Thanksgiving looms, Christmas awaits, The New Year lurks, and High School Football in Pennsylvania winds down. The pool of teams get smaller and smaller by the week. This week, Abington Heights took on Hollidaysburg at Alumni Field in Milton.
Not many could have predicted the Abington Heights Comets being this good this early. The Comets entered the season pretty young but did not want to wait. It was evident early into the season that Abington Heights was going to be a real player in the District and State playoffs. In week 3, they mauled 4A runner-up Dallas 30-13, and that set the course for the regular season. In the playoffs, they made light work out of Wyoming Valley West to get them a matchup with Delaware Valley. In a close, low-scoring game, the Comets outlasted Delaware Valley and advanced to the State Playoffs. Their opponent: Undefeated Hollidaysburg.
The Golden Tigers of Hollidaysburg enter the matchup with a perfect 12-0 record. They have been tested in 2024, with close games to Jersey Shore and Williamsport, but exited regular season play without a loss. In the playoffs, they snuck by DuBois last week 28-23 to get to this game. Their high-powered offense is their strong suit. Hollidaysburg has scored over 40 points in 4 out of their first 12 games. Tonight, however, they had to grind it out and en route to a tough win.
Here’s what happened:
The first quarter went by in a blink, 20 minutes hadn’t passed by and the game was ¼ of the way over. In that first quarter, Hollidaysburg RB Mitchell Baronner opened the scoring for Hollidaysburg.
Holidaysburg goes on a long drive spanning 70+ yards and they score first. @MitchellBaronn1 on the score. Holidaysburg 7 Abington Heights 0 2:24 first Q@PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/IECoDk193p
— Mason Eddinger (@Mason_PFN) November 16, 2024
Into the 2nd quarter, it was Hollidaysburg again finding the endzone. QB Maddox Bainey located WR Brady Steiner for a long TD to give the Golden Tigers a 14-0 lead.
To close the 2nd half, both teams traded field goals and it was 17-3 Hollidaysburg.
In the second half, Abington Heights was able to draw blood first. The Comets’ score was answered by an ensuing Hollidaysburg score, 24-10.
All hope was not lost for Abington Heights, as they again found the endzone to make it a one-score game.
Ultimately, the Hollidaysburg offense would do enough to keep the Abington Heights offense off the field late in the game. With Abington Heights possessing the momentum, Hollidaysburg went on a long drive to dwindle the time down, but Abington Heights wasn’t done. They went on a TD drive of their own down 7, but missed a crucial XP, and trailed 24-23. Hollidaysburg went on a drive that would allow them to salt the time away and escape with a 24-23 win.
This is a great season for Abington Heights. To be able to dethrone Delaware Valley, upset Dallas, and win 8 games is more than most would have expected entering the season. No playoff losses are easy but expect to see the Comets back playing meaningful football in 12 months’ time. Until then, a long off-season awaits the Comets.
Hollidaysburg is still undefeated. They were simply the better football team today, plain and simple. They were faster, stronger, and overall more athletic than Abington Heights, and that made the difference. They also were careful with the football, not giving Abington Heights many chances to get a big play at their expense. They will take Roman Catholic.
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