|
By Rich Rhoades
The murmurs from Moniteau regarding a
preseason hazing incident appear to be over for now.
Reports the past few weeks addressed
possible forfeits of games in addition to the penalties levied
on three Warriors players and the school board last week finally
ruled that Moniteau was going to forfeit its next two games to
Karns City and Clarion.
That didn’t sit well with the community and
after a special meeting Monday night, the board reversed its
decision and the team will not forfeit its games.
How much the controversy has hurt the
defending District 9 Class AA Warriors on the field isn’t
totally known, but either way, Moniteau is 0-2 and has scored
just one touchdown in losses to two strong non-conference teams
Sharpsville and West Middlesex of District 10.
Friday night, the Warriors host arch-rival
Karns City, which is off to a 1-1 start after losing 34-12 at
home to Clarion Saturday night.
Here’s a look around the district that has
all 14 games scheduled for Friday night:
Allegheny Mountain League
It’s the third and final week of crossover
division games before five straight weeks of divisional play.
Thus far the South Division holds an 8-4 edge.
Port Allegany (2-0) travels to Ridgway
(1-1) as the Gators continued their strong start with a 46-13
rout of Kane. Quarterback Matt Bodamer moved into eighth place
on the state’s all-time passing yardage list at 7,565 yards and
upped his TD passing total to 93, two shy of the district record
held by Brockway’s Derek Buganza. For the year, Bodamer has
completed 32 of 41 passes for 568 yards with eight touchdowns
and one interception.
In other games, Coudersport (1-1) hosts
Johnsonburg (0-2) and Kane (1-1) visits Otto-Eldred (0-2). In
the South, a pair of 2-0 teams are at home as Brockway hosts
Sheffield (0-2) and Curwensville hosts Smethport (1-1). Elk
County Catholic, another 2-0 South team, travels to Cameron
County.
Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference
Five divisional games are set up for this
week, with two in the Large School division and three in the
Small School division. Along with Karns City-Moniteau (see
above) in the Large is St. Marys (1-1) traveling to Brookville
(1-1) featuring two teams with bounce-back wins last week after
losing their openers. The Dutch and Raiders feature two of the
top backs in the district. The Raiders’ Vroman is averaging an
impressive 10.2 yards per game with 306 yards on 30 carries.
Quarterback Cameron Yard isn’t far behind with 223 yards. The
Dutch’s Alex Feldbauer (279 yards) and Joe Luchini (237 yards)
have good numbers as well running the ball.
In the Small School Division, Clarion will
try to make it 3-0 when it visits Keystone (1-1). The Bobcats
beat Karns City, 34-12, last Saturday after the game was
postponed due to stormy weather Friday night. Union (2-0) will
try to start the season at 3-0 for the first time since 1985
when it heads to rival Redbank Valley (0-2). The Golden Knights,
coming off an impressive effort in a 21-6 win over Punxsutawney,
haven’t beaten the Bulldogs since 1997. It’s the 90th
meeting between the teams with Redbank Valley leading the
series, 48-38-3.
A-C Valley (0-2) hosts Clarion-Limestone
(0-2) as the Falcons try to end a slide to the Lions that dates
back to their last win in 1999. A-C Valley hasn’t won a KSAC
game since 2005 when it beat Union. The Lions have allowed a
state-leading 140 points in their first two games, including 83
in last week’s loss at Warren.
District 10 Region 5
The Bradford Owls (2-0) are coming off a
dramatic double-overtime win at home against Oil City last
Friday and they’ll host Warren (2-0), which roughed up C-L last
week. Owls quarterback Matt Yurkewicz has rushed for 282 yards,
including 174 in the win over the Oilers. It’s the 100th
meeting between the teams in a series that dates back to 1894
and Bradford leads the series, 51-43-5, and has won the last
eight meetings.
Mountain League
It’s a battle of 2-0 teams as Clearfield
hosts Central-Martinsburg. The Bison are coming off a 47-0 rout
of Penns Valley as Tyler Stratton scored four touchdowns. He
leads the team with 216 yards rushing. Quarterback Christian
Lezzer has passed for 204 yards and rushed for 146 yards.
The Dragons are coming off an impressive
28-0 shutout of Tyrone.
Non-Conference
DuBois (2-0) travels to Punxsutawney (1-1)
in a renewal of one of the district’s longest running matchups.
The two square off for the 97th time with the Beavers
leading the all-time series, 60-33-3. While the Chucks are
reeling following a loss at Union, the high-flying Beavers have
scored 95 points in wins over Mifflin County and Franklin.
Beavers sophomore Bryson Paulinellie is coming off a five-TD
performance against Franklin. He caught five passes for 134
yards and four touchdowns and returned an interception for a
score.
|
