Now, the Fun Begins – Cove Teams Start Playoff Action

Now the real fun can begin. as in high school football postseason action.

The postseason begins this weekend, featuring three teams from the Morrisons Cove area.

In the District 3 Class 3A field, fourth-seeded Central (4-6) will travel to Mountain Conference rival and top-seeded Bald Eagle Area (7-3). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.

Claysburg-Kimmel (7-3), seeded fifth in the District 6 Class A field, will welcome 12th-seeded Penns Manor (3-7). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday.

In the District 5 Class 1A field, second-seeded Northern Bedford (7-3) will entertain third-seeded Windber (6-4) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.

Central Dragons

The Class 3A semifinal will be a rematch of the regular season game played Sept. 20, in which Bald Eagle scored a 29-7 victory.

Central won its first two games of the season, only to lose three straight. After climbing above the .500 mark, the Dragons lost their final three games.

Bald Eagle Area started 2-1 before reeling off five straight wins. The Golden Eagles then lost their final two games of the regular season.

"Bald Eagle has a nice team, but we have a chance if we eliminate some mistakes and play well for four quarters," Central coach Dave Baker said.

C-K Bulldogs

C-K last played Penns Manor in the 2017 postseason, knocking off the visiting Comets 27-8.

The Comets, of the Heritage Conference, enter Friday's game having lost five of their last six games. Their only win in that stretch was a 44-20 victory against North Star in the regular season finale.

Following a season-opening loss to Tussey Mountain, C-K ran off five straight victories. After slipping to 5-3, the Bulldogs enter the playoffs on a two-game winning streak.

"Looking into this week, we are excited to give these seniors another chance to end their high school careers with a win at home," C-K coach Matthew Bilchak said. "This is our third year in a row of hosting a home playoff game and are excited to see how we match up. Penns Manor appears to be a physical team and utilizes a lot of deception. We have to stay disciplined if we want to control the tempo of the game and not allow them to gain an advantage. If we can limit mental mistakes and control the clock, I'm hoping we can have a successful evening Friday night."

NB Panthers

Windber, a member of the Western Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, and Northern Bedford last battled each other two years ago in the District 5 playoffs. The Black Panthers earned a 17-14 victory, their only win over the Ramblers in three outings since 2008.

Windber sported a record of 3-3 before winning three of its final four games. NB was also 3-3 before earning four consecutive wins to close the regular season.

"We've been playing better and better each and every week, but now we start a new season and everybody is 0-0," Northern Bedford coach Garry Black said.

"Windber is a good football team," Black said. "They are physical up front and they like to run the ball. Their quarterback also has a good arm and is very efficient."

Black said the Black Panthers have to be physical, take care of the football and take advantage of every opportunity they have on offense, defense and special teams.

"We are going to have to build off our regular season if we want to be successful in the playoffs," Black said.