yards out at the 7:18 mark.

"We're a big physical defense up front and we have a lot of speed. Altoona caught us early. No. 8 (Alexander) is a good athlete," said Bishop McDevitt head coach Jeff Weachter. "We made some adjustments and slowed them down.

"We put in a lot of screen passes this week to keep us from being blitzed and it worked today. We haven't been too sharp on offense since (LeSean) McCoy went down.

"We've changed some things in our formations and sets and to be honest, we've been inconsistent. Against Altoona today, I thought we played very consistent football."

Leon Black had 14 tackles and a sack for the victors, while teammate Keith Davis collected two sacks.

"When you see a team with that much talent, you just can't practice against that," said Riccio "Our kids have great character and great heart and they never gave up. We just have to bounce back and get ready for next week."

Altoona hosts Harrisburg, while McDevitt travels to Cedar Cliff on Friday.

BM-Jones 15 run (M. Comasco kick), 10:24.

BM-Berry 58 pass from Ricker (M. Comasco kick), 8:28.

BM-Berry 8 pass from Ricker (M. Comasco kick), 11:25.

BM-Berry 18 pass from Ricker (M. Comasco kick), 7:00.

BM-Brown 12 pass from Ricker (M. Comasco kick), 3:55.

BM-Jones 8 run (M. Comasco kick), 7:18.

RUSHING: Altoona-Lewis 9-25, Alexander 13-20, Mummert 7-8, Mincer 2-4, Koch 1-0. Bishop McDevitt-Jones 9-56, Onorato 7-34, Hender 5-20, Ricker 1-2, V. Comasco 1-0, Gelbaugh 1-(minus 1).

PASSING: Altoona-Alexander 0-5-1-0, Jubeck 3-7-1-28. Bishop McDevitt-Ricker 9-12-1-196, V. Comasco 0-0-0-0, Gelbaugh 0-0-0-0.

RECEIVING: Altoona-Rutter 3-28. Bishop McDevitt-Berry 5-144, V. Comasco 2-38, Brown 1-12, Sciple 1-2.

INTERCEPTIONS: Altoona--Pierce. Bishop McDevitt-Strawbridge, McGovern.

Kyle Kyper passed for 234 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bearcats to the come from behind victory. Bucky Culbertson ran for 94 yards and Zack Reed had four receptions for 62 yards and a score. Nam Shartzer led IV with 85 yards on 15 carries. Huntingdon improves to 5-2 on the season, while the Warriors fell to 2-5.

The Red Raiders clinched the MAC Seven Mountains Division championship with their win over the Panthers (3-4). Josh Gentzel ran for 143 yards and a touchdown and Nate Carson hauled down five passes for 88 yards and a score. Carson broke the Centre County record for receiving touchdowns in a career with 21. State College's Gary Ellis (1974-75) held the old record of 20. Bellefonte is now 6-1 on the season.

Ben Ganter passed for 224 yards and scored four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, to lead the Little Lions to their fourth straight victory after and 0-3 start. Ganter completed 15-of-24 passes with Nathan Stupar collected five of them for 123 yards and a TD. State College rolled up 514 yards of total offense.

The Mounties (2-5) out-scored the Eagles (1-6) by a 21-0 margin in the second half to come away with the victory. Philipsburg QB A.J. Czap was 6-of-7 for 113 yards and two scores in that second half, while the Mountie defense came away with three interceptions.

Chris Korn ran for 113 yards and three scores, while backfield mate Tayler Wingard also collected 113 yards rushing and added three TDs to lead the Rams to the victory. Penns Valley, who racked up 320 yards of total offense, improved to 2-5 on the season. The Trojans fell to 1-6.

Will Lazration rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns, while QB Travis Rearick passed for 156 yards and two scores to lead the Rangers (6-1) to the dominating win over the Panthers (5-2). Penn Cambria managed only 100 yards of total offense against the Forest Hills defense.

The Huskies overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit to remain unbeaten on the season with the win over the Eagles (0-7). Bishop Carroll (7-0) quarterback Brock Lauer recorded all three touchdowns in the second half - two rushing and one a 46-yard interception return - to lead the Huskies.

Mike Sheridan completed 11-of-17 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Crushers past the Trojans in a Laurel Highlands contest. Scott Lewis rushed for 100 yards and a TD as Bishop McCort improved to 6-1 on the year. Johnstown fell to 3-4 overall.

The Bisons clinched the Laurel Highlands Section I title with the victory over the Highlanders. Bedford improves its mark to 5-2 on the season, while Cambria Heights fell to 0-7.

Carlisle (Dist 3 AAAA 5-2-0) 23 Hollidaysburg (Dist 6 AAAA 3-4-0) 22

Bedford (Dist 5 AA 5-2-0) 27 Cambria Heights (Dist 6 AA 0-7-0) 7

Northern Bedford (Dist 5 A 5-2-0) 16 Claysburg-Kimmel (Dist 6 A 3-4-0) 7

Bellefonte (Dist 6 AAA 6-1-0) 28 Lewistown (Dist 6 AAA 3-4-0) 0

Bellwood-Antis (Dist 6 A 6-1-0) 35 Chestnut Ridge (Dist 5 AA 6-1-0) 21

Bishop Carroll (Dist 6 A 7-0-0) 21 Somerset (Dist 6 AAA 0-7-0) 7

Bishop McCort (Dist 6 AA 6-1-0) 21 Johnstown (Dist 6 AAA 3-4-0) 14

Central (Dist 6 AA 2-5-0) 26 Central Cambria (Dist 6 AA 2-5-0) 6

Forest Hills (Dist 6 AA 6-1-0) 41 Penn Cambria (Dist 6 AA 5-2-0) 6

Glendale (Dist 6 A 2-5-0) 16 Tussey Mountain (Dist 5 A 2-5-0) 14

Homer Center (Dist 6 A 3-4-0) 7 Saltsburg (Dist 6 A 1-6-0) 0

Huntingdon (Dist 6 AAA 5-2-0) 22 Indian Valley (Dist 6 AAA 2-5-0) 16

Juniata Valley (Dist 6 A 6-1-0) 34 Moshannon Valley (Dist 6 A 5-2-0) 0

Ligonier Valley (Dist 6 A 4-3-0) 26 Purchase Line (Dist 6 AA 4-3-0) 12

Penns Manor (Dist 6 A 1-6-0) 15 Northern Cambria (Dist 6 A 2-5-0) 8

Penns Valley (Dist 6 AA 2-5-0) 47 Mount Union (Dist 6 A 1-6-0) 6

Philipsburg-Osceola (Dist 6 AA 2-5-0) 28 Bald Eagle Area (Dist 6 AA 1-6-0) 6

Portage (Dist 6 A 7-0-0) 53 Blacklick Valley (Dist 6 A 2-5-0) 13

Southern Huntingdon (Dist 6 A 6-1-0) 54 Everett (Dist 5 AA 2-5-0) 6

State College (Dist 6 AAAA 4-3-0) 50 Chambersburg (Dist 3 AAAA 1-6-0) 5

West Branch (Dist 6 A 2-5-0) 14 Williamsburg (Dist 6 A 0-7-0) 7 OT