Week 5 previews: Berlin Brothersvalley, Northern Bedford square off in heavyweight clash
Somerset's dominating victory headlined Week 4 of the high school football season in the county. Berlin Brothersvalley and Windber stayed perfect with convincing wins, while North Star won its second straight.
The District 5 title contenders in Class 1A and 2A are becoming more evident each week. However, there are some Somerset County playoff hopefuls that need wins this week to stay in the thick of things at the midway point.
Here is a look at all the matchups set for 7 p.m. on Friday involving Somerset County teams in Week 5:
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Inter County Conference
Berlin Brothersvalley (4-0) at Northern Bedford County (4-0)
This is a game both teams likely circled on their schedules well before the season started.
Last week Berlin went on the road and ran past Laurel 27-0, in a non-conference tune up for the Black Panthers.
Both teams enter the contest ranked in the state by PennLive. Berlin entered the 2A polls for the first time this season at No. 10, while Northern Bedford is No. 4 in the 1A polls.
The Mountaineers have yet to fully open up the playbook on offense. Veteran coach Doug Paul was not going to show off the full array of what the Berlin offense is capable of.
Senior signal-caller Pace Prosser has completed 41 of 74 passes for 719 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He rushed for a season-high 105 yards against Laurel.
Cooper Huston has four rushing touchdowns while Aidan Ream has added two scores. Haydon Hutzell is having a breakout season at wide receiver. The junior has 13 grabs for 215 yards and two scores. Cody Kimmel and Zander Ritenour each have three touchdown catches.
Berlin averages 37.8 points per contest while allowing just 10.2. The Mountaineers are led defensively by Kimmel, who has 44 tackles and Huston, who has three sacks. Prosser has four interceptions and a fumble recovery. Two of those four picks went for touchdowns.
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This will far and wide be Berlin's toughest challenge, yet. Senior dual-threat quarterback Eion Snider and running back Adam Johnson have the luxury of running behind a veteran offense line. Aaron Bowers and Ben Gable are a talented combo on the outside.
Defensively, the Black Panthers are allowing an average of 7 points a game.
The last time these two programs met was in 2015. Berlin captured a District 5 Class 1A title with a 45-7 win.
Rip's pick: Berlin Brothersvalley 24, Northern Bedford 22
North Star (3-1) at Windber (4-0)
Windber bested Meyersdale 38-7 last Friday.
Tanner Barkley threw for 236 yards and a score. Luke Hostetler rushed for two touchdowns. Hostetler sustained an injury early in the third quarter and will potentially miss significant time. Bryce Chicarell picked off two passes, rushed for a TD and caught a touchdown pass.
The Ramblers have been stout, defensively. The starters have allowed just 14 points this season. Dalton Hileman leads the way with 20 total tackles while Eddie Richards has 3.5 sacks.
Ethan Smith's 211 total yards of offense and three touchdowns led North Star past Tussey Mountain 41-28. Connor Yoder threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score.
The Cougars are off to their best start since 2017. However, North Star has not defeated Windber since 2015, 34-33 in double-overtime.
Rip's pick: Windber 34, North Star 28
Meyersdale (2-2) at Tussey Mountain (1-3)
Meyersdale suffered its second straight loss, falling 38-7 at Windber.
Lance Jones scored the lone touchdown for the Red Raiders. Meyersdale needs to rally the troops and get back to the success it had to begin the year. Mixing in the pass to go along with its power run game has worked well.
Against a Tussey Mountain team that has struggled this season, Meyersdale has to make a statement early in the game. The Red Raiders cannot let the Titans hang around into the fourth quarter.
Rip's pick: Meyersdale 26, Tussey Mountain 13
LHAC
McCort-Carroll (0-4) at Somerset (2-2)
Somerset was impressive in its 31-13 victory at Westmont Hilltop on Saturday.
Junior quarterback Lane Lambert accounted for three total offensive touchdowns and scooped up a fumble for a 67-yard score.
The Golden Eagles are figuring it out on both sides of the football. The game experience these guys have earned the past two seasons is starting to pay dividends.
Somerset has not won three games in a season since 2019. The Golden Eagles have not won three in a row since 2016. They have an opportunity to achieve both on Friday night. A win against the Crimson Crushers would go a long way in helping the program gain some credibility once again.
McCort-Carroll dropped 35-16 matchup to Richland last Friday. The team has allowed 35 points or more the past three weeks.
Rip's pick: Somerset 28, McCort-Carroll 17
Heritage Conference
Conemaugh Township (0-4) at Homer-Center (1-3)
Conemaugh Township's struggles continued with a 52-20 setback on the road at West Shamokin last Friday.
Quarterback Jon Updyke missed his second consecutive game with an injury. After scoring first, Conemaugh Township allowed 52 unanswered points.
The underclassmen will continue to earn valuable reps. With so much inexperience on the field, they will need to continue their maturation to stay in the game.
Homer-Center fell 46-14 to United Valley last Friday. The Wildcats have dropped three straight contests.
Junior quarterback Angelo Alexander sets the tone for Homer-Center.
Rip's pick: Homer-Center 27, Conemaugh Township 15
Rip's picks: Last week 4-1; Overall: 20-2
Note: WQZS 93.3 Sports will broadcast the North Star at Windber contest. The pregame show will begin at 6:30 p.m. with kickoff set for 7.
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 5 previews: Can Berlin Brothersvalley knock off Northern Bedford?
