2012 DISTRICT 9 CLASS AA PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

Predications

By Rich Rhoades

Thanks to a surprising 1-8 season by defending champion Moniteau, there will definitely be a new champion in Class AA this season. And in a season that started with what looked to be an up-for-grabs chase for the title, Karns City has the top seed and the edge as the favorite going into the postseason.

While Karns City, Brookville and St. Marys have all played each other this year with Karns City going 2-0 against the Raiders and Dutch, Kane is the unknown factor out of the Allegheny Mountain League. The Wolves move up to Class AA for the first time since 2009.

This is the first year that the semifinals have been played at home field since 2007.

BROOKVILLE (3) at KANE (2)

WHEN/WHERE? Friday, Kane Area High School, 7 p.m.

WINNER PLAYS: Karns City/St. Marys winner, Nov. 16 or 17 at a site and time to be announced.

GAME NOTES: The Raiders and Wolves haven’t met on the football field since 1966 when the Wolves won a non-conference game at home, 27-6. It’s the 16^th meeting between the teams who were non-conference opponents on a regular basis back in the 1940s and 50s. While the Wolves head into the postseason on a four-game winning streak, the Raiders have lost three of their last four games, albeit to unbeaten Clarion, 8-1 DuBois and top-seeded Karns City.

ABOUT THE BROOKVILLE RAIDERS

Roster; Stats; Schedule

HEAD COACH: Chris Dworek

2012 RECORD: 6-4

RECORD VS. PLAYOFF FIELD: 1-1 (19-15 win over St. Marys Week 3; 45-20 loss to Karns City Week 9).

TOP PLAYERS: Junior RB/LB Zach Vroman (1,017 yards rushing, 6 TDs; 2 PR for touchdowns); junior RB/DB Brodie Zacherl (907 yards rushing, 6 TDs); Senior QB/DB Cameron Yard (37-for-96, 574 yards, 9 TDs, 6 Ints.; 642 yards rushing, 10 TDs); Senior LB Nathan Bonfardine.

NOTABLE: The Raiders are run-heavy and Zacherl is 93 yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards to give the team two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the second time in team history. Yard is a threat running the ball from the QB spot as well and he leads the team with 10 touchdowns and has had a hand in 19 of the team’s 31 offensive touchdowns. … The Raiders average 257 yards per game rushing and 57.4 yards passing … The Raiders have won one playoff game since their last title in 2006, a semifinal win over Moniteau in 2010. … Dworek has 99 wins as a Raiders coach. … The Raiders have turned the ball over 25 times this year, including 17 in the last five games. Their turnover ratio is minus-7 for the season. … The Raiders’ lone win against a team with a non-losing record is St. Marys (19-15 in Week 3). The six teams the Raiders beat are a combined 12-45.

PREVIOUS DISTRICT 9 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES/LAST: 19/2011 (lost in Class AA semifinals to Karns City)

DISTRICT TITLES/LAST TITLE: 6/2006

ABOUT THE KANE WOLVES

Roster; Stats; Schedule

HEAD COACH: Todd Silfies

2012 RECORD: 6-3

RECORD VS. PLAYOFF FIELD: 0-0

TOP PLAYERS: Senior QB Sean Jordan (103-for-201, 1,398 yards, 17 TDs, 9 Ints.; 7 TDs rushing), senior RB Jonah Smith (1,048 yards rushing, 9 TDs; 9 catches, 125 yards, 2 TDs receiving), Junior TE Jeff Kocjancic (48 catches, 539 yards, 9 TDs) and senior WR Sean Rollick (32 catches, 527 yards, 3 TDs).

NOTABLE: Silfies, in his first year, directed the Wolves to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus despite starting the year 2-3 with losses to unbeaten Port Allegany, Allegheny Mountain League South champion Brockway and Curwensville. …  In 2010, the Wolves lost their Class A opener to Redbank Valley. … Kane won four of its five playoff games in 2007 when it won the Class A title and then beat Mercyhurst Prep in its PIAA opener before losing to Serra Catholic in the state semifinals. … The Wolves average 155 yards passing per game and 170 yards rushing. … The six teams Kane beat this year are a combined 21-36 with Elk County Catholic (7-2) being the only team with a winning record. … In 2008 and 2009, Kane lost both Class AA playoff openers to Karns City. … Lead the Class AA playoff field at 27.4 points per game and points allowed at 19.6 points per game.

PREVIOUS DISTRICT 9 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES/LAST: 7 (2 Class AA in 2008 and 2009)/2010 in Class A (15-0 loss to Redbank Valley in quarterfinals)

DISTRICT TITLES/LAST TITLE: 1/2007 (Class A)

ST. MARYS (4) at KARNS CITY (1)

WHEN/WHERE? Friday, Karns City High School, 7 p.m.

WINNER PLAYS: Brookville/Kane winner, Nov. 16 or 17 at a site and time to be announced.

GAME NOTES: These teams squared off in the season-opener at Karns City with the Gremlins notching the win. Wyatt Everetts and Tyler Kepple each had scoring runs of 80 yards or more and five different Gremlins scored touchdowns as Karns City outgained St. Marys in an offensive shootout, 447-392. Kepple threw for 128 yards and ran for 95 yards. The Dutch got 163 yards on 33 carries from Alex Feldbauer, who ran for two touchdowns. Joe Luchini ran for 86 yards on 14 carries.

ABOUT THE ST. MARYS FLYING DUTCHMEN

Roster; Stats; Schedule

HEAD COACH: Joe Schlimm

2012 RECORD: 5-5

RECORD VS. PLAYOFF FIELD: 0-2 (38-25 loss to Karns City Week 1; 19-15 loss to Brookville Week 3).

TOP PLAYERS: Junior RB Alex Feldbauer (1,596 yards, 23 TDs), senior RB Joe Luchini (694 yards, 3 TDs), senior RB Cody Baker (545 yards, 5 TDs).

NOTABLE: The Dutch had to win three of their final four games after a 2-4 start to secure a playoff berth with a .500 record, including last week’s 24-0 win over Bellefonte. The Dutch have never played a Class AA playoff game with their first five postseason games in Class AAA, including last year’s title game loss to Clearfield. The Dutch’s lone playoff win came in the 2007 Class AAA semifinals in a 30-14 win over Clearfield. They lost to Bradford in the finals, 17-0. … To say the Dutch like to run is an understatement. They average 303.9 yards per game on the ground and have attempted just 50 passes all season. The Dutch’s 198 yards passing is the lowest single-season total by any district team known in the D9Sports.Com era dating back to 2000. Feldbauer owns the team record for single-season rushing yardage and ranks second in the district behind DuBois’ Garrett Brown. Luchini and Baker will get carries as well. Baker ran for over 1,300 yards last year.  … The teams St. Marys beat this year are a combined 6-42. … Lead the Class AA playoff field in point differential at 8.8 points per game.

PREVIOUS DISTRICT 9 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES/LAST: 4/2011 (All in Class AAA, including a 28-7 loss to Clearfield in the 2011 title game)

DISTRICT TITLES/LAST TITLE: None

ABOUT THE KARNS CITY GREMLINS

Roster; Stats; Schedule

HEAD COACH: Ed Conto

2012 RECORD: 7-3

RECORD VS. PLAYOFF FIELD: 2-0 (38-25 win over St. Marys Week 1; 45-20 win over Brookville Week 9)

TOP PLAYERS: QB Tyler Kepple (57-for-120, 857 yards, 8 TDs, 6 Ints.; 446 yards rushing, 4 TDs), RB Wyatt Everetts (585 yards rushing, 6 TDs), RB Zach Moore (365 yards rushing, 5 TDs), RB Dakota Mohney (360 yards rushing, 6 TDs), WR Matt Conto (17 catches, 233 yards, 1 TD).

NOTABLE: Not surprisingly, it’s a cast of thousands for Conto’s Gremlins, who battled through an injury-filled season that saw them lose 1,000-yard running back Glenn Toy to a preseason knee injury. Five different Gremlins have rushed for at least 200 yards, led by Everetts and nine different players have rushed for touchdowns. Kepple is a playmaker from the QB spot. … The Gremlins average 264.5 yards rushing per game and 87 yards passing. … The Gremlins have won two of three games against St. Marys since the Dutch joined the KSAC in 2010. … The teams Karns City has beaten are a combined 23-46. In 16 trips to the postseason, the Gremlins are 17-8 with eight championships and they’re 8-5 in 13 trips to the finals. They’ve reached the finals five of the last six seasons with three titles.

PREVIOUS DISTRICT 9 PLAYOFF APPEARANCES/LAST: 16/2011 (lost in finals to Moniteau)

DISTRICT TITLES/LAST TITLE: 8/2009 Class AA