Turnovers Doom Wildcats in D-6 Title Game

Central Mountain’s Peyton Johnson. Record file photo – Butch Miller

ALTOONA – Central Mountain traveled to Altoona’s Mansion Park on Saturday, searching for the school’s first-ever District 6 championship. But the Wildcats had trouble keeping hold of the football and turnovers finally did them in, a 35-12 loss to Hollidaysburg.

Central Mountain did some things well and the Wildcat defense was stout for much of the game, but seven total turnovers proved too much to overcome. Central Mountain had only committed six such miscues in its preceding seven regular season games.

The Wildcats scored first, a nifty 57-yard drive after a Golden Tiger punt. Quarterback Brett Gerlach converted a fourth down on a fourth and five at the Tiger 29 and Ryan Pentz kept the drive going on a fourth down conversion later in the drive. Micah Walizer plowed in from five yards out and CM had a 6-0 lead early in period two. The extra point play misfired but Central Mountain had the lead over a team that had handled them in recent regular season meetings.

But the Golden Tigers, behind two-year starter Bryce Martellacci at quarterback, put up a 59-yard drive and a 62- yard drive to take a 14-6 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats were very much in the game and moved to the Tiger 21-yard-line near the end of the half, but could not convert.

The issue was all but decided in the first few minutes of the third quarter when Central Mountain turned the ball over on its first three possessions: an onside kick not successfully covered, followed by one fumble and then another. The ‘Cat defense held on the first of those two Hollidaysburg opportunities, but on the third the Blair County team only had to go 15 yards for the score, followed by a 63-yard drive for a score to all but seal the game at 28-6 at that point.

While Central Mountain continued to battle, the Wildcats could not sustain anything on offense in the second half, their only score coming off a 45-yard interception return by Anton Stratts. That touchdown, midway through the final period, put the score at 35-12, which proved to be the final.Turnovers Doom Wildcats in D-6 Title Game

The Central Mountain defense did a fairly solid job containing the Martellacci runs, but he had success passing against the ‘Cat secondary, depleted by the loss of standout Jason Rinker, out with an injury. Martellacci finished with 10 completions in 18 attempts for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

Wildcat quarterback Brett Gerlach left the game in the second half with an injury and Peyton Johnson finished the game at quarterback. Gerlach finished 11-for 17 for 66 yards as the Tiger secondary kept the Wildcat pass attempts in front of them. Johnson had nine catches for 59 yards.

The Wildcats finished the season with a three game losing streak, ending at 4-4. Hollidaysburg is now 4-2 with four wins in a row; it was the Tigers’ first game in three weeks but they played nearly error-free ball in putting up 35 unanswered points after losing a fumble on their first possession. The Tigers are expected to play next weekend against the District 10 Class 5A champion, Erie Prep.