2012 DISTRICT 9 CLASS A SEMIFINALS

No. 5 Elk County Catholic (8-2) vs. No. 1 Port Allegany (10-0)

When: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16

Where: Bradford’s Parkway Field

Rosters: ECC; Port Allegany

Stats: ECC; Port Allegany

Schedules: ECC; Port Allegany 

How they got here: 

Port Allegany: The Gators earned the No. 1 seed in the Class A field and received a first-round bye when both Coudersport and A-C Valley declined the No. 8 seed.

Elk County Catholic: The Crusaders jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead and never looked back in an impressive 30-6 win over No. 3 seed Union in Rimersburg. Brock McCullough scored a pair of first half rushing touchdowns and accounted for 129 yards on 22 carries. Quarterback Mitchell Vallone completed 5 of 12 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, while the Crusaders limited the Golden Knights to just 45 yards rushing.

About Port Allegany: The Gators boast one of the top offenses in District 9 history. Senior QB Matt Bodamer is the career record holder in Pennsylvania in both passing touchdowns (129) and yardage (9,934). This season, he has thrown for 2,937 yards, 44 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 74 percent of his passes. Bodamer has a pair of prolific 1,000-yard receivers at his disposal in Nick Conway and Tyce Miller. Miller, District 9’s career leader in receiving touchdowns and yardage, has 57 catches for 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2012. The 6-2 Conway, meanwhile, has 51 catches for 1,028 yards and 19 touchdowns while boasting an impressive 20.2 yards per catch. Port Allegany’s last regular season loss came to Elk County Catholic on Sept. 24 of 2011, 25-19

About Elk County Catholic: Running back McCullough leads the team with 1,032 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Hank Cappiello is also a threat out of the Crusader backfield with 654 yards (7.1 YPC) and seven touchdowns. Vallone has completed 47.2 percent of his passes for 715 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Clayton Housler is the top receiving target with 16 catches for 349 yards and four touchdowns. Joe McLaughlin (109 tackles), Cappiello (8 sacks) and Housler (5 interceptions) lead a stingy defense that has allowed just 11.5 points per game.

No. 3 Brockway (9-2) vs. No. 2 Clarion (11-0)

When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17

Where: DuBois’ E.J. Mansell Stadium

Rosters: Brockway; Clarion

Stats: Brockway; Clarion

Schedule: Brockway; Clarion

How they got here:

Clarion: The Bobcats used a stingy defense and a balanced offense to knock of seventh-seeded Smethport 34-7. Damien Slike accounted for 176 yards of offense (149 rushing, 27 receiving) and three total touchdowns. QB John Katis was efficient, completing 8 of 14 passes for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Slike and Cody Hearst.  Smethport managed just a late fourth quarter touchdown with the score 34-0.

Brockway: The Rovers rebounded from back-to-back losses to Port Allegany with a 36-29 win over Curwensville. Brockway trailed 29-22 going into the fourth quarter, but outscored the Golden Tide 14-0 in the final stanza thanks to a 35-yard pass from Alec Shaffer-Doan to Anthony Benson and a Benson 14-yard TD run with just 47 seconds remaining. The Shaffer-Doan to Benson TD was aided by a curious decision by Curwensville to go for a fourth-and-1 from their own 27. The Rovers got it done on offense through the air, as Shaffer-Doan completed 14 of 26 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns, both caught by Benson, who had 148 yards receiving.

About Clarion: The Bobcats boast District 9’s top defense, allowing just 9.2 ppg. T.J. Armstrong anchors the defense from his linebacker spot, but he is doubtful with an injury. Armstrong is the team’s leading rusher with 820, but he is far from the only weapon in the Bobcats’ arsenal. Camron Kirkland has accounted for over 1,000 all-purpose yards this season (622 rushing yards, 474 receiving yards). Katis had had the best season of any Clarion QB in program history, throwing for 1,352 yards, 20 TDs and 7 INTs while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. Hearst (27 catches, 605 yards, 8 TDs) and Kirkland (26 catches, 474 yards, 4 TDs) team for a solid 1-2 punch at receiver. 

About Brockway: QB Shaffer-Doan is District 9’s second-leading passer, throwing for 2,298 yards, 26 TDs and 14 INTs. Jake Perrin (62 catches, 906 yards, 10 TDs) Benson (36 catches, 748 yards, 9 TDs) and Anthony Isabella (25 catches, 321 yards, 2 TDs) make up the receiving core, while Chad Melillo has rushed for 1,192 yards and 17 touchdowns to give the Rovers a very balanced offensive attack. Defensively, Brockway allows 28.7 ppg.