Prep Redzone PA’s Six Games to Watch in Week Eight

<p class="p3"><span class="s2">Week eight of the high school football season is here! We are starting to have an idea who the true contenders for state titles are this season. This week’s slate across the state doesn’t feature as many powerhouse vs powerhouse matchups but is still a quality slate of games. Here are six games we chose this week as our games to watch...</span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s3"><strong>North Penn (7-0) vs Central Bucks West (6-1):</strong> </span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">This Philly suburbs matchup is one of the better matchups in the state this week, North Penn is looking to keep their perfect season alive while Central Bucks looks for a seventh straight win. </span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">The top prospect to watch in this one is North Penn tailback [player_tooltip player_id="27594" first="Khalani" last="Eaton"] whose having a fantastic senior season. North Penn has one of the best offenses on the eastern side of the state and will be hard for CB West to stop consistently. For CB West to win this one, they’ll need to dominate the time of possession and hope for some turnover luck as North Penn can put up points in quite a hurry. </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><span class="s3">Penn Cambria (5-2) vs Bedford (6-1):</span></strong></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">A great matchup on the other side of the state, this one will come down to Penn Cambria being able to hold off Bedford’s terrific offense. While their defenses are similar in points allowed, Bedford is averaging nearly 20 more points per game than Penn Cambria’s offense. Penn Cambria has a sophomore quarterback in [player_tooltip player_id="91663" first="Garrett" last="Harrold"] here worth keeping an eye on as an upcoming quarterback especially against a stout defense like Bedford’s. </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><span class="s3">Cambria Heights (7-0) vs River Valley (6-1):</span></strong></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">A fun battle for the top of the Heritage League standings in store for Friday night. Cambria Heights has completely dominated their schedule so far leaving little doubts about where they stand in conference play. River Valley’s only loss came last week to Homer-Center giving the Panthers a chance for a huge bounce-back victory. Both these teams run classic option-based offenses but it may come down to whoever could but one or two big pass plays. </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><span class="s3">McKeesport (6-1) vs Laurel Highlands (5-2):</span></strong></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">This should be a quality matchup as McKeesport looks to continue their winning always as one of the top AAAA teams in the state. While Laurel Highlands looks to break their two-game skid and get back in the win column. The star in this game is Laurel Highlands do-it-all star [player_tooltip player_id="27735" first="Rodney" last="Gallagher"], who is also one of the nation’s top basketball recruits. Will he be able to do enough to help Laurel Highlands knock off the Tigers who are allowing just over 10 points per contest this season? </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><span class="s3">Danville (5-2) vs Jersey Shore (7-0):</span></strong></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">Danville fell to Mt. Carmel last week but will look for the upset victory over Jersey Shore. If the Ironmen hope for a win in this one they’ll need to slow down this Jersey Shore rushing attack that’s averaging nearly 275 yards per game on the ground. Both offenses can put up points in a hurry so don’t be shocked if this one becomes a fun back and forth game that comes down to whoever has the ball last. With two teams averaging nearly 40+ points per game, we could see a game with total points of 75+ on Friday night. </span></p> <p class="p3"><strong><span class="s3">Portage (6-0) vs Berlin Brothersvalley (6-1): </span></strong></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">This should be some fantastic action out of the WPAC. Portage, a classic option-based offense is off to a 6-0 start but will fade their toughest challenge yet in Berlin Brothersvalley. Berlin Brothersvalley is allowing just over 11 points per contest and has the potential for quick strikes on offense. This will come down to Portage’s ability to run the ball consistently and put together long-scoring drives. Berlin Brothersvalley has the advantage of having a consistently quality passing attack thanks to sophomore quarterback Pace Prosser who’s averaging 169.4 yards per game (1,186-yards total) and has 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions. If Berlin Brothersvalley can even slow down that rushing game out of Portage, they’ll have a great chance to win this one. </span></p>