Williamsport at Hollidaysburg preview

Williamsport PPG–21.9, PPA–20.1; YPG–266.5, YPA–332.8

Williamsport notes: It has been a tale of two seasons for Williamsport (4-4). The Millionaires dominated through the first four games and the starting defense allowed just three points. But during a four-game losing streak, Williamsport has been unable to stop the run, allowing 421.5 yards per game. Conversely, the running game has stalled and it’s hard to win games when the battle is being lost up front.

The good news for Williamsport is that the District 2-4 Class AAAAAA championship is up for grabs with all four teams being evenly matched and all four close to each other in the standings. Williamsport is fourth but plays No. 3 Wilkes-Barre next week and the standings have greatly fluctuated throughout the year. Williamsport faces a tall order tonight and the offense can help the defense if it can sustain more drives. Freshman quarterback Tevin Williams shined in his first varsity start a week ago against Berwick, throwing for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Kyreek Bradshaw had his way with the secondary, going for four catches, 110 yards and two scores. Bradshaw also went over 70 career catches. The running game has struggled but has potential with Kahyear Whaley topping 80 yards in each of this season’s first three games. He and Giovanni White have combined for three 100-yard games and Jamel Bailey is another threat.

Williamsport player to watch–Lucas Naughton: One of the area’s premier baseball players last spring has made a smooth transition to football, leading the area in tackles per game. The senior linebacker averages 12.9 tackles and has at least nine in every game.

Hollidaysburg PPG–32.9, PPA–13.8; YPG–301.3

Hollidaysburg notes: Hollidaysburg (7-1) is trying to complete a four-game sweep of District 4 teams. After winning thriller against Mifflinburg and Jersey Shore, Hollidaysburg routed Selinsgrove, 57-14 last week. The Golden Tigers generated 471 yards of offense and broke things open in the second half, scoring the game’s final 35 points. Quarterback Maddox Bainey was one of four players who ran for at least 43 yards and he threw for 173 yards and a touchdown. Bainey is having a strong season, throwing for 1,336 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding five touchdowns on the ground. He spreads the ball around in the passing game with four players catching 16 or more passes. Gavin Bell and Brady Steiner each have caught seven touchdowns and both have gone over 400 yards. Mitchell Baronner has run for a team-high 469 yards and five touchdowns. Josh Banks helps fuel a defense which produced three straight shoutouts earlier this season, averaging 9.6 tackles per game. Bell excels in the secondary and has intercepted seven passes.

Hollidaysburg player to watch–Cristian White: Williamsport will have to know where White is because the linebacker is a strong pass rusher who has five sacks, including one against Jersey Shore. White helped set the defensive tone in the team’s first two games, collecting six tackles for loss in wins against Altoona and Taylor Allerdice.

Outlook: Hollidaysburg features a strong passing game but it would be surprising if it did not come out early and try attacking Williamsport with the run. How the defense holds up will go a long way in determining how this game plays out.