Camron Kirkland has over 1,000 all-purposes yards for Clarion this season	Matt Bodamer of Port Allegany is Pennsylvania's all-time leading passer with over 10,000 career yards
Photo by Eric Elliott -  http://eedigitalimages.zenfolio.com/	Photo by Paul Burdick - http://pburdick.smugmug.com

 

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By Chris Rossetti

BRADFORD – In what might be the most anticipated District 9 championship game ever, unbeaten Port Allegany will try to defend its title in a rematch with undefeated Clarion at 1 p.m. Saturday in Bradford.

The Gators (11-0) are trying to become the first District 9 Class A repeat champion since Coudersport in 2005 and 2006, while Clarion (12-0) is looking to avenge last year’s 35-34 title-game loss to Port Allegany.

“I don’t know how we won the game last year, to be honest,” Port Allegany head coach Mike Bodamer, who has led his team to the title game for the third straight year, said. “They just ran the ball down our throat in the first half.”

Port Allegany won last year’s title game in large part because of the play of quarterback Matt Bodamer, who threw for 380 yards and five touchdowns.

Matt Bodamer is back for another go round, and the four-year starter is now Pennsylvania’s all-time leading passer with 10,254 career yards, the first 10,000-yard career passer in state history, while also holding the state record with 131 touchdown passes. This year, he is completing a ridiculous 73 percent of his passes (182 of 249) for 3,257 yards and 46 scores. He needs four touchdown passes to tie Kyle Smith (Lancaster Catholic) for the single-season record in Pennsylvania with 50.

“I’ve been thinking about him ever since last year’s game,” Clarion head coach Larry Wiser said. “He releases the ball quickly, he has quick feet and he spreads the ball around.”

Bodamer is more than just a passer and is Port Allegany’s leading rusher with 673 yards and 11 touchdowns while breaking the 2,000-yard barrier for his career.

“They do throw a lot, but they can run the ball,” Wiser said. “Bodamer can take off at any time. He is a dual-threat in the Frank Tarkenton mode, the Michael Vick mode with his scramble ability. We put a lot of pressure on him last year, and he made some big runs on us in that game.”

What makes Bodamer especially dangerous as a quarterback is the stable of talent receivers he has to throw to.

Port Allegany is only the second team in District 9 history with two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season joining the 2009 Brockway Rovers.

Senior Tyce Miller leads the way with a District 9-best 1,276 yards on 65 catches with 17 touchdowns, while fellow senior Nick Conway ranks third in D9 with 54 catches for 1,044 yards and a district-leading 19 touchdowns. Rickie Bova (29 catches, 385 yards, 6 TDs) and Trey Miller (20 catches, 385 yards, 1 TD) give Matt Bodamer four legitimate weapons at receiver making it a challenge for any defense to cover.

“Mixing things up defensively is a priority,” Wiser said.

Port Allegany, though, isn’t just about passing the football. The Gators in recent weeks have added a running game behind the steady running of senior Trent Neal and the new-found explosiveness of junior Tyler Shaffer.

Neal is the second-leading rusher for Port Allegany with 638 yards and seven touchdowns, while Shaffer is adding 374 yards and eight scores with most of his yardages coming over the latter half of the season. He is averaging an amazing 13.9 yards per carry.

“It’s just like us looking at Clarion,” Mike Bodamer said. “We try to come with as many different options as we can. Trent is more between the tackles. When Shaffer gets it, you have to adjust the speed outside.”

While Port Allegany presents a challenge to any defense, Clarion is no slouch on that side of the football. The Bobcats allow a District-leading 9.6 points per game and give up only 173.4 yards per contest including 55.7 yards per game passing. Clarion has sacked opposing quarterbacks 37 times, an average of 3.1 per game.

“They send pressure all over the place,” Mike Bodamer said. “Matt is used to seeing pressure and most of the time he is able to make plays with his feet.”

Clarion’s defense is led by linebackers T.J. Armstrong, a senior, and Damien Slike, a junior, as well as junior safety Cody Hearst and sophomore defensive lineman Ian Corbett and Destin Strauser.

Armstrong, who hurt is arm in Clarion’s playoff opener with Smethport two weeks ago, played virtually one-armed in a 35-14 semifinal win over Brockway last week but still made seven tackles giving him 94 tackles on the year with five sacks.

“Armstrong, even though last week he played with one arm, was effective,” Mike Bodamer said. “When he blitzes, he comes awful hard. Trent (Neal) and (Tyler) Shaffer are definitely going to have to do their job pass protecting.”

Slike adds 87 tackles and six sacks, Hearst has 75 stops with a team-leading three interceptions, while Corbett has 63 tackles and eight sacks and Strauser 62 tackles and a team-leading 11 sacks.

“Our goal every week is to give up zero points,” Wiser said. “If something else prevails, we will adjust. I’m sure everyone’s expecting a high-scoring game.”

The reason folks are expecting another shootout is because Clarion’s offense is pretty good in its own right.

The Bobcats average 42.3 points per game and nearly 400 yards of offense (387.8 per contest) while using a balanced approach both in terms of passing and running and in terms of personal.

Junior quarterback John Katis is already the single-season passing leader (1,528 yards) and touchdown-leader (22) in school history while completing nearly 60 percent (80 of 142) of his throws.

Hearst, a junior, is his top target with 30 catches, many of them of the highlight-reel variety, for 690 yards and nine scores.

Senior Z-back Camron Kirkland adds a multi-dimensional threat to the offense with 29 catches for 543 yards and five touchdowns and 77 carries for 733 yards and seven scores.

Slike, a junior, is the leading rusher with 833 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Armstrong, who isn’t expected to be able to play on offense for the second straight week with the arm injury, has 820 yards and a team-leading 14 scores. In Armstrong’s absence, Corbett takes over at tailback. He has 402 yards and six scores on the year.

“We have been pretty balanced this year,” Wiser said. “I don’t think there is going to be a change in that philosophy”

Clarion’s offense will be challenged by an underrated Port Allegany defense that has allowed only 115 points this season (10.5 ppg) with a lot of that coming against the Gators junior varsity.

“They have speed to the ball and tough kids,” Wiser said. “Two elements you need in a good defense. Because their offense tends to score quickly, their defense is on the field a lot more than the offense.”

The leader of the Port Allegany defense is senior Alex Gular, who has 106 tackles, while fellow seniors Johnny Sena (51 stops) and Victor Bandish (46 tackles) and Nick Budd (35 tackles, 7 sacks) also play key roles. Matt Bodamer has a team-leading four interceptions and has shown an ability to score on defense as well.

One wild card in the game could be the weather. Current forecasts as of early Wednesday morning for Bradford are calling for temperatures in the low 30s that feel like the teens with possible snow showers and winds gusting up to 24 MPH, not great conditions for Port Allegany’s spread offense.

“Playing in Pennsylvania in December, you have to deal with cold and whatever Mother Nature throws at you,” Mike Bodamer said. “I don’t think the cold affects us. As long as it’s not wet and slick we should be fine.”

NOTES – This is the first District 9 Class A title game rematch since 1991 and 1992 when Smethport beat Clarion-Limestone both years … It is the first matchup of two unbeaten teams in the District 9 Class A title game since 10-0 Curwensville beat 10-0 Clarion 23-0 in 2000 … Port Allegany is the first team to make three straight Class A title game (the Gators lost to Curwensville 37-21 in 2010) since C-L did it three straight years from 2002-2004 winning the first two and dropping the third one … Clarion is making its fourth Class A title game appearance in the last five years. The Bobcats lost to Cameron County in 2008 and beat Coudersport in 2009 … It is Port Allegany’s fifth District 9 Class A title game appearance all time. The Gators are 1-3 winning their first title last year after being District 9 runner-up in 1988, 2003 and 2010. Port Allegany was also the Class AA runner-up in 1996 and 1997 … Clarion is making its 10^th District 9 Class A title game appearance, the most in Class A in District 9 history. The Bobcats are 2-7 in those games winning titles in 1997 and 2009 and losing in 1987, 1990, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2011 … Clarion is 12-0 for the first time in school history and the 12 wins are a school record … Port Allegany is 11-0 for the first time in school history and the 11 victories are the second most in school history behind last year’s 12 (12-2) ... The Port Allegany-Clarion winner plays the winner of the District 10 title game between West Middlesex and Sharpsville in the PIAA quarterfinals.