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(Statistical Information Courtesy of NWPASports.com archives, The Herald and Erie Times-News; Coach interviews courtesy PIC SportsLine on 790 WPIC/Sports Radio 96.7)

WEEK FOURTEEN FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

Two Mercer County area high school football teams remain in action as the state playoffs advance to the quarterfinal round. Hickory makes its second straight appearance in the "Round of Eight" while Wilmington makes its first foray into the state tournament in four seasons.

Both state quarterfinal games will be held Friday night at neutral sites. Hickory plays District 6 champion Penn Cambria in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Armstrong High School in Kittanning. Wilmington faces District 9 Class 1A champion Port Allegany at E.J. Mansell Stadium in DuBois.

FRIDAY NIGHT

PIAA CLASS 3A QUARTERFINAL

Hickory vs. Penn Cambria, 7:00 p.m., Armstrong High School, Kittanning

Series History: First Meeting
All-Time PIAA Playoff Record: Hickory 5-8, Penn Cambria 1-0

District 10 champion Hickory (11-1) makes its 10th foray into state playoff action Friday night when the Hornets face undefeated Penn Cambria (13-0). Hickory rallied in the fourth quarter of last week's District 10 championship game to pull out a 37-31 win over archrival Sharon at Slippery Rock University.

Penn Cambria, meanwhile, rolled past Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference brethren Somerset in the first round of the state playoffs last week, 40-0. Somerset made the state tournament as the District 5 entry while Penn Cambria blitzed Tyrone in the District 6 title game November 8, 39-14. The teams did not play in the regular season as 20 teams compete in the LHAC. 

Hickory's stout rushing defense has allowed only 10 rushing touchdowns and 3.5 yards per carry this year. That unit will face a stiff test as Penn Cambria has four backs with 600 or more rushing yards this season.

Senior running back Thomas Plunkett leads Penn Cambria with 1,031 rushing yards while classmate Gavin Herrold has rushed for 677 yards and 20 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Brady Jones has added 617 yards while senior Mason Mento has chipped in 613 yards.

"They are big and physical. They are a power run team," Hickory head coach Bill Dungee said of the District 6 champions. "They do it in a number of ways."

Overall, the Panthers average 242 rushing yards per game. Penn Cambria runs the ball on 75 percent of its offensive plays. Still, Jones has thrown for 1,554 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 67.5 percent of his attempts.

Herrold has 64 of the team's 105 receptions. He has amassed 920 yards and 10 touchdowns. Herrold has 4,503 career all-purpose yards. He has scored 207 points this year, thanks to 31 touchdowns, 10 two-point conversions and one kicked extra point. He ran for 56 yards and two touchdowns in Penn Cambria's win over Somerset last week.

Jones completed 9 of 10 passes for 141 yards against Somerset, completing passes to six different receivers.

Defensively, Penn Cambria held Somerset to 85 total yards. That marked the Panthers' third shutout of the season. Mento leads Penn Cambria with 11.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. The Panthers have 29 sacks as a team, along with 29 caused turnovers.

"Defensively, they're not as complicated as (Sharon) but they're just as physical," Dungee said. "They're a little bigger up front. There's a lot for us to deal with."

No Mercer County teams has taken better care of the football on offense than has Hickory, which has turned over the ball only seven times this year. Two of those turnovers came last week against Sharon. But the Hornets still managed to capture their second straight district title. Hickory scored 14 points in the final 2:40 of the game, erasing a 31-23 deficit.

Senior quarterback Zander Telesz cut the lead to 31-29 with a two-yard touchdown run, then threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Houston with 18 seconds left for the win. Telesz threw for 127 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 105 yards. Sophomore tailback Kelvin Morrison led Hickory with 133 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Like Penn Cambria, Hickory has a 1,000-yard rusher and a player with 20 rushing touchdowns. The speedy Morrison checks both of those proverbial boxes as he has 1,346 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing this year. Telesz's stats are almost identical to Jones' numbers as Telesz has 600 rushing yards and 1,558 passing yards.

Sophomore Jadon Phillips leads Hickory with 45 catches for 758 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also leads the Hickory defense with five interceptions.

While the teams have numerous similarities, Hickory has a distinct advantage in the kicking game with senior Logan Stanford. He is 58 of 61 on extra points and kicked a 33-yard field goal in the district title game against Sharon. As a team, Penn Cambria is 6 of 13 on extra points this year.

Hickory is 3-4 all-time in the state quarterfinals, including a 3-3 mark against District 6 opponents. Four years ago, Hickory lost to District 5 entry Bedford in the state quarterfinals, 34-17, at Windber. This is Hickory's first-ever game in Armstrong County.

This is Penn Cambria's first-ever game against a Mercer County area opponent.

The winner will face the District 7 champion, either Avonworth or Central Valley, in the state semifinals. Avonworth and Central Valley play Saturday at 5 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

"We try to break it up into two tournaments," Dungee said. "Three games to win the district tournament and then three games to win the state tournament. So our focus now is on the next tournament, which is an eight-team, three-game tournament."

Watch/Listen to the Game on Sports Radio 96.7 Facebook.

PIAA CLASS 1A QUARTERFINAL

Wilmington vs. Port Allegany, 7:00 p.m., E.J. Mansell Stadium, DuBois

Series History: First Meeting
All-Time PIAA Playoff Record: Port Allegany 2-3, Wilmington 24-15

Whether it is professional, collegiate or scholastic football at any location in the country, passing offenses regularly set records in 2024. But old school football folks will appreciate that the "passing fad" has not made its way to the burgs of New Wilmington and Port Allegany.

Both District 10 champion Wilmington (8-2) and District 9 kingpin Port Allegany (12-0) have used overwhelming rushing attacks to power their respective paths into the state playoffs. Wilmington averages a Mercer County-leading 274.2 rushing yards per game while running the ball on 88 percent of its offensive plays in 2024.

Port Allegany runs the ball on "only" 85 percent of its plays this year. The Gators average 378.4 rushing yards per game, along with a 10.6 yards-per-carry average. Port Allegany has amassed 73 rushing touchdowns this year.

"They're definitely a run-first team. That's pretty clear in the scouting report, which we know a thing or two about," Wilmington head coach Brandon Phillian said with a laugh. "We can certainly appreciate what they're doing.

"It's going to be battle in the trenches. It's a strength of both teams."

The teams' respective paths to those gaudy numbers are quite different, however. Wilmington's classic Wing-T attack has a share-the-wealth mentality in which two backs have gained over 800 yards this year and two more have eclipsed the 400-yard mark. Sophomore halfback Chase Mitcheltree leads the Greyhounds with 883 yards while junior fullback Jamie Miller has added 807 yards.

Sophomore halfback Michael Mistretta and freshman halfback Cael Kettering have split time throughout the season, with Mistretta gaining 425 yards and Kettering 401 yards.

Meanwhile, Port Allegany junior Aiden Bliss, a 210-pound thumper, has rushed for 2,596 yards and 45 touchdowns as the feature back in the Gators' power spread scheme. Junior Tristan Kiser has added 1,226 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. He has also caught a team-leading 19 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns.

"Their backs run the ball hard," Phillian said. "They do a tremendous job. They are a nice combination of speed, of power, of balance and agility."

The Gators amassed 431 rushing yards as a team last week in a 62-28 win over Redbank Valley in the District 9 title game. Bliss ran for 295 yards and four touchdowns while Kiser gained 118 yards and two touchdowns. Kiser also had two sacks and an interception on defense.

While Port Allegany cruised to its second win of the season over Redbank Valley, Wilmington completed a season sweep of Greenville last week by capturing a 26-21 win in the District 10 title game. Mitcheltree ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns while Miller posted 117 yards and a score. Wilmington owned a 292-82 advantage in rushing yardage.

Wilmington has held four of its last five opponents to under 100 rushing yards. The Greyhounds lead the 12-team area in rushing defense, allowing only 88.0 yards per game and 3.1 yards per attempt.

Port Allegany has allowed only 71 rushing yards per game over its last four outings. The Gators held Redbank Valley to 44 rushing yards. Senior defensive tackle Carson Neely, a PennWest Clarion wrestling commit, leads the defensive line. He has seven sacks and earned District 9 All-Region 2 honors. Neely also earned the league's Offensive Lineman of the Year award.

"Port Allegany is an outstanding football team," Phillian said. "They are very well coached on both sides of the ball. Not only am I impressed with what they do from a schematic standpoint, but I am very impressed with their fundamentals. They're extremely physical and they get off the line of scrimmage very, very well.

"You can see that they really take the little things seriously in the way that they are coached."

Wilmington has caused only eight turnovers this season. The Greyhounds have a minus-10 turnover margin, including a minus-3 figure last week against Greenville. Port Allegany has 30 takeaways this year, including 25 interceptions. Nick Wilfong leads the Gators with six picks while Bliss has four interceptions. 

While turnovers have plagued Wilmington in 2024, penalties have not. The Greyhounds have been flagged only 44 times for 400 total yards in 10 games this year.

Phillian cited limiting mistakes as a key Friday night. "We cannot turn over the ball when we're on offense. We can't commit those penalties that back us up and get us off schedule, nor can we commit penalties on the defensive side of the ball that extend drives."

Wilmington has converted 33 of 63 (52 percent) third down opportunities this season. Wilmington went 10 for 13 on third down against Greenville. The 10 third-down conversions are the most for an area team since Mercer went 10 for 11 on third down September 23, 2022 in a 45-0 win over Cochranton. The Greyhounds have held opponents to 27 percent (25 of 94) success on third down.

"I think it's going to be a very, very physical football game on Friday night," Phillian said. "Possessions are going to be limited. You have to make the most of each possession and capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves."

Wilmington is 9-1 all-time against District 9 teams in the state playoffs, having won nine straight. The Greyhounds fell to Brookville in the 1994 Class AA first round, 23-14, at Punxsutawney. This is Wilmington's first-ever trip to DuBois, Wilmington has played PIAA playoff games at Karns City, PennWest Clarion and Punxsutawney.

Both of Port Allegany's all-time PIAA playoff wins have come against Mercer County opponents. The Gators defeated Sharpsville in the 2012 Class A quarterfinals, 28-21. Two years ago, Port Allegany downed Reynolds in the 1A quarterfinals, 42-8.

The winner will face the District 7 champion in next week's state semifinals. Fort Cherry will play Clairton at 11 a.m. Saturday at Acrisure Stadium for the D-7 Class 1A title.

Watch the Game on Sports Radio 96.7 Facebook. Listen on News/Talk 790 WPIC. Live Stats available here: