6 Sports Two-A-Days: Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference

JOHNSTOWN — The third conference of the 6 Sports Two-A-Days series is the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference.

Richland is the defending LHAC champ. The Rams are coming off a 13-1 season. They made it to the state quarterfinals. But, 10 starters from that team graduated. Now, LHAC Coach of the Year Brandon Bailey has a new crop of talent. Bailey hopes this year's team can continue to be successful.

Chestnut Ridge finished in second place in last year's LHAC standings. A large portion of that squad graduated. The Lions return just 7 starters. Head Coach Max Shoemaker will rely heavily on quarterback Logan Pfister, who accounted for 31 touchdowns last season.

The Somerset Golden Eagles are coming off a 4-7 campaign in 2018. Head Coach Bob Landis wants to see his program take a step in a positive direction. The team will be led by its 7 returning starters. Somerset's underclassmen have an opportunity to help this young team win games.

Forest Hills has a new head coach for the first time in four decades. Don Bailey retired during the offseason. So, Justin Myers steps in as the new coach of the Rangers. He is familiar with the program. Myers spent 12 years as an assistant at Forest Hills, before getting the head coach gig.

Johnstown is a program used to winning football games. Last year's 0-10 season provided challenges for a number of reasons. The Trojans have a new head coach--Bruce Jordan. He has been with the Johnstown program from nearly a decade, and hopes to get the Trojans back on the winning track.

It is a new era of Penn Cambria football. New head coach Nick Felus is taking over the Panther program. Felus is a PC graduate. He will try to build on the Panthers' 4-6 season in 2018, which came on the heels of a winless season in 2017.

Most football programs are overwhelmingly pleased with an 8-4 record. Not Bishop Guilfoyle. The Marauders know that last year was not a bad season. But, they are used to winning. This is the same program that won three straight state titles from 2014-16. Head Coach Justin Wheeler hopes to have his team competing deep into the playoffs this season.

Bishop McCort is loaded with returning starters. The Crushers have 20 of their 22 starters back from last season. Head Coach Brian Basile wants his players to learn from last year's 3-8 campaign, and turn those experiences into wins.

Cambria Heights finished last season with 3 wins in its final 4 games. The Highlanders will be an experienced group on the offensive and defensive lines. Head Coach Jarrod Lewis wants to build this year's team around the physical play of his linemen.

Pat Barron enters year 8 with Westmont Hilltop this season, fresh off a 6-5 finish to a year that saw the Hilltoppers advance to the D6-AAA semifinals. They will return 8 on offense and 7 on defense and once again look to the power game to control the clock and grind out victories.

Head Coach Kevin Steele enters year 9 at the helm for Bedford. Last season his Bison made great strides finishing 5-5 and advancing to the first round of the PIAA playoffs. Bedford will go 4 or five deep in the backfield this year, so keeping fresh legs on the field will not be an issue for a squad that boasts 7 starters back on both offense and defense. Limiting the mental mistakes will be key in 2019.

Shane McGregor enters year three coaching at his Alma Matter. His Central Cambria Red Devils will look to improve on a 1-9 finish to 2018, and McGregor believes the key to doing so is staying balanced across all phases of the game. He welcomes back nine total starters from last year, including quarterback Carter Seymour. McGregor knows a thing or two about the position, as he quarterbacked at Penn State in his playing days. The youthful energy could go a long way, and McGregor wants his Red Devils to become a team that is not fun to play against.

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