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By Rich Rhoades
As the regular season hits the halfway mark in a Week 5
filled with several key games, the 15-game schedule gets under
way a day earlier this week with Redbank Valley visiting Clarion
at Clarion University Thursday night.
The traditional Autumn Leaf Festival Thursday night game
has the 3-1 Bobcats taking on the 2-2 Bulldogs. Both are coming
off painful losses, Clarion dropping a 20-6 game to visiting
Punxsutawney and Redbank Valley losing in overtime at home to
Brookville.
It’s the oldest rivalry in the Keystone Shortway Athletic
Conference as the Bulldogs and Bobcats are meeting for the 84th
time. Clarion leads the all-time series, 42-36-5. Last year, the
teams split two games with Clarion winning 19-0 in the Class A
playoffs.
Even with the loss, the Bobcats are certainly still in
the KSAC hunt if they can run the table in the conference,
including a win at unbeaten Karns City on Oct. 16. Bubba Rue
leads the Bobcats with 468 yards rushing, but is coming off a
67-yard effort against the Chucks.
Speaking of the Chucks, their win on the CUP turf last
Friday over the Bobcats served notice that perhaps their future
is now in the KSAC title hunt. Chucks sophomore quarterback
Logan Weaver (172 yards rushing, 543 yards passing) ranks
seventh in the district in total offense and his 112.9 QB rating
ranks second among regular passers.
This week, the Chucks (2-2) host winless A-C Valley (0-4)
Friday. The Falcons’ losing streak is up to 35 straight games.
In other Friday KSAC games, unbeaten Karns City (4-0)
hosts Keystone (3-1) in a key matchup at the top of the
standings. The Gremlins defense has given up only five
touchdowns this season. Against the Panthers, they’ll be
focusing on quarterback Dan Reed, who ranks second in the
district in total offense with 851 yards passing and 259 yards
rushing. He’s thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for five.
Aaron Markle leads Karns City with 340 yards rushing and
six touchdowns. Quarterback Dylan Hipple has passed for 451
yards and five scores.
Brookville (1-3) hosts Clarion-Limestone (1-3) in its
homecoming game. The Raiders notched their first official win of
the year in dramatic overtime fashion last week at Redbank
Valley. Junior receiver-linebacker Jared Heschke ranks fourth in
the district with 356 yards receiving on 19 catches with four
touchdowns. He leads the district with 16 tackles per game.
Moniteau (2-2) hosts Union (1-3).
Four weeks of crossover division matchups are over in the
Allegheny Mountain League where the South won by a slim margin
of 13-11. The next five weeks are division games, which will
certainly be needed to sort out a jammed-up South Division where
Brockway is 3-1 while Curwensville, Ridgway, Kane, Johnsonburg
and Elk County Catholic are all 2-2.
This week, Brockway’s trip to Curwensville just might be
the deciding game in the division, although it’s early. The
Rovers haven’t won at Curwensville in four tries since the two
joined the AML back in 1999. The Golden Tide have won seven of
their 10 meetings with the Rovers, but they’ve alternated wins
the last six years.
Rovers junior quarterback Derek Buganza made plenty of
headlines with last week’s state-record 594-yard, 6-TD
performance in a 74-28 win at Otto-Eldred that earned him the
RRR Roadhouse D9Sports.Com District 9 Football Player of the
Week honor. For the year, he’s passed for 1,518 yards,
completing 92 of 136 passes with 14 touchdowns and seven
interceptions.
The numbers put him in a realistic chase for the district
season-record yardage mark of 3,224 by Clearfield’s Chad Kroell
back in 1994. Even with a season and a half, barring injury,
remaining in his career, Buganza finds himself in select company
in District 9 passing history. His 594-yard effort put him over
4,000 career yards, which makes him just the sixth passer to
reach that milestone in district history. Career numbers of
known 3,000-yard or more passers are listed below. Player’s
senior season listed:
Yards
TD
Mike DeFilippi, Smethport (1999)
6,638
59
Chad Kroell, Clearfield (1994)
6,088
79
Adam Black, Keystone (2001)
5,338
55
Tyler Armagost, Moniteau (2008)
5,278
52
Tom Pore, Keystone (1997)
4,504
46
Derek Buganza, Brockway (2010)
4,441
42
Hayden Johnston, C-L (2004)
4,401
70
Jon Guth, Brookville (1993)
4,033
29
Jim Kelly, East Brady (1977)
3,915
44
Ben Marzullo, Brookville (1999)
3,710
32
Boomer Wetzel, Coudersport (2007)
3,637
42
Andrew Janocko, Clearfield (2005)
3,615
28
Jeremy McCool, Keystone (1989)
3,484
31
Jarrin Campman, Clearfield (2008)
3,217
29
Jake Smith, Redbank Valley (2007)
3,221
43
Tanner Kelly, Clearfield (2004)
3,063
24
Through Week 4
Kroell’s 49 TD passes in 1994 is still a state record and
his 79 career TD passes, which used to be a state record, is
still obviously the district record.
Buganza’s top receivers are Mike Vervoort (33 catches,
589 yards, 8 TDs), whose yardage ranks first in the district,
Zack Freemer (20-430-2) and Jake Shaffer (17-302-2).
Curwensville, obviously, will try to force pressure on
Buganza and bring its familiar physical style of football to
Friday’s game. The Tide are coming off two straight losses to
Coudersport and Cameron County. Last week’s loss to the Red
Raiders was the second OT setback to Cameron in as many years.
Jed Greslick leads the Tide with 417 yards rushing and
five touchdowns. Quarterback Sam Gardner has passed for 268
yards and rushed for 127.
In other AML South games, Elk County Catholic (2-2) and
its district-leading rusher Ricky Pearsall (776 yards, 10 TDs)
travels to Kane (2-2). Johnsonburg (2-2) visits Ridgway (2-2) in
what will be the 105th meeting between next-door
rivals. The Elkers lead the all-time series, 49-47-8, but the
Rams have won four of the last five games, including a 34-6
decision last year.
With 3-1 Port Allegany lurking, it could be too early to
call the winner of the Cameron County (4-0) at Coudersport (3-1)
game the eventual champion of the AML North. Andy Lippert leads
the unbeaten Red Raiders with 532 yards rushing and six
touchdowns as well as being the team’s second-leading tackler.
Quarterback Jason Blose has passed for 225 yards and rushed for
187.
Coudersport, like Cameron a very ground-oriented team,
has two running backs in Kevin Wolfinger (279 yards) and Tim
McCusker (259) leading the way.
Speaking of Port Allegany, the Gators travel to Smethport
(0-4). Seth Lowery leads the Gators with 527 yards rushing and
six touchdowns.
In
the district’s lone Saturday afternoon game, Sheffield (1-3)
hosts Otto-Eldred (0-4).
Looking at the Mountain Athletic Conference, Clearfield (2-2)
hosts Lewistown (2-2) in a Nittany Division game. The Bisons are
led by quarterback Curtis Frye (884 yards passing, 7 TDs, 7
Ints.) and his top receiving target Trey Campman (25 catches,
484 yards). St. Marys (3-1), coming off its first loss of the
year against Huntingdon, hosts Penns Valley (1-3).
In
the MAC-Seven Mountains Division, the DuBois Beavers (3-1)
travel to Lock Haven to take on Central Mountain (2-2). Beavers
quarterback Josh Means ranks sixth in the district in total
offense with 412 yards passing and 316 yards rushing. The
Wildcats are led by running back Scott Zuback, who’s rushed for
534 yards and seven touchdowns.
Up
in District 10 territory, the Bradford Owls are looking for
their third 5-0 start in four years when they visit Meadville
(1-3). Pat Pascarella’s 696 yards rushing ranks second in the
district. He’s scored 11 touchdowns.
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