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It’s Bellefonte, It’s Selinsgrove, It’s playoff football!
Live from Mansion Park in Altoona on Saturday at 1pm
Join Nate Bowen, Sam Stroh and Alison Luthman as they bring you right into the stadium!
The 10-2 Red Raiders of Bellefonte are coming off a thumping of Johnstown, claiming their first district title since 1999. Their only losses came to 3A Huntingdon, who is still playing and is very strong, and 2A Chestnut Ridge, who has been destroying teams larger than them all year.
Selinsgrove is a perennial district 4 powerhouse and they’re coming into this game fresh off a thumping of their own, a 34-0 win over Shikellamy, a team they lost to earlier in the year. Much like Bellefonte, their only loss came to a strong 2A team in Southern Columbia, who also happens to beat up on larger teams on a regular basis.
So far, similar seasons. Both teams have a stellar quarterback that you could say got them this far. Selinsgrove averages 32 points per contest, Bellefonte 39, Selinsgrove is giving up 13.5 a game, Bellefonte 23 (a large portion of those given up came to Huntingdon and Chestnut Ridge)
But that’s where the similarities end. Bellefonte as a team has rushed for over 3,500 yards. Selinsgrove has relied on the arm of stud quarterback Logan Leiby, to the tune of 3,197 yards and 35 tds.
Dylan Deitrich is the main weapon for the Raiders. The senior quarterback was called into duty back in week 2 vs Huntingdon. Since then, he’s rushed for 1,601 yards and 25 tds while throwing for an additional 1,200 yards and 11 scores. Bellefonte runs a powerful attack that leans on teams all game long. The offensive line isn’t large by no means, but Coach Shannon Manning has had them working hard in the offseason. Dylan Houser, Jacob Frey and company only make up a line averaging 200 pounds. But they can move people. And with power back Dexter Gallishaw coming through those holes, it wears on a team. Gallishaw is a tough runner, toting the ball for 750 yards and 9 scores. Also look for CJ Funk to make plays. The sophomore has run for 314 yard for an average of over 8 yards per carry.
The Raiders will have to do what they’ve been doing all year on offense, let Deitrich do his thing. While he can run, he can also throw and has Cade Fortney to go up and grab anything near him. Fortney has 636 yard and 8 scores. Stephen Kutches and Funk are also dependable targets.
For the Seals on offense, it’s Leiby. He’ll need to be his regular All-State self in the expected rain on Saturday. Logan has had a stellar 4 year career with the Seals, throwing for over 9,000 yards and 88 tds. His wideouts are fast and can get open, but the leader in this group is Jarrett Inch. He’s caught over 1,000 yards worth of passes, and averages an amazing 16.3 yards per catch. Josh Nylund, Ricky Cope and Kody Showers all have over 450 yards to boot. As a group, they’ve hauled in 25 of Leiby’s 35 td passes, with Inch pulling in 13 of them.
The Seals can run the ball when needed. Joseph Kahn has 3 games with over 150 yards rushing, and totals 950 yards on the season with 11 tds. Like Bellefonte, the Seals Oline isn’t big up front, but they provide solid protection for Leiby.
Defensively for Bellefonte, they swarm to the ball and play team defense. They’re no strangers to opposing quarterbacks, with 22 sacks and 54 tackles for loss they are capable of putting pressure on the quarterback. Kutches is the man there, with 82 tackles and 11 for loss with 4 sacks the Seal will need to be aware of him. Gallishaw and Fortney are also tackling machines. Against the pass, the Raider secondary has been good, intercepting opposing teams 14 times. Fortney, Funk, Deitrich and Ryan Smith all have the speed to keep up with receivers.
When the Raiders have the ball, the Seals will rely heavily on middle linebacker Clayton Sheesley, who has 103 tackles and 4 sacks. Sheesley has a good nose for the ball an can lay down a hit. Hunter Croman, Paul Oyster and Connor Vanzijl are also defenders for the Seals that can make a play when needed. The Seals also know the way to a quarterback, registering 27 sacks so far to go along with the 15 interceptions that Benjamin Swinford, Kahn and Showers have pulled in.
Defensively, both teams match up pretty well. This should be an exciting game and one you shouldn’t miss!!! follow @wpafootball for live videos updates
One Response
SEALS ALL THE WAY.