Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
Central’s Eli Muthler gets by Penn Cambria’s Mason Mento.
By John Hartsock
In the spirit of the holiday, players and coaches from Pennsylvania high school football teams who are still practicing on Thanksgiving Day and competing in the PIAA state playoffs a day or two later feel truly grateful.
Most teams have seen their seasons end weeks ago, but for the Central High School football program, Thanksgiving Day practices have been customary in the recent past.
Central has qualified for the PIAA Class 3A playoff semifinals in both of the past two seasons, and this year’s unbeaten District 6 champion Scarlet Dragons (12-0) will be bidding to accomplish that feat again Friday night, when they meet District 10 champ Hickory (10-2) in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Mansion Park.
Central will hold a brief practice this morning from 9 to 10 a.m. before everybody heads home to enjoy the holiday with their families.
Central coach Dave Baker said that nobody in his camp is complaining about that itinerary.
“It means that your team is doing well and that you’re playing for something important,” Baker said. “We’ll be doing it for the third year in a row this week, but you can’t expect to do it every year, because not many teams are.”
Central senior offensive guard and defensive end Casey Imler is happy to get the opportunity again.
“We will be practicing on Thanksgiving three years in a row, and it’s really thrilling to be practicing and playing games this late in the season,” Imler said. “We’ve done it the last two years, and we’re doing it again this year. When you reach the state quarterfinals, you know that you have to go practice hard, and get the job done in the game.”
Central has been battle-tested over the last two weeks. The Scarlet Dragons won the District 6 championship game, 35-28, over Penn Cambria at Mansion Park two Friday nights ago, when junior quarterback Eli Muthler connected with senior wideout Jacob Benton on a game-winning 15-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the game.
Last Friday, in what was undoubtedly one of the state’s most exciting high school football games this season, Central survived on the road, 41-35, over Clearfield in a double-overtime thriller in a first-round PIAA playoff game.
Senior back Hunter Smith rushed for 174 yards and four touchdowns, and also caught Muthler’s 12-yard pass for the game-winning score in the second overtime session, as Central withstood Clearfield’s furious attempt at an upset victory.
“For the players who were playing, they’re not going to play in a greater game than that,” Baker said. “It was (a battle), and it was a well-played game by both teams. Playing in games like we’ve been involved in the last two weeks in a row, and winning those games, helps a team to learn how to play and how to respond both when things go well, and when things go bad.”
Central’s powerful offensive attack, which has averaged 36.5 points per game, features several weapons. Muthler has completed 171 of 286 passes for 2,733 yards and 31 touchdowns, while also rushing for 320 yards and four touchdowns.
Smith has rushed for 977 yards on 187 carries and 23 touchdowns, while catching 20 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
Two senior receivers have over 50 catches apiece for Central this season. Jack Dunn has 53 receptions for 995 yards and 13 touchdowns, and Benton has 51 catches for 843 yards and eight touchdowns.
Another senior wideout, Baron Dionis, has 28 catches for 399 yards and two scores.
“Central Martinsburg is a really talented team that has accomplished a lot of historical greatness, so you know that their players have championship grit,” fifth-year Hickory coach Bill Dungee said. “They have a really good quarterback (Muthler), a big running back (Smith) who is a force there, and two dynamic wide receivers (Dunn and Benton). Up front, they’re really aggressive.
“You can just tell that they’re well-coached, and from an offensive standpoint, they’re very efficient,” Dungee added. “Defensively, they’re very aggressive, and they’re good tacklers.”
Hickory has won seven games in a row after a 3-2 start. Hickory beat Sharon, 14-6, in the District 10 championship game last week after toppling two-time defending District 10 champion Grove City, 38-7, two weeks ago.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Dungee said. “We had to beat two very tough opponents in order to win our district, and I feel like we’ve peaked at the right time. We’ve had a really tough road in the playoffs, and I’m proud of what our guys have accomplished.”
Junior quarterback Zander Telesz is a dual threat for Hickory. He has thrown for over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns, and rushed for over 520 yards and nine touchdowns.
Like Central, Hickory has a very balanced offense. Freshman back Kelvin Morrison leads the Hickory rushing attack with over 780 yards and nine touchdowns, while senior Sean Kennedy has rushed for nearly 530 yards and eight touchdowns.
Junior Tylon Cousin is Hickory’s top receiver with 31 catches for 516 yards and six touchdowns, while senior Luke Nevil has 18 catches for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Will Acrie has rushed for over 220 yards and three touchdowns, while making 13 catches for 212 yards and three scores.
“We don’t have a go-to guy, we like to spread the ball around, and keep everybody happy,” Dungee said. “And it’s all led by our quarterback (Telesz). He point-guards our offense, distributes the ball, and takes what the defense gives us.”
The winner of this game meets either Belle Vernon or Avonworth of the WPIAL – who are both currently unbeaten – in the semifinal round next weekend at a District 7 site.
Baker expects a tough battle from Hickory Friday night.
“They’re a strong team,” Baker said of the Hickory squad. “They are where they are because they’ve played some tough games and they’ve won some tough games.’
PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal playoff game
Teams: District 6 champion Central (12-0) vs. District 10 champion Hickory (10-2).
Where: Mansion Park.
When Friday, 7 p.m.
Coaches: Bill Dungee is 37-18 in his fifth season at Hickory; Dave Baker is 245-211-11 in 43 seasons, including 119-41 in 13 seasons at Central.
Last week: Hickory defeated Sharon, 14-6, in the District 10 championship game. Central defeated Clearfield, 41-35, in two overtimes in a first-round PIAA playoff game.
Who they get: The winner of this game will play the winner of this Friday’s WPIAL championship game between Belle Vernon and Avonworth in the PIAA semifinals next weekend at a District 7 site.
