WATCH WTAJ VIDEO | Central pushes past Cambria Heights to take 6-3A gold
· Yahoo Sports
ALTOONA, Pa. – Cambria Heights was in control through two and a half quarters of Friday’s District 6 Class 3A championship game.
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The Heritage Conference champion Highlanders held a two-score advantage after kicking a field goal on their opening possession of the third quarter.
WATCH WTAJ VIDEO | Cambria Heights vs. Central
Central, after a slow start offensively, took the game’s momentum by scoring 22 unanswered points to come from behind and defeat Cambria Heights 29-18 at Mansion Park Stadium.
“I thought we played well; they’re just a very good football team,” Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. “We had a couple of drives stall out in the second half, and they were able to turn those into touchdowns.
“They made the plays when they needed to.”
Cambria Heights led 18-7 following Nito Kutruff’s 33-yard field goal with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter.
The Scarlet Dragons, who scored once out of their first seven possessions, tallied touchdowns on each of their final three drives to take over the contest.
Central’s Bentley Dickson caught two 13-yard touchdown passes from Jesse Muthler to put the Scarlet Dragons ahead 22-18 with 8:19 to go in the fourth quarter.
Muthler then added insurance with an 18-yard touchdown run with 3:54 remaining.
“We said at halftime that we were ready for a situation like this,” said Central coach Jerry Albright, whose team’s seven of their previous eight wins came by nine points or fewer.
“We’ve been in these ball games all year. We haven’t blown anybody out. We’ve been having small wins, we’ve been behind, and we knew what we had to do to get back into these games.”
After Kutruff’s field goal, Central (11-1) forced Cambria Heights to turn the ball over on downs twice along with a punt on the Highlanders’ final three possessions.
“I just didn’t think we finished drives,” Lewis said. “It was a play here, a play there on offense, and then they started connecting on some of their passes. That was probably the biggest thing.”
The Scarlet Dragons claimed their fifth District 6 crown in the last seven years after winning four straight from 2020-23.
Central advances to face District 5-8-9 champion Punxsutawney next week. The Chucks received a bye after being the lone 3A team to enter the subregional.
“We just stuck to our game plan,” Albright said. “We knew they were going to be very aggressive up front, especially on defense. We really tried to keep them spread out. We executed our game plan to perfection.”
Friday marked just the second time this season that Cambria Heights allowed more than 14 points in a game.
Muthler led Central’s offensive charge with 125 rushing yards and a score on 15 carries, while completing 11 of 19 passes for 155 yards and two scores.
He also hauled in the Scarlet Dragons’ first score, making a one-handed over-the-shoulder catch for a 4-yard touchdown reception from Carter Schenk.
“We did what it took in the second half to get the job done,” Albright said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. Cambria Heights is a fantastic team. It was a battle tonight.”
The teams battled to a scoreless first quarter, combining for four punts and a fumble.
Nolan Clawson opened the game’s scoring for the Highlanders with a 31-yard touchdown run at the 6:19 mark of the second. Muthler’s reception tied the game at 7-all at 2:44.
Clawson, who finished with 147 yards on the ground, then put Cambria Heights back in front with a 3-yard score with 54 seconds to go in the half. He added the two-point conversion to put the Highlanders ahead 15-7 at the break.
Cambria Heights closed an 11-1 season. The Highlanders appeared in their third district title game in four years, winning in 2023 (1A) and 2024 (2A).
“That’s leaving a legacy for our program,” Lewis said. “At the end of the day, wins and losses are tough, but you hope that you make better men, better husbands and better people.
“That’s what we’re aiming for. I can’t thank all of the guys enough for what they’ve done.”