Minutes after his Penn Cambria football team secured a berth in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals, Panthers coach Nick Felus stopped to chat with a group of reporters Saturday afternoon.
Of course, the subject quickly moved to Gavin Harrold’s three-touchdown game in a 30-7 victory over District 10 Hickory.
Once again, the senior playmaker produced a number of game-changing runs and receptions at Armstrong Junior-Senior High School in Kittanning.
“You ever see that cartoon, ‘Bugs on first, Bugs on second, Bugs Bunny?’ ” Felus asked the group, referring to a 1946 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon “Baseball Bugs” in which Bugs Bunny plays every position in a baseball game against a stacked team of brutish and arrogant players.
In the cartoon, the versatile Bugs Bunny outwits the opposition and wins.
“That’s Gav,” Felus continued. “Gav’s a quarterback. Gav’s a running back. Gav’s a receiver. Gav went over and filled up the water bottles.”
Well, Harrold probably didn’t replenish the drinking water, but his coach’s point is valid.
“He’s such a great kid and hard worker,” Felus said.
“His football IQ is off the charts. The work he puts in enables us to put him in those situations. Offensively, it goes through him.”
Harrold and a talented group of Panthers (14-0) are still going. The District 6-3A champs will face District 7 champion Avonworth (11-3) in a state semifinal contest Friday at Norwin High School.
Harrold leads The Tribune-Democrat coverage area with 227 points, including 34 touchdowns, 11 two-point conversions and one extra-point kick.
The four-year starter Harrold moved into the area’s top spot with 980 receiving yards and 70 receptions resulting in 10 receiving touchdowns. He’s rushed for 779 yards and 23 touchdowns.
More important, Harrold is a team leader who has pushed the mantra “we’re not finished yet” each time the Panthers achieved a goal that might have been considered “good enough” in other years.
Undefeated regular season. Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship win over another state semifinalist in 1A, Bishop Guilfoyle Academy. The first District 6 crown in program history. State playoff wins.
“Not finished.”
“We came in here and played the game we wanted to, pound-the-rock football,” Harrold said after rushing for 102 yards and three TDs while adding 60 receiving yards against Hickory.
“I think we did that. We played a full four quarters.”
Penn Cambria won the toss and elected to receive instead of the popular option to defer.
Behind an experienced, physical offensive line, the Panthers followed with a 16-play, 78-yard scoring drive that used 7 minutes, 3 seconds of game clock. Junior quarterback Brady Jones scored a 3-yard touchdown run and added a conversion run to put Penn Cambria up 8-0 and set the tone.
Felus’ team forced four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries) and the offense didn’t have a turnover.
“One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to practice on Thanksgiving morning,” Harrold said.
“We get to do that and it feels great, but we’re still not done.”
Avonworth earned the District 7 championship in a 17-0 win over Central Valley Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Don’t be fooled by the Antelopes’ three losses this season. Avonworth fell to Class 4A powers Thomas Jefferson (44-7), currently a state semifinalist, and Aliquippa (46-20), as well as a solid Beaver (34-14) program the Antelopes later beat in the playoffs (42-21).
“Our kids play so hard,” Felus said after Saturday’s win. “They play so tough and they’re good at football. When you mix those three things together, you see what the result was.
“We’re so proud of them. We’re not done yet. We’ve got more work to do.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
