By Rich Rhoades

CLARION — It’s new territory for the Kane Wolves, but they’re not alone.

The District 9 Class A football champions are one win away from making a trip to the state championship game in Hershey. Standing in their way are the Serra Catholic Eagles. They’ll meet in the PIAA semifinals Friday night at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Both 14-0 squads — the Pennsylvania Football News had Serra and Kane ranked No. 1 and 4 respectively before last week — are making their first appearance in the state semifinals, so a win from either team will land a new team in the state finals for the first time.

Kane is coming off a 12-7 win over District 10 champion Mercyhurst Prep last Saturday in Erie. Serra Catholic beat District 5 champion North Star, 34-28, to advance.

Serra Catholic won its second WPIAL (District 7) title and first since 1981, so the Eagles are newcomers to the Class A state scene that has been dominated, in the Western Region, by other WPIAL powers like Rochester, Farrell and Duquesne.

Those teams have had their success against District 9 over the years. In 20 years since the state playoff system was initiated, D9’s Class A teams have reached the state semis nine teams and have lost seven times. Six of those losses have come to WPIAL teams.

Rochester beat Smethport twice (1991 and 1998) and Curwensville once (2004). Farrell beat Smethport twice (1990 and 1995) and Duquesne turned back Coudersport last year. In 1988, East Brady lost to District 10’s Cambridge Springs.

Kane will try to become the first District 9 team, period, to reach the state finals since Smethport made the 1992 Class A title game in Altoona. The Hubbers lost to Scotland School, 24-7. Keystone is the only other D9 team to make the finals back in 1989 when it fell to Dunmore, 57-18, in the Class A state final.

This will be the third time in the last four years that District 9 has put a team in the Class A state semifinals. Can Kane get it done? Why not? The Wolves have played tough, hard-nosed football all year long and their 14^th win of the year was no different.

The Wolves trailed Mercyhurst Prep, 7-0, at intermission, then scored two touchdowns in the third quarter. Matt Mix had a huge 84-yard touchdown run and quarterback Zach Anderson tossed an 8-yard TD pass to John Bizzak to put Kane ahead for good.

Kane outgained Prep, 289-172, and picked off Lakers quarterback Marshall Huntsman three times, two of them by D.J. Horton. For the year, the Wolves have 33 interceptions.

Mix’s big run helped him finish with 120 yards on only nine carries. Anderson was 9 of 16 for 93 yards. That raised his season to 2,112 yards passing and 22 touchdowns. Dustin Moran leads the Wolves with 1,250 yards rushing while Mix hiked his season total to 533 yards rushing. Bizzak now has 585 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

Serra is run-heavy with three players with 1,000 yards rushing or more. Leading the way is Isaiah Jackson, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound Division I college recruit, with 1,538 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns.

Chris Loving is a two-way threat, with 1,211 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns, averaging a whopping 11.4 yards per carry. He leads the team with 22 receptions for 493 yards and six touchdowns. Nine receptions and 210 yards have come in the last two games.

Quarterback T.J. Heatherington has rushed for 1,080 yards and 14 touchdowns while passing for 910 yards and 13 scores. He’s attempted only 86 passes all season.

Hershey awaits the winner, next Friday, December 14^th at 1 p.m. District 3 champion Steelton-Highspire (11-3) plays District 4 champion Bloomsburg (13-1) in the other semifinal game this Saturday in Hershey at 1 p.m.