Week 2 Somerset County football: Trio of teams face tough opponents

Berlin Brothersvalley, Conemaugh Township, Meyersdale and North Star opened the high school football season with triumphs.

Meyersdale and North Star both have intriguing conference matchups ahead of their clash in Week 3.

Here is a look at the full Week 2 slate of games all set for 7 p.m. on Friday.

Week 1 roundup Meyersdale, North Star begin 2024 with wins; Windber upended, and Somerset shelled

Inter-County Conference

Meyersdale (1-0) at Glendale (1-0)

Meyersdale bested Curwensville 34-6 a week ago. Lance Jones threw for 281 yards and three scores, all to Spencer Whitfield.

Against a Glendale squad that held Windber to just seven points, the Red Raiders will need to spread the wealth on offense and get Karter Schurg and Matt Hainsworth more involved. Meyersdale rushed for only 96 yards a week ago.

Glendale knocked off Windber 14-7 last week.

Quarterback Logan Skebeck threw a touchdown and notched the go-ahead score on a 3-yard keeper on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Vikings are big and physical, which will make for a tough matchup for the Red Raiders.

Last year: Meyersdale won 14-6.

Rip's pick: Glendale 21, Meyersdale 14

Juniata Valley (1-0) at North Star (1-0)

North Star blanked Moshannon Valley 18-0 last Friday. First-year sophomore starting quarterback Kasey Yoder tossed two touchdown passes. Ethan Smith rushed for and caught a touchdown.

Juniata Valley defeated Newport 34-7 in a non-conference contest. The Hornets return all of their major players from a 7-4 team a season ago, including quarterback Jett Rand, leading rusher Adrian Prough and top receiver Lucas Dick.

Last season, when North Star and Juniata Valley met, the Cougars lost because of two self-inflicted wounds via pick-sixes. They'll need to take care of the football to stay in the game.

Last year: Juniata Valley won 21-20

Rip's pick: Juniata Valley 22, North Star 15

Berlin surges in second half New-look Berlin Brothersvalley offense finds footing in victory over Claysburg-Kimmel

Berlin Brothersvalley (1-0) at Mount Union (1-0)

Berlin found offensive rhythm in the second half against Claysburg-Kimmel to open up a 6-point halftime lead and earn a 42-14 triumph a week ago.

Cooper Huston rushed for more than 200 yards and three scores. Haydon Hutzell rushed for a score and caught a TD. Mac Foor tossed two touchdown passes.

It's clear the Mountaineers are going to set the tone with Huston and the ground game. However, the moment oppositions bring extra guys into the box, Foor will torch them over the top with his playmakers on the outside in Hutzell and Zander Ritenour.

Mount Union topped Tussey Mountain 28-14. Sophomore Nasir Collins rushed for 192 yards and three scores. The Trojans passed for only 46 yards. They won't be able to be one-dimensional against Berlin's defense.

Last year: Berlin won 38-7.

Rip's pick: Berlin 35, Mount Union 12

Curwensville (0-1) at Windber (0-1)

Windber was stunned by Glendale 14-7 on the road last Friday.

The Ramblers turned the ball over and failed to complete drives. Without a true passing game, the Vikings focused on the run and held the Ramblers to 218 yards on the ground.

Curwensville fell 34-6 to Meyersdale and struggled to muster much offense.

Windber has two straight home games that it should dominate and regain confidence ahead of a trip to North Star.

Last year: Windber won 42-7.

Rip's pick: Windber 37, Curwensville 6

Studer earns win No. 1 Conemaugh Township dominates West Shamokin to open Heritage Conference play

Heritage Conference

River Valley (0-1) at Conemaugh Township (1-0)

Conemaugh Township clobbered West Shamokin 42-0 for coach Brandon Studer's first career win in his second season.

Senior quarterback Sam Shaffer accounted for four total touchdowns and recovered a fumble.

River Valley fell at home to defending District 6 Class 1A champ, Cambria Heights 28-12, last week.

A year ago, Conemaugh Township led River Valley 7-0 headed to the locker room but got shut out in the second half. Conemaugh Township will be in the game once again this season if it stays ahead of the chains on offense and limits River Valley's rushing attack.

Last year: River Valley won 28-7.

Rip's pick: River Valley 27, Conemaugh Township 20

LHAC

Central (0-1) at Somerset (0-1)

Somerset struggled to find offense in a 33-7 setback to Chestnut Ridge.

Camden Lowery rushed for 83 yards and Lane Lambert tallied a rushing touchdown.

Meanwhile, Central looked sluggish in an 18-7 setback to Bellefonte. Central lost nine two-way starters from a team that went 12-1 last year and fell to Hickory in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs. The Dragons also had to replace coach Dave Baker, who retired after 44 seasons and recorded 245 wins.

Somerset should cut Lowery and Rowan Holmes loose and let its big offensive line push Central around. Defensively, the Golden Eagles need to force someone other than dual-threat quarterback Eli Muthler beat them.

Last year: Central won 47-6.

Rip's pick: Somerset 24, Central 16

Rip's picks: Last week: 5-1

Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Week 2 Somerset County football: Trio of teams face tough opponents