NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT/D9) — The Redbank Valley football team got its first victory about 30 minutes prior to the showdown with Port Allegany on Friday night.
“The first thing that went right was us winning the (coin) toss,” said Bulldogs’ coach Blane Gold.
In a game of vastly different styles and each team trying to exert their will on the other, Redbank Valley wanted the ball first and a fast start.
It got both.
(Pictured above, Redbank Valley senior Mason Clouse was named the Hager Paving Incorporated Player of the Game after catching three touchdown passes and breaking the single-season TD catch record for the Bulldogs in the win over Port Allegany)
Before the engine on the Port Allegany bus had cooled, the Bulldogs had a 22-0 first-quarter lead, all but putting the game away early as Redbank cruised to a 57-13 win over the Gators to clinch the District 9 Region 2 title.
“Offense, defense, special teams — everything clicked,” Gold said. “We still have a long ways to go. There’s a lot of stuff we got to get better at, but when we play at our best, we believe we’re a tough out.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
Mason Clouse caught three touchdown passes and in the process broke the school’s single-season TD catch mark that was set all the way back in 1991 by Chris Edmonds.
Clouse now has 15 on the season. He ended up with six receptions for 130 yards on Friday.
Quarterback Braylon Wagner also tied the single-season touchdown pass mark of 33, which was set in 2014 by Jake Dougherty. Wagner was 17-of-23 for 294 yards and the five TDs.
It was a good night all around for the Bulldogs.
For Clouse, who got a taste of varsity action as a sophomore during Redbank Valley’s run to the state championship game, the record means a lot.
His twin brother, Owen, no longer has all the bragging rights in the household.
Owen has both the single-season and career goals scored marks for the Redbank boys soccer team.
“Owen has all the records,” Mason said, laughing. “It was good for me to get one.”
Owen Clouse, though, also put his signature on this win (more on that later).
His brother, Mason, caught a bubble screen and sprinted 51 yards for a touchdown just a minute into the game to give the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead after the 2-point conversion run by Wagner.
A few minutes later, Clouse again hauled in a 5-yard scoring pass from Wagner to put Redbank Valley up by two scores at 15-0. That two-score lead was big and something the Bulldogs aspire to achieve early in every game to take the opponent out of their game plan.
It was particularly effective against Port Allegany, which is a heavy running team.
“We’re just not built to come back — I hate to quote Matt Canada,” said Port Allegany coach Justin Bienkowski. “It’s just so hard to come back against a team like that.”
Things got worse for the Gators two minutes later when Owen Clouse showed off his footwork on the football field instead of the pitch.
He fielded a punt near the Bulldog sideline, sidestepped several tacklers, pushed another out of the way, and broke into the open field for a 75-yard punt return.
With just seven minutes gone in the game, Redbank led 22-0.
“I mean, we certainly did not anticipate it would get away like that,” Bienkowski said. “We knew they had the potential and capability to do it, for sure. They have some stud athletes who we just didn’t have an answer for. Make no mistake, Redbank Valley was a better team tonight. They did what they do and we couldn’t stop it.”
Wagner hit Ashton Kahle over the middle and the senior speedster did the rest, racing for a 68-yard touchdown early in the second quarter for a 29-0 Redbank lead.
Port showed a brief glimmer of hope as Aiden Bliss scored on a 28-yard run and then the Gator defense stiffened.
But Redbank struck quickly again with just 30 seconds left in the half on Clouse’s third touchdown catch, this one from 36 yards out on a perfect strike from Wagner.
Clouse is having a huge season as Wagner’s prime target.
Clouse, though, was quick to point out he can do what he does because of the other talented receivers taking the pressure off of him.
“Nobody on this team deserves more than what Mason Clouse gives,” Gold said. “He is the most selfless player I’ve ever coached. His parents have done a fantastic job raising him. Mason started on that state-run team and when Chris Marshall got healthy, Mason went back to the bench and Mason never said a word. Mason has sat behinds a lot of talented receivers, and he never said a word. He never asked for the ball. He never complained. There’s no other kid that deserves to break a (32-year-old) record than Mason Clouse.”
Redbank Valley (8-0, 6-0) triggered the mercy rule early in the third quarter, taking advantage of a fumble on Port Allegany’s first offensive play of the half when Ashton George caught a pass and bulled his way into the end zone, breaking three tackles, for a 15-yard score and a 43-6 lead.
Wagner has now thrown 12 TDs in the last two games.
The defense got in on the party soon after when Caden Adams stepped in front of a pass and rumbled 65 yards for a touchdown.
Redbank Valley’s game plan on offense was simple: throw, throw and throw.
With Port Allegany’s Miska Young and Carson Neely occupying in the middle of the defensive line, the Bulldogs weren’t about to test it.
The Bulldogs had six runs for minus-10 yards in the first half. They had minus-15 yards on the ground before Drew Byers busted loose on a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 57-6 late in the third.
“I don’t think I’ve ever coached against a team that has two dominant linemen like Neely and Young,” Gold said. “Those guys are complete game-changers. They can plays a three-man front. They can play a five-man box and still shut down the run game. So we felt that if we had any chance to win this game, we had to have those two running laterally or we had to have them chase. We had to catch the ball and we had to get it out quick.”
That plan worked to perfection.
Port Allegany’s plan also worked somewhat.
The Gators (6-2, 5-1) had running back Aiden Bliss in the wildcat formation for much of the game, and the sophomore had a big night on the ground, rushing for 172 yards on 26 bruising carries.
Problem was, Port Allegany was down too big too early for it to really matter.
“Aiden Bliss deserves a ton of pats on the back,” Bienkowski said. “He showed up. We challenged him. We told him we were going to go as far as he was gonna take us.”
Bliss capped the scoring with a 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
It was certainly a statement win for Redbank Valley.
But Bienkowski is anticipating another meeting down the road.
“Our goal is to see them again,” Bienkowski said. “We had to make sure they felt us and knew we were there. I think they probably will be a little sore in the morning, but when you are region champs, it hurts a little less. Congratulations to them.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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