CUMBERLAND — Allegany hosts Southern tonight in a key matchup for Class 1A West Region positioning.
The Campers bring a 1-4 record into Greenway Avenue Stadium against the 2-3 Rams in the 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
The two Western Maryland Athletic Conference squads are part of a pack of seven teams in the region that have a losing record past the half-way point of the season.
Smithsburg, with a 3-2 mark, is the region’s only school north of the .500 mark and sits atop the point standings, followed by Fort Hill (2-3), Northern (2-3), Mountain Ridge (2-3), Southern, Clear Spring (1-4), Allegany and Hancock (0-5).
Allegany has lost two straight following a 21-13 win over Mountain Ridge in Week 3, falling to Maret, Washington, D.C., 49-26 last week.
Southern is coming off a win, edging Berkeley Springs, 19-13, in Oakland its last time out.
Allegany standout Khiante Bible finally had his breakout performance against Maret, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
He’s one of four Campers with at least 180 yards in Amanni Blowe (350 yards, three TDs), Bible (276 yards, three TDs), Aidyn McKenzie (193 yards, two TDs) and Maddox Hensel (185 yards, two TDs).
Alco quarterback Dylan Blank has completed 28 of 55 passes for 666 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. His top target, Sebastian Stewart, has 15 receptions for 341 yards and six scores.
Blank’s counterpart Jacob Brown is the Rams’ leading rusher, tallying 509 yards and six touchdowns on 82 carries. He’s completed 10 of 30 passes for 157 yards, two TDs and five interceptions.
Hayden Williams (176 yards, two TDs) and Pierce Ramos (164 yards, one TD) are Southern’s other mainstays in the backfield.
Bible leads the Allegany defense with 61 tackles. Hayden Williams and Brown have two interceptions each for the Rams.
The two schools entered last season’s game with identical records, a game Allegany won 51-14 on Oct. 11, 2024.
Allegany’s win was its fifth in a row over Southern. The Rams ended a 16-game losing streak in the series with a 28-0 win in Oakland in 2018.
Allegany leads the all-time series 30-4.
Allegany’s 1-4 start last year was its first since 1975 when it began 1-6.