High school football Week 1 'Electric experience' awaits Central Cambria, Westmont Hilltop in first Price Field night game (with picks)

Aug. 26—New Central Cambria High School football coach Don Fyfe expects plenty of hoopla associated with his debut on the Red Devils sideline on Friday night.

But the veteran Fyfe also knows much of the festive atmosphere will have more to do with the history that will be made when Westmont Hilltop hosts the first night game at the renovated, state-of-the-art Price Field.

"You definitely couldn't pick a better atmosphere to kick it off," said Fyfe, who coached 14 seasons at Shade High School and was the offensive coordinator at Bishop McCort Catholic in 2021.

"I told our guys you can expect a couple thousand people there," Fyfe said. "The town is going to be excited. We've got to be ready to play.

"I expect Westmont to come out flying high, 100% plus. We're going to have to match that."

The Hilltoppers-Red Devils contest will be among 13 games involving area football squads during the opening weekend of the high school football season.

Price Field, which had hosted Saturday afternoon games on a grass field for decades, now features an artificial playing surface, lights and other amenities such as a new scoreboard, upgraded seating, on-site locker rooms, an improved sound system and concession stand.

"The big thing is to tell them to breathe," Westmont Hilltop coach Pat Barron said of how his staff will help the team deal with the opening-night atmosphere.

"You can tell them to just block it out, but obviously it's going to be an electric experience," Barron said. "The crowd is going to be loud. There will be a lot of people there.

"I'm sure both teams will have a little bit of nerves early, but at the end of the day, it's 11-on-11 out there."

Fyfe will bring a wide-open, pass-heavy offense to the Red Devils.

The Hilltoppers prefer to run the ball and chew up the clock on lengthy possessions.

"I don't think you could get two more polar opposites on offense," Fyfe said. "We want to go as fast as we can, and they want to slow the game down."

"It's going to be a clash of styles," added Westmont's Barron.

The remainder of Friday's schedule, with kickoff at 7 p.m., followed by Saturday's two games (last year's record in parenthesis):

LHAC

Bishop McCort-Carroll (3-7) at Bedford (10-2)

Last meeting: Bedford 13-0 in 2019.

About the Crushers: McCort-Carroll will begin the second season of a co-op with seven starters back on offense and five on defense. Trystan Fornari, who was battling back from an offseason injury, and Johnny Golden each have experience at quarterback.

About the Bisons: Bedford has won five of the past seven meetings against Bishop McCort. The Bisons have four consecutive season opening wins since 2018.

Kevin Ressler will move to quarterback to replace the graduated Mercury Swaim.

Penn Cambria (6-6) at Greater Johnstown (0-10)

Last meeting: Penn Cambria 52-19 in 2019.

About the Panthers: Zach Grove (910 yards) and quarterback Garrett Harrold (1,171) combined for 2,081 rushing yards in 2021. Harrold also passed for 1,336 yards, with Grove making 33 receptions for 410 yards.

About the Trojans: Former Trojans all-state player and University of Pittsburgh defensive back Antwuan Reed will debut as head coach at his alma mater. Greater Johnstown looks to snap a 20-game losing streak dating to 2019. Tavione Thomas had 17 catches for 203 yards in 2021.

Forest Hills (7-6) at Richland (11-3)

Last meeting: Richland 35-6 in 2021 District 6 2A title game.

About the Rangers: Forest Hills hopes to build on a strong finish in 2021, including a late five-game winning streak and runner-up finish in District 6 Class 2A. Leading tackler Devon Brezovec (164) returns after averaging 12.6 stops a game.

About the Rams: Richland beat Forest Hills to claim its fourth straight District 6 Class 2A crown in 2021. The Rams will look to senior Sam Penna at quarterback after the graduation of three-year starter Kellan Stahl.

Chestnut Ridge (6-5) at Somerset (1-8)

Last meeting: Chestnut Ridge 42-21 in 2020.

About the Lions: The new-look Lions have a familiar face at quarterback, with Nate Whysong, who completed 127 of 196 passes for 1,679 yards, third-best in the area in 2021.

About the Golden Eagles: First-year head coach Jeff Urban had been an assistant coach with Somerset since 2011, so he's familiar with a program he actually played for in the 1980s.

Heritage

United Valley (0-0) at Homer-Center (8-4)

Last meeting: The teams have not met.

About the Lions: This will be the first game in the co-op between United and Blacklick Valley. Depth once was an issue for each team, but together, they formed a roster with 50 players.

About the Wildcats: The coaches' preseason pick to win the conference, Homer-Center has an experienced line in front of returning quarterback Cole McAnulty.

Cambria Heights (9-2) at Northern Cambria (2-8)

Last meeting: Cambria Heights 35-0 in 2021.

About the Highlanders: The defending conference champion Highlanders are determined to build on last season's success, which included an undefeated mark in nine Heritage games.

Cambria Heights returns eight starters on offense and six on defense from a team that outscored conference opponents by a combined 324-86.

About the Colts: Northern Cambria has experience, with 21 lettermen back, nine returning starters on offense and 10 starters back on defense entering this chapter of the Coal Bowl rivalry. Peyton Myers rushed for 475 yards and had 124 receiving yards in 2021.

Portage (7-4) at River Valley (8-3)

Last meeting: River Valley 21-6 in 2021 Heritage-WestPAC crossover.

About the Mustangs: Portage will play its first game as a member of the Heritage Conference after leaving the WestPAC. Five starters return on each side of the ball. Portage opened 6-0 last season before going 1-4, with the victory coming over West Shamokin (33-31) in the District 6 playoffs.

About the Panthers: River Valley won its first six games last season before finishing 2-3.

A 15-point win over Portage in the Heritage-WestPAC crossover was in that late stretch.

The Panthers lost 33-29 to Bald Eagle Area in the District 6 2A playoffs.

WestPAC

Conemaugh Township (4-5) at North Star (4-6)

Last meeting: Conemaugh Township 21-20 in 2021.

About the Indians: Conemaugh Township returns quarterback Tanner Shirley, who threw for 2,002 yards in 2021, as well as speedy receiver Ethan Black, who had 28 catches for 638 yards.

About the Cougars: North Star hopes to take a step towards snapping a string of eight straight losing seasons.

The Cougars return seven starters on both offense and defense. North Star quarterback Connor Yoder passed for 1,307 yards in 2021.

WPIAL

Springdale (7-5) at Ligonier Valley (8-3)

Last meeting: The teams have not played.

About the Dynamos: New coach Ryan Tempalski spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach in the WPIAL. Springdale lost 17 seniors from a team that upset West Greene 28-0 in the first round of the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs.

About the Rams: In his 19th season, Ligonier Valley's Roger Beitel (140-59) will coach in his 200th game with the Rams.

Forty-six of Beitel's former players moved on to compete in college football. The Rams have had seven consecutive winning seasons.

Nonconference

Meyersdale (0-10) at Curwensville (6-5)

Last meeting: Curwensville 35-6 in 2021.

About the Red Raiders: Meyersdale went winless in 2021, but the Red Raiders gained experience, with seven starters returning on both sides of the ball. The versatile Daulton Sellers passed for 518 yards and ran for 564.

About the Golden Tide: Senior quarterback Dan McGarry passed for 2,334 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, including going 15 of 19 for 213 yards and a TD against the Raiders. He passed for a school-record 406 yards and four touchdowns in a loss to Mount Union.

Saturday

Windber (10-1) vs. Fairfield (5-4), at Chambersburg, 11:30 a.m.

Last meeting: The teams have not played.

About the Ramblers: Defending WestPAC champion and Appalachian Bowl winner Windber will travel 85 miles and nearly two hours for a morning nonconference contest. Veteran back John Shuster gained 1,407 yards and collected 28 TDs in 2021.

About the Knights: Senior Andrew Koons had 16 catches for 292 yards and five touchdowns in 2021, and senior Jonathan Anders made 31 tackles and had two sacks.

Berlin Brothersvalley (8-3) at Conemaugh Valley (6-6), 1 p.m.

Last meeting: Berlin Brothersvalley 20-15 in 2021.

About the Mountaineers: Berlin won a tight, five-point contest against the Blue Jays at home early in 2021. The Mountaineers return quarterback- defensive back Pace Prosser among 10 starters back on both offense and defense.

Conemaugh Valley will rely on the experience of its line, including seniors Nick Reynolds and Matt Jasper, to help a new group of skill position players settle in after the graduation of 2,114-yard rusher Logan Kent and 1,084-yard rusher Nick Heltzel.

Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.