Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Central's Eli Muthler dives into the end zone to score against Penn Cambria Friday at Altoona's Mansion Park.
Central's Baron Dionis is tackled from behind by Penn Cambria's Marcus Lilly.
Returning to the District 6 AAA championship game for the fourth year in a row, the Central Scarlet Dragon Football team faced the Penn Cambria Panthers for a third consecutive year. After blowing out their opponents in years past, a much tighter game left the Dragons one score ahead at the final buzzer, earning a quadfecta for their season: four-time champions with a perfect season to match it.
The Dragons received to open the game, working their way downfield to take the lead via a one-yard touchdown run by Hunter Smith. After a strange interaction in which a blocked punt was recovered by the Panthers behind the line of scrimmage, and then advanced for a first down, Penn Cambria returned the favor to tie the game before the quarter ended. The second quarter went much the same for the Dragons, combining their passing and rushing abilities to muster two more touchdowns with an 11-yard run by Eli Muthler and another one-yard run by Smith. The Panthers scored once more before halftime such that the score was 21-14 with advantage to the Dragons.
A slow third quarter left the score tied 21-21 heading into the final quarter of the game. The Dragons regained a lead with a 32-yard touchdown reception by Jack Dunn before the Panthers scored once again for another tie score. The Dragons unleashed their unstoppable rushing prowess through a combination of a strong offensive line and strong rushing backs. The Dragons rushed to the Panthers' 15-yard line where Muthler completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Benton with a mere 32 seconds left in the game. On defense, as the final seconds ticked away, Muthler had an interception to seal the fate of the Panthers.
Muthler threw for 261 yards, while he and Smith split for over 140 rushing yards. Smith had 21 carries, while Muthler had nine himself. Benton had seven receptions for 141 receiving yards throughout the night. This marks the Dragons' fourth straight District Championship victory as they begin their state playoff run with a rematch against the Clearfield Bison.
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