CLARION, KEYSTONE CLASH IN HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED KSAC FINALE

Clarion at Keystone 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26

KNOX -- It is a game that means nothing; it is a game that means everything.

Though the winner of this game will not be in the District 9 Class A playoffs -- Clarion-Limestone, Coudersport, Curwensville and Smethport already fill the four playoff spots -- this game is about pride and respect. So, in short, this IS a playoff game for these 6-2 Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference teams.

When Clarion (5-2 KSAC) visits Keystone (5-2 KSAC) Friday, it will be the final game of Clarion assistant coach Alex Arth's 31-year coaching career, as the end of the game will mark the beginning of his retirement.

It will also be the final game in the illustrious career of Kyle Cathcart. Cathcart rushed for 327 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries in the Bobcats' 42-6 win over A-C Valley last week. The three-time D9Sports.com Player of the Week in 2001 and last season's D9Sports.com Co-Player of the Year, Cathcart, with the 327-yard night, also became only the second known player in District 9 history to rush for over 4,000 yards in a career. He now has 4,194 yards for his career and 1,567 yards on 177 carries (8.85 ypc) and 21 touchdowns this season.

Cathcart told D9Sports.com's Chris Rossetti that it has been hard at times finding running room this season with teams keying on him.

"It has been a struggle at times this season," Cathcart said. "I knew coming into the season people were going to be keying one me. I took it personally (when I wasn’t getting yards). I thought it was my fault. It wasn’t the line’s fault, its wasn’t the coaches fault (So it must have been my fault). But I sat down after (the) Karns City and (the) C-L (games) and really did some soul searching. I decided that I really wanted to finish out the season strong. This is my last year. Over the last few weeks we have down a pretty good job."

Cathcart can almost rest assured that Keystone will key on him as well, as the Panthers will be looking to improve to 7-2, their best record under Coach Dan Reed.

The keys to Keystone's new found success -- the Panthers finished 3-6 the past two seasons -- is an exciting, effective passing game and a vastly improved defensive line. 

Senior quarterback Adam Black, the leading passer in the district with 131 completions for 2,109 yards, 28 touchdowns and only five interceptions, leads the potent "K-Gun" offense that boasts two of the top receivers in the district.

Black's favorite target is junior Bobby Telesz, who leads the district in catches (51), yards (854) and touchdowns (14). Sophomore Billy Colwell has impressed many with his performance (23 catches, 419 yards, 5 touchdowns).

These two teams come in being evenly matched, as Clarion has outscored its opponents 268-122 while the Panthers have outscored the opposition 253-135. Both teams lost to the same two teams in Class AA KSAC powerhouse Karns City and Class A playoff qualifier C-L.

In fact, not only does Keystone have home field advantage (4-0 this year at home), the Panthers nearly pulled off a win against C-L. Only a controversial holding call kept Keystone from a victory over the Lions, as C-L won 28-21 in overtime. The Panthers are also riding a four-game winning streak but have played inconsistently the last two games.

"We have to show that killer instinct when we have opponents on the ropes," Reed said after his team's 27-6 win over Redbank Valley . "We gave up some big plays, and we have to shore up our secondary before we face Clarion. The last couple games, we have had some defensive lapses, and you have to be concerned when your team plays flat."

For Clarion, the Bobcats have won three in a row after losing two straight and are playing with more confidence. Meanwhile, the Bobcats secondary, which has been suspect at times during the season, will need a strong performance against Keystone's "K-Gun" offense and a balanced offense attack. The Panthers secondary had some major problems against Redbank Valley last week, as wideout Tyson Truitt had over 200 yards receiving.

The Panthers will of course need to stop, or at least contain, Cathcart and to diffuse any Clarion attempt at establishing a passing game, which has improved after its two losses. Keystone will also need to have some semblance of a running game in order to make the passing game more effective.

Emotions are running high in this KSAC showdown in what could end up as the game of the year.