DuBOIS, Pa. (EYT/D9) — The schedule said the Redbank Valley football team had a bye before its first District 9 Class A playoff game.
Bulldog coach Blane Gold and his staff decided otherwise.
(Pictured above, Redbank Valley freshman quarterback Braylon Wagner looks for an open receiver/photo by Madison McFarland)
Instead of sitting around for two weeks and waiting to play again, Redbank scrimmaged District 10 power Farrell last Thursday.
Turned out to be a good move for a team that had built back some momentum in the final two weeks of the regular season.
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“Not too many coaches are crazy enough to scrimmage a team like Farrell during the season,” Gold said, chuckling. “We’re hoping that work and some of the stuff we learned and some of the game plan stuff that we put into play last week will translate to Saturday.”
Redbank Valley (9-1) will take on Brockway (7-4), which won big over Coudersport in the first round, at 1 p.m. on Saturday at DuBois in the district semifinal.
The other semifinal pits Keystone against No. 1 seed Port Allegany.
Gold thought it was important to get game action instead of sitting idle.
“We didn’t go full pads — we went helmets and should pads — and we did a lot of one-on-ones,” Gold said. “Our linemen went for a solid hour and a half. We’re going one on ones in the run game and pass game for a solid hour and a half. Defensively, we were doing our best to match up against their speed — that’s next level type of speed that you see there. But it was good for us because that’s going to prepare us for the similar type of stuff that we’re gonna see against Brockway.”
It was also good experience for a freshman quarterback who will be making only his fourth start.
Braylon Wagner has played exceptionally well since being called upon to run Redbank’s dangerous offense.
He’s completed 47 of 77 for 693 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
Because he played junior varsity, too, he’s developed a close bond with sophomore receiver Rylan Rupp, who has also taken over a big role in the offense. Rupp has eight receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown.
“The last two games (Rupp) has really played well,” Gold said. “He made some big-time catches against (Central Clarion), including a touchdown over the middle. Both (Wagner) and (Rupp) are young guys who have stepped into spots that were occupied by very proven players. I can’t say enough about the effort that those two young guys have put forth.”
Of course, the Bulldogs also have the usual suspects. Speedsters Aiden Ortz and Tate Minich continue to shine, combining for 96 receptions for 1,466 yards and 21 touchdowns.
It’s the Redbank speed that has Brockway coach Jake Heigel concerned.
“They have a ton of weapons on offense,” Heigel said. “You can’t really simulate that speed. I think that’s why film becomes crucial. Watching film, you have to understand how fast people are.”
Of course, it’s not as if Brockway’s roster is full of tortoises. There’s a fair share of hares as well.
(Brockway quarterback Brayden Fox/photo by Madison McFarland)
Braydon Fox is the beneficiary of all those Rover weapons. The sophomore has put up big numbers again this season with 2,448 yards and 31 TDs. He threw seven scoring passes in the 62-6 win over Coudersport.
Alex Carlson has 85 receptions for 1,010 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Andrew Brubaker has hauled in 29 passes and Dylan Hanna has 27 catches and nine TDs.
The key lately, though, for the Rovers has been the running of junior Jendy Cuello, who now has 1,120 yards on 189 carries.
He rushed for 182 yards three weeks ago against Redbank in a 34-28 loss, and has four straight 100-yard rushing games.
“We’re playing team football,” Heigel said. “It’s a collective effort. If you look at us, you’re going to see a football team, not an individual. I really like our team. I like where our heads are at and love, love the way that our guys kind of feed off each other. There’s no selfishness involved.”
Brockway is also aware it lacks the experience that Redbank has in the playoffs.
The Bulldogs reached the PIAA Class A title game last year.
The Rovers just won their first postseason game since 2018.
“There’s no substitution for the experience that Redbank has,” Heigel said. “There’s not. They have winners on their team. They have a winning mentality. They understand what it takes. We have guys from DuBois Central Catholic who won a state title in baseball, but our guys had to work on it to translate it to football.
“It really boils down to a couple of plays, two or three plays, and our guys are starting to understand that.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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