BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT/D9) — No breaking-in period. No easing into the season.
The Central Clarion and Brookville football teams will get a big early test to start the 2023 campaign.
It’s a rematch of the District 9 Class 2A championship game, won 35-0 by Central Clarion on a cold November night in Karns City. And this is one of only three home games on the schedule for the Raiders when they kick off against the Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Friday.
(Pictured above, Central Clarion quarterback Jase Ferguson races toward the sideline on a scramble for the Wildcats)
“Based on everyone’s opinion in District 9, they are the team to beat,” said first-year Brookville coach Gabe Bowley, who served as an assistant under Scott Park for the Raiders since 2017. “That’s how we’re going to go in and how we’re going to approach them. We’re looking to give them a game and give them everything that they can handle. Win or lose, we’re gonna come out of this with a good measuring stick of where we stand in District 9. That being said, we can go back and work to be the best football team that we can be and look farther down the road to Week 11 and Week 12. Week 1 is important and we’re exciting for the challenge to start the season.”
It will be a vastly different Raider team than the one Central Clarion faced for the district crown.
Brookville Area High School and Central Clarion football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
That Brookville team had to reinvent itself at midseason because of a rash of injuries, including one to starting quarterback Charlie Krug.
The spread, pass-oriented offense was replaced with a smash mouth one.
With Krug back, the Raiders will likely look more like, well, the Raiders.
“I think offensively they’re gonna be pretty similar to what they were the first game,” said Central Clarion coach Dave Eggleton. “Charlie’s healthy this time. He played for a little over half the game last year (a 42-7 Wildcat win in the opener), but it was noticeable that he wasn’t 100%. We know he’s a dangerous quarterback. He’s a smart kid, a good athlete, and he’s definitely going to present some issues for us in the pass game. Having him back healthy really changes the Brookville offense.”
Krug, a senior, will be in his third season as the starter.
He dedicated himself in the offseason to shore up his surgically repaired knee. He’s stronger, wiser and poised to have a bounce-back year.
Bowley said Krug has looked good during camp and shined at the scrimmage.
“The more he plays, even more you’ll see,” Bowley said. “I mean, I’m excited, but I think right now we’re just scratching the surface on what Charlie can do. He’s playing really well, but the more he gets into the season the more confident he’s going to feel in that knee.
“We obviously hope he comes out firing on all cylinders, but I think even if he goes out and plays great, there’s still a better Charlie down the road as he gets more comfortable.”
(Brookville quarterback Charlie Krug is back after missing most of last season because of a knee injury)
Central Clarion has its own three-year starting quarterback in Jase Ferguson, who is coming off a stellar campaign in which he threw for 2,727 yards and 33 touchdowns and also added 521 yards and seven TDs on the ground.
The Wildcats will put even more on Ferguson’s capable shoulders — and legs.
He will be asked to be an even bigger running threat.
Central Clarion also has all five of its starting offensive linemen back from last season and stable of running backs who can be difference-makers.
Senior Noah Naser has emerged as a prime option in the running game for the Wildcats. He had a big day Saturday in the lone scrimmage for Central Clarion.
“Noah Naser took the bulk of the carries Saturday. He probably had four or five carries and he was well over 100 yards. He had a phenomenal day,” Eggleton said. “He had two 50-yard-plus runs.”
Junior Noah Harrison also had a strong camp, as did junior Braylon Beckwith and senior Brady Quinn.
“Noah Harrison and Noah Naser kind of split the time there and they have contrasting styles,” Eggleton said. “Naser is a big, strong, straight ahead kid and he’s really fast. Harrison is a shifty guy. He makes really good reads on the blocks and finds holes and cuts really well. So they kind of complement each other really, really well in the run game. Then you have a guy like Braylon Beckwith, who is more of a run-you-over, straight-ahead guy and then Brady Quinn — he just talked to me earlier (Tuesday). He said, ‘Coach, I need to get in there for more carries.’ I said, ‘Yeah, we do need to get you in there for more carries.’ He brings another element. He made a cut in practice (Tuesday) that was just unreal, a jump cut that looked like Barry Sanders.”
Eggleton’s biggest problem may be getting everyone involved in the offense. He also has a bevy of wide receivers, led by seniors Dawson Smail and Tommy Smith, to feed.
“We have an unselfish group of guys who root for each other and know that it might not always be my week,” Eggleton said. “They may not be the one who has the big game, but they’ll rotate through.”
Brookville has also found a running back tandem.
Juniors Tony Ceriani and Kolton Griffin emerged as the top guys in the backfield during camp.
“Kolton is going to give me more power,” Bowley said. “Tony more speed and flash.”
Bowley was also very pleased with how his defense played in the scrimmage against Redbank Valley.
“Our defense really, really impressed,” he said. “They did well stopping the run and I thought they played aggressive and played really, really good football.”
One thing Central Clarion knows it’s going to get this season is everyone’s best shot.
“We’ve talked about it all offseason and throughout the two-a-days and the scrimmage. We have the target on our backs this year,” Eggleton said. “Coming back after winning the district title and getting to the elite eight, everyone is gunning for us.”
Brookville is going to savor each of its three home games in the first five weeks of the season before hitting the road for the final five as renovations and turf installation begins at its home stadium.
“They want to take full advantage of every home game that we have in front of our home fans, being in our own locker room and really just soaking that all in with the band and the whole atmosphere,” Bowley said. “There’s nothing quite like that on a Friday night. There’s nothing like a Friday night home game.
Brookville Area High School and Central Clarion football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.
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