The Rehab Centre District 9 Football Awards Presented by D9Sports.com

SHIPPENVILLE, Pa. – Erik DeLong played a key role in Kane replacing key components its 2015 District 9 1A title team leading the Wolves to the 2016 D9 2A title.

That’s why the junior running back/linebacker is the 2016 Jim Kelly Award winner as the District 9 MVP presented by The Rehab Centre and D9Sports.com. It’s the second straight year a Kane players has earned the award with DeLong joining last year’s Kelly Award winner, Shane Rolick.

DeLong had a fantastic season on both sides of the football running for a school-record 1,735 yards on 237 carries with 21 touchdowns while also catching eight passes for 80 yards. On defense, he made 102 tackles (7.3 per game) with nine of them going for a loss. He caused a pair of fumbles and recovered two fumbles.

Joining DeLong in being honored on the 2016 Rehab Centre District 9 Football Awards presented by D9Sports.com are DuBois’ Kyle Hopson as the Offensive Player of the Year, Clearfield’s Matt Collins, who repeats as the Defensive Player of the Year, Clearfield’s Isaac Rumery as the Rookie of the Year and the Individual Game Performance of the Year, Ridgway’s Mark Heindl as the Coach of the Year, Kane’s Keaton Rounsville as the Offensive Lineman of the Year, Karns City’s Kaiden Powers as the Special Teams Player of the Year, the Clearfield/Central-Martinsburg game as the Game of the Year and Ridgway’s Rick Viglione and Moniteau’s Chris Sullivan as the Special Contributors of the Year. Information on all of these award winners is listed below.

In addition to the major award, The Rehab Centre All-District 9 Football team was also announced (see below).

ABOUT JIM KELLY

Kelly is a 1978 graduate of East Brady High School (now part of the Karns City School District) where he threw for 3,915 career yards and 44 touchdowns and also scored over 1,000 career points in basketball while averaging 23 points and 20 rebounds as a senior. He went to college at Miami (Fla.) and then played in both the USFL for the Houston Gamblers and in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills. He led the Bills to four straight AFC Championships and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. The District 9 MVP award was named after Kelly, with his permission, in 2014.

ABOUT THE REHAB CENTRE

The Rehab Centre offers five state-of-the-art rehabilitation centers (Clarion, Kittanning, Apollo, Lower Burrell and its newest location on Pittsburgh’s North Side) that offer chiropractic, massage therapy, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. One of the four doctors at the Rehab Centre is former District 9 football and wrestling star Isaac Greeley (Port Allegany). The Clarion office is located just off South Fifth Avenue before the Clarion Mall on Dolby Street across from Aldi Foods and next to the Comfort Inn. The Kittanning office is located on Arthur Street in Kittanning. Information on The Rehab Centre can be found at their website www.therehabcentres.com, on Twitter and Facebook or by calling the Clarion office at 814-226-8002 or the Kittanning office at 724-545-3215.

ABOUT D9SPORTS.COM

Located at www.d9sports.com, D9Sports.com is in its 16th year of covering athletics within the PIAA’s District 9. The site, which is not affiliated with the PIAA in any way, covers all 24 football playing teams playing in District 9. For more information on the site, please visit it or e-mail the staff at sports@d9sports.com. The site can also be followed on Twitter @D9Sports.

All award winners will receive plaques/trophies courtesy of All American Awards & Engraving in Shippenville.

THE AWARDS 

Jim Kelly Award (District 9 MVP) Presented by The Rehab Centre

Erik DeLong – Jr., RB/LB, Kane

Offensive: 237 carries, 1,735 yards (school record), 21 touchdowns; 8 catches, 80 yards

Defensive: 102 tackles (7.3 per game), 9 Tackles for a Loss, 2 fumbles caused, 2 fumbles recovered

 

The Rehab Centre Offensive Player of the Year

Kyle Hopson, Jr., WR, DuBois: 101 catches, 1,665 yards (District 9 record), 18 touchdowns; Averaged 151.4 yards per game receiving with 4 200-yard games including 10 catches for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. Oil City. Three of his last four games featured him going over 200 yards receiving, and he had nine 100-yard receiving games in 11 starts despite playing the first three games of the season without starting quarterback Matt Miller.

 

The Rehab Centre Defensive Player of the Year

Matt Collins, Sr., LB, Clearfield: Collins is the two-time Defensive Player of the Year after once again leading District 9 in tackles per game (14.8) while making 178 total stops. He led a Bison defense that allowed 13.1 points per game while giving up seven or fewer points in seven games with three shutouts and a fourth game where only a field goal was allowed. Collins added 2.5 sacks, an interception that he returned for a touchdown, four caused fumbles and two fumbles recoveries.

 

The Rehab Centre Rookie of the Year

Isaac Rumery, So., QB, Clearfield: Rumery was a key reason why the Bison repeated as Mountain League champions. He nearly threw for 2,000 yards going 108 of 204 for 1,957 yards and 19 touchdowns while 11 interceptions. A dual threat, he also ran 128 times for 575 yards and four touchdowns.

 

The Rehab Centre Coach of the Year

Mark Heindl, Ridgway: Heindl led the Elkers to a 10-3 record and the District 1A title. It was a six-win turnaround for Ridgway, which has transitioned seamlessly into a co-op with Johnsonburg thanks in part to Heindl’s leadership these past few seasons. The D9 title was the first for the school since 1989.

 

The Rehab Centre Special Teams Player of the Year

Kaiden Powers, Sr., PK, Karns City: Powers, who was also a standout on both sides of the football for the Gremlins, led District 9 in kick scoring with 72 points including going 54 of 62 on PATs and 6 of 8 on field goals with one of the misses being a 50-plus yard kick in the PIAA playoffs that served as punt. His long field goal of the year was 40 yards, and his kickoffs consistently helped the Gremlins defense by forcing the opponent into long fields.

 

The Rehab Centre Offensive Lineman of the Year

Keaton Rounsville, Sr., G, Kane: The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Rounsville was the unquestioned leader on the Wolves offense line that allowed Kane to average 353.6 yards per game including 199.7 on the ground and 153.9 through the air while scoring 37.3 points per game. Rounsville, who has been offered a walk-on opportunity at Penn State if he so chooses, helped Kane go 13-1 and win the D9 2A title (Kane’s third straight D9 title) while also helping the Wolves to the PIAA quarterfinals and their fifth consecutive D9-title berth.

 

The Rehab Centre Individual Performance of the Year

Isaac Rumery, So., QB, Clearfield: On Sept. 9, in just his third career start, Rumery showed the poise of a veteran signal caller marching the Bison 71 yards to the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute to play in a 30-28 win over eventual PIAA 3A semifinalist Central-Martinsburg. The game-winning scoring pass, a 35-yard strike to Micah Heichel, are the things legends are made of. With Clearfield facing fourth-and-7 at the Central 35 without a timeout, Rumery ran the no-huddle offense to perfection finding the open Heichel for the score. That capped a night that saw him throw for 311 yards and run for 74. He was 15 of 29 passing for 311 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception and got the 74 yards rushing on just eight carries.

The Rehab Centre Game of the Year

Sept. 9, 2016 – Clearfield 30, Central-Martinsburg 28: In the above-mentioned contest, Clearfield trailed 28-24 to the eventual PIAA 3A semifinalist Dragons and faced a fourth-and-7 from the Central 35 when Isaac Rumery hit Micah Heichel on a seam pass for the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute to play. The play was run out of the no-huddle offense with the Bison out of timeouts and completed a drive that started at the Clearfield 29-yard line. The Bison actually led 24-14 going into the fourth quarter only to watch Central rally behind a pair of touchdowns by do-everything running back Alex Hoenstine. Even after the eventual game-winning touchdown, Clearfield’s defense had to come up with some big plays after the Dragons moved to the Clearfield 39. Seth Caldwell and Eli Glass both had pass breakups and a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

The Rehab Centre Special Contributors of the Year

Rick Viglione, Assistant Coach Ridgway: Rick has done a bit of everything for the Ridgway football team for over 30 years. Since the mid-1980s he has assisted the program as a statistician, and in 1990 he joined the coaching ranks for the Ridgway Rockets and assisted in rejuvenating the midget football program. In 1997, Rick began assisting the varsity program in numerous roles beyond coaching and keeping statistics including as equipment manager and fill-in trainer. In addition, he has served as a mentor to both the players and the coaching staff on the field while doing the same off the field for the Ridgway community. In addition to his football duties, he has spent the last 25 years as a regular mainstay on the clock for the Ridgway wrestling team while also serving as a statistician and manager for the Ridgway Little League, High School and American Legion baseball programs.

“Over the Year, Coach Viglione has worn many hats and has had a tremendous impact on all who he has encountered,” Ridgway head football coach Mark Heindl said. “However, regardless of the role, one thing that is consistent is Coach Viglione’s passing has and always will be ‘what’s best for the player’. His grandfather figure has garnered him the nickname ‘Papa Vig’, and his actions and advice for the players over the years have left a lasting legacy that will be talked about for years to come.”

Chris Sullivan – Moniteau: Sullivan, a special needs kid is entering his fourth year with the Moniteau football program and does a little bit of everything for the Warriors. He attends every camp, practice and game with the team and he has a laundry list of duties that include:

• Being in charge of getting the pennies for the scout team and distributing and collecting them
• Getting ice and water each day
• Helping to sort the uniforms and numbering them up
• He does Gatorade on game day and also will usually be seen on the sidelines of games yelling and chest bumping his teammates
• Chris collects the cones and bags each night. He may even run a sprint or two if he feels up to it
• He will assist the trainer in any duties such as filling up the ice bath and carrying supplies
• He will catch balls for kicker Steven Fawcett when he has some down time

“Words can’t explain what he brings to my program,” Moniteau head coach Wade Vogan said.

THE REHAB CENTRE ALL-DISTRICT 9 FOOTBALL TEAM

Offensive

QB – Matt Miller, DuBois
RB – Erik DeLong, Kane
RB – Nick Stewart, Curwensville
WR – Kyle Hopson, DuBois
WR – Ray Maze, Kane
WR – Micah Heichel, Clearfield
OL – Dylan Fenton, Clearfield
OL – Carter Dunmyre, Karns City
OL – Keaton Rounsville, Kane
OL – Steven McClure, Curwensville
OL – Justin Kasmierski, Ridgway

DEFENSE

DL – Joe Kucenski, Elk County Catholic
DL – River Young, Clarion-Limestone
DL – Justin Kasmierski, Ridgway
DL – Jimmy Thompson, Karns City
LB – Matt Collins, Clearfield
LB – Mike Macefe, Clarion-Limestone
LB – Ryan Heary, Elk County Catholic
DB – Neil MacDonald, Ridgway
DB – Jeff Wehler, St. Marys
DB – Chandler Turner, Karns City
DB – Brock Barett, Redbank Valley

Special Teams
Placekicker – Kaiden Powers, Karns City
Punter – Ethan Riley, Punxsutawney

Athlete
Ryan Lezzer WR/DB, Clearfield

Special thanks to the following for providing photography for this story:
Logan Cramer III
Mike Schnelle
Paul Burdick
Shawn Murray