WESTMONT HILLTOP

WESTMONT HILLTOP

WESTMONT HILLTOP

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Westmont Hilltop

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Hilltoppers Hand Bellwood First Loss in D6 Playoff Game


Updated on 06/10/2022

BELLWOOD — Heartbreak. There was plenty of that here Friday night.

The undefeated, second-seeded Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils watched in dismay as Westmont Hilltop scored a touchdown with only 16 seconds left and then took advantage of a second two-point opportunity to stun the hosts, 29-28, in the District 6 Class 2A quarterfinals at Memorial Stadium.

“It’s painful,” veteran coach John Hayes said after talking to his team in the emotional B-A locker room. “They had a great year.

“They made a great effort tonight. The other team just made one more play at the end, and they’re to be commended.”

Bellwood jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes and led 21-7 after three quarters only to see the seventh-seeded Hilltoppers score 22 points in the final 12 minutes and stage the biggest upset of the D6 playoffs opening-night action.

Bellwood gained the No. 2 seed on the strength of a 10-0 record while Westmont checked in at No. 7 with a 6-4 mark.

“We told the kids all week nobody was talking about them or giving them any respect,” Westmont coach Pat Barron said. “We said they’d have to beat somebody to earn it and they did. They just kept digging and clawing.”

A 48-yard end-around by Ian McFarland and a 25-yard interception return by Nick Watters gave the Blue Devils a quick 14-0 lead and Thor Schmittle’s 3-yard TD made it 21-7 in the third quarter.

“We got up two scores a couple times, but (Westmont) didn’t give up, so that’s more on us,” Hayes said.

Westmont’s offense is often referred to as elephant-like. The Hilltoppers walk to the line of scrimmage and line up in a tight formation. They run the ball and seldom pass. In fact, they threw only 24 passes in the regular season. They threw four last night.

“It’s double-tight, double-wing,” Barron said. “Some people call us boring, but we’ll take it. We never apologize for being boring.”

Barron certainly didn’t have to apologize after his team’s remarkable comeback in the fourth quarter.

A pair of TD runs by Tucker Kushner tied it at 21-all with 6:17 remaining, but Bellwood responded and grabbed a 28-21 lead with 2:22 to play on a 19-yard run by Thor Schmittle.

“Hey, 2:22 and three timeouts is a lifetime,” Barron said. “That big screen pass (21 yards) to Adam Morzowski got us back to our normal offense.”

That pass took the ball to the B-A 43 and the Hilltoppers, aided by a couple penalties, moved the ball toward the goal line. With 16 seconds left, Cam Moors scored from the 4, pulling Westy to within 28-27.

Barron said there was no doubt he was going for the two-point conversion.

“We began talking about it in the third quarter,” he said. “I’m a gambler. I’ll always go for it.”

The Hilltoppers ran Moors wide, but the B-A defense stopped him short of the end zone. However, a face mask penalty against B-A pushed the ball near the goal and Moors, running off tackle, bolted into the end zone for two points and the victory.

“We got another crack at it and our offense is built for 2¢ yards, so it was a no-brainer what we were going to run there,” Barron said “It was our normal toss.”

“Their package is a little different than we’re used to and they executed very well,” Hayes said of the Westmont offense. “At the end of the game, they did their bread and butter and couple-yards us to death.

“A few penalties thrown in there didn’t help, either.”

Altoona Mirror   Jim Lane

Five Westmont Hilltop players score in win over Bedford


Updated on 06/10/2022

 

Paul Buriak

Tribune Democrat
 

The Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers won their second straight game and evened their record while putting on a textbook display of ball control offense and timely defensive plays in a 34-6 victory over visiting Bedford on Saturday afternoon.

Westmont Hilltop (3-3) scored on all three of its possessions in the first half to take a 21-0 lead at the break, and after a Hilltoppers goal-line stand that turned away the Bisons (2-4) at the 2 midway through the third quarter, the home squad effectively put the game out of reach with a 15-play, 98-yard scoring drive that took over seven and a half minutes off the clock and stretched into the final period.

“It was a great job by our defense, the offensive line was spectacular, and the backs ran hard,” said Westmont Hilltop coach Pat Barron. “You can’t ask for a better team effort than today.”

 
 

Nine Hilltoppers ball carriers combined for 317 rushing yards, and Westmont Hilltop didn’t even attempt a pass.

Fullback Mason Muto led all rushers with his first 100-yard game of the season as the sophomore picked up 124 yards and one score on 13 carries.

“Mason is a class kid who just shows up every day and takes care of business,” Barron said.

“It was nice to see him have a breakout game.”

Bedford coach Kevin Steele was not pleased with his squad’s performance..

“We played very poorly in all three phases of the game, and the scoreboard indicated that,” Steele said. “We have to get tougher and tackle much better.”

Westmont Hilltop took advantage of an early break to get on the board. The Bisons fumbled on the game’s third play from scrimmage and the Hilltoppers recovered at the Bedford 45.

From there, Westmont Hilltop subsequently converted two straight fourth downs, and quarterback Lee Santee capped off the 11-play drive with a 4-yard keeper. Brandon Kaesler hit the first of his four extra points for a 7-0 lead.

After a Bisons three-and-out, Muto’s 47-yard burst down the left sideline was followed two plays later by his 8-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the opening quarter.

 
 

Logan Webb’s fourth-down sack of Bedford quarterback Steven Ressler gave the Hilltoppers possession at their own 38 with just under eight minutes left in the half. 

From there, Westmont Hilltop mounted one more scoring drive before the break. A fourth-and-1 offside penalty by Bedford aided the Hilltoppers before Camden Moors followed up a 23-yard Muto run with a 1-yard touchdown at the 2:48 mark.

Bedford then put together its best offensive series of the half. Ressler completed five straight passes for 59 yards to move the Bisons to the Hilltoppers’ 15 with 8 seconds left in the half, but Michael Barbado picked off Ressler in the end zone to keep Bedford off the board at intermission.

The Hilltoppers gambled and lost to open the third as Westmont Hilltop was stopped on fourth-and-short at their own 44, and Bedford appeared poised to capitalize. A 15-yard Ressler run and a 15-yard facemasking penalty moved the ball to the Hilltoppers’ 7, but Westmont’s defense slammed the door on Dylan Arnold on fourth-and-goal from the 2.

Westmont Hilltop responded with a trademark long drive, keyed by runs of 17 yards by Muto and 12 by Moors. Tucker Kushner finished the 98-yard march with a 4-yard touchdown that made it 27-0 with 10:48 to play.

The Hilltoppers added a final touchdown as Will Hillegass plowed in from the 1 at the 4:35 mark, while the Bisons averted the shutout when Andrew Foor found the end zone from 20 yards out.

Bedford will host Greater Johnstown on Friday, while the Hilltoppers will travel to Point Stadium for a rivalry game with Bishop McCort.

Westmont Clips Somerset in Varsity Football


Updated on 06/10/2022

SOMERSET – Both the Somerset Golden Eagles and Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers were looking to get back in the win column on Friday evening when they met in a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference matchup. Thanks to their ground and point style, the Hilltoppers were able to sustain long, time-consuming drives while keeping the ball away from the Golden Eagles’ game breakers on their way to a 21-13 victory.

“There were times we had some scares but the line blocked hard and the backs blocked hard and you can’t say enough about how much of a team effort it was,” said Westmont coach Pat Barron after the victory.

Kicking the ball away to open the game, the Golden Eagles attempted to catch the Hilltoppers off guard with a surprise onside kick, but the away side was able to fall on the loose ball and set their offense up near midfield.

 
 

When the Hilltoppers’ offense is on the field, you know what they are going to throw at you and they are not shy about telling you.

Lining up with no men out wide and three running options behind quarterback Lee Santee, the Hilltoppers make it clear they are going to run right at you, and on Friday night they displayed just how successful their system can be.

After being stopped on their initial drive, the Hilltoppers’ offense took over near midfield for a second time after a dropped touchdown pass on fourth down by the Golden Eagles forced the ball over on downs.

Coming out in their ground-and- pound style, the Hilltoppers methodically moved the ball down the field and deep into Golden Eagles’ territory. On the 14th play of the drive, the Hilltoppers finally found the end zone from a yard out on a handoff to fullback Mason Muto. The extra point split the uprights to give the visiting side a 7-0 lead.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Golden Eagles’ subsequent drive, the Hilltoppers offense was back on the field and back to their usual ways.

Big runs of 14 and 38 yards from Tucker Kushner put the Hilltoppers deep into enemy territory, and with just 10 seconds to spare before halftime, Muto capped off the drive with his second touchdown run from yard out. 

Coming out of halftime the Golden Eagles needed points to get back in the game, and their offense delivered in a big way. Starting at their own 30-yard line, the Golden Eagles marched 70 yards in 10 plays and finished the drive with a one-yard run from Zane Blackburn to cut the Hilltoppers’ lead in half. 

“We told our guys at halftime that we had to focus on our responsibilities and just do the little things and the big things take care of themselves,” said Somerset coach Bob Landis

Taking over on offense for the first time in the second half, the Hilltoppers squashed whatever momentum the Golden Eagles gained from their long touchdown drive with one of their own.

 
 

Covering 71 yards and milking over 11 minutes of game clock in the process, the Hilltoppers continued to unleash their ground game to restore their two-score lead. Camden Moors went off tackle for a 3 yard touchdown run and a 21-7 lead.

“I’m so proud of the unselfishness of our backs and our line tonight,” said Barron. “Those guys paved the way tonight.”

Less than two minutes later, the Golden Eagles answered right back to keep themselves within a score. Quarterback Camron Coddington hit a wide open Ryan Funa for a 33-yard touchdown pass to bring the home side back within 21-13 with more than eight minutes remaining.

Just as they had all night long, the Hilltoppers continued to pound the ball on the ground to finish off the game. A mixture of Muto, Kushner and Moors combined with a single pass attempt on a fourth down was more than enough to wind out the remaining time on the clock and seal with 21-13 victory for the visiting Hilltoppers.

 Johnstown Tribune Democrat

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