With the final week of a full schedule in District 9 football coming up this weekend, plenty is at stake for several teams as conference titles and playoff berths are on the line.

Leading the way is the big Allegheny Mountain-South Division showdown in Curwensville where the 6-2 Golden Tide host the 5-3 Kane Wolves.

A Curwensville win puts the Tide in the AML Championship game for the first time since a three-year title game run ended in 2006. If Kane wins and Brockway takes care of Ridgway, the Rovers would head to the title game next week against Cameron County for their first appearance since 2003.

So Kane, the two-time defending AML champions, will try to play a spoiler and clinch a Class AA playoff berth with a win.

Arie Paup (549 yards, 8 TDs) and Dylan Eckstrom (332 yards) lead the Wolves’ run-heavy offense. The Golden Tide aren’t much different, but do have bigger numbers with the second-leading rusher in the district in Jed Greslick (1,128 yards, 13 TDs) who has gained 100 or more yards in seven straight games.

The other AML game with any meaning, Johnsonburg (3-5) visits Elk County Catholic (3-5) with the winner landing the seventh Class A playoff berth. ECC could get in with a loss and a lot of help. Rick Pearsall leads the Crusaders with 1,010 yards rushing and 11 TDs, his yardage ranking fifth in the district. Rams quarterback Andy Nortum needs 15 yards to go over 1,000 yards passing for the season.

For more in-depth playoff discussion, read below.

In the rest of the AML, unbeaten Cameron County (8-0) hosts Smethport (1-7) and Port Allegany (5-3) travels to Otto-Eldred (1-7). In the lone Saturday game in the district, Coudersport (6-2) visits Sheffield (2-6) in a 1:30 p.m. start.

In the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference, four of the five games have some type of playoff implication. The only one that doesn’t is Karns City (7-1) hosting winless A-C Valley (0-8). The Gremlins winning clinches at least a share of the KSAC title with Punxsutawney, assuming the Chucks win this week against Keystone and next week against Brookville. Even though the Gremlins beat the Chucks, the KSAC doesn’t use a head-to-head tiebreaker in determining a champion.

Every other game has at least postseason undertones. Clarion (6-2) hosts Brookville (3-5) at Clarion University. The Bobcats clinch the top KSAC Class A playoff seed with a win and the Raiders have to win and then beat Punxsutawney next week and hope Kane loses this week to Curwensville. The Raiders have missed the playoffs only once since 1991.

In perhaps the most interesting matchup in the KSAC this week, Punxsutawney (6-2) hosts Keystone (6-2). The Chucks probably need to win out to make the Class AAA playoffs while Keystone is playing for positioning in the Class A playoffs. If the Panthers win and Clarion loses to Brookville, the Panthers will take the top KSAC seed. A win regardless would give the Panthers a home playoff game.

The game features two of the top quarterbacks in the district. Senior Dan Reed (1,497 yards, 15 TDs, 11 Ints.), who has passed for just 92 yards with four interceptions in the last two weeks, much of it weather related, leads the Panthers while sophomore Logan Weaver (1,021 yards, 12 TDs, 2 Ints.) leads the Chucks. Reed and Weaver rank second and fourth respectively in passing yardage.

At Redbank Valley, the 3-5 Bulldogs host the resurgent Moniteau Warriors (5-3), who are coming off a win over Karns City. The Warriors are looking to lock up a playoff spot as are the Bulldogs if they win.

Union (2-6) actually has a shot at earning a top eight playoff berth in Class A if it beats Clarion-Limestone (1-7) at home this week and Brookville can win one of its final two games. That might be tough considering the Knights’ starting quarterback Zach Corle will be out after getting thrown out of last week’s game with Punxsutawney. The PIAA mandates a one-game suspension after a player is ejected from a game. C-L’s Dan Miller needs 72 yards to reach 4,000 career yards passing.

Two interesting matchups in the Mountain Athletic Conference’s Nittany Division feature District 9 teams. Clearfield (5-3) hosts Huntingdon (6-2). The Bisons have to have the rarest of distinctions of beating a state-ranked team Central-Martinsburg last week after losing to winless Bald Eagle Area a few weeks ago this late into a season.

Central, handed its first loss last week by the Bisons and knocked out of the Pennsylvania Football News’ state rankings, will try to rebound this week at home against 6-2 St. Marys. The Dutch, needing to win at least one of their remaining two games to get a Class AAA playoff berth. Dutch running back Kevin Hoy’s 1,239 yards lead the district.

Two other District 9 teams take on a couple of powerful teams from Erie. The DuBois Beavers (4-4), who have slipped to fourth in the District 6-8-9 Sub-Region standings, hosts Strong Vincent (6-2).

Bradford (6-2), losers of two straight after starting the season with six straight wins, hosts Cathedral Prep (5-2). Bradford lost Strong Vincent in Week 7, 42-0, three weeks after Prep routed Vincent, 46-0. The Owls’ Pat Pascarella needs 22 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards.

PLAYOFF WATCH

(Editor’s Note: With the help of Chris Rossetti, this clears up some of the mess created by miscalculations of point standings in previous previews and stories)

CLASS A

http://www.d9sports.com/20092010/Football/Standings/ClassAPlayoff.htm

Cameron County, Clarion, Curwensville, Keystone, Coudersport and Port Allegany have clinched playoff berths. The final two spots, assuming the teams accept the berths with losing records, will be decided between Elk County Catholic, Johnsonburg, Redbank Valley, and yes, even Union.

The Golden Knights (2-6), who have never been to the District 9 postseason, need to  beat Clarion-Limestone (1-7), have Redbank Valley (3-5) lose to Moniteau (5-3) and Ridgway (2-6) fall to Brockway (6-2).

The Johnsonburg-Elk County Catholic winner will clinch a playoff spot. The loser may or may not have a chance to still earn a playoff berth.

Assuming Ridgway does lose to Brockway, Redbank Valley gets in with a win over Moniteau or an Elk County Catholic win over Johnsonburg. Union must also lose to Clarion-Limestone.

Johnsonburg will not earn a top eight playoff berth if it loses to ECC. Elk County Catholic, on the other hand, would if Union and Redbank Valley lose this week.

Clarion and Keystone both have Class A playoff berths locked up, but both are playing for home playoff games this week.

The Bobcats will clinch the No. 1 spot from the KSAC and along with it a top-two seed with a win over Brookville. A Clarion loss coupled with a Keystone (6-2) win at Punxsutawney would give the Panthers one of the top-two seeds.

Even if Clarion wins, Keystone can secure at least a No. 4 seed with a win over Punxsutawney. A loss to the Chucks, would drop the Panthers into the bottom half of the bracket and a first-round game on the road.

CLASS AA

Karns City and Brockway are in and Moniteau is on the verge of locking up the third spot in the four-team bracket.

Brookville finds itself fighting for its survival. The Raiders must beat Clarion on the road and then hope for either a Kane (5-3) loss to Curwensville (6-2) or a Moniteau loss to Redbank Valley. If both Kane and Moniteau win, then Brookville is out. If one of them loses and the Raiders win, Brookville would still have to beat Punxsutawney next week to get in.

Moniteau can lock up a Class AA spot with a win over Redbank Valley, a Brookville loss to Clarion or a Kane loss to Curwensville. If Moniteau loses and both Brookville and Kane win, the Warriors could still get in if Brookville falls to Punxsutawney in Week 10.

CLASS AAA

Speaking of Punxsutawney, the Chucks are pretty much in a must-win situation as well considering District 9 only takes two Class AAA teams to the postseason. Right now, Punxsutawney has 570 District 9 Power Points – the criteria used to determine the Class AAA field – and is tied with Clearfield (5-3) in third place. Bradford (6-2) leads the pack with 730 points and St. Marys (6-2) is second with 620.