PREVIEW: Lots of Intriguing Storylines Await as Defending D9 Champs Port Allegany and Central Clarion Clash at Wiser Field on Friday

CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — There’s certainly no shortage of storylines this Friday when the Central Clarion football team hosts Port Allegany.

Two defending District 9 champions. Two impressive, big and experienced offensive lines. First game in 20 years on the grass field behind Clarion Area High School. Naming of “Wiser Field” after longtime coach Larry Wiser.

And also a big litmus test for both teams when they kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday night.

(Pictured above, Central Clarion quarterback Jase Ferguson sprints away from Brookville’s Charlie Krug during the Wildcats’ win on Friday night in the season opener/photo by Kirkland Photography)

“It’s a heck of a measuring stick early,” said Port Allegany coach Justin Bienkowski.

Last year, Central Clarion handed Port Allegany its only loss of the regular season.

Both teams went on to win District 9 titles — the Wildcats in Class 2A and the Gators in Class A.

Central Clarion football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.

Central Clarion fell in the first round of the state playoffs. Port Allegany made a run to the state semifinals.

A lot has changed in Port Allegany, though.

Quarterback Drew Evens, fullback Blaine Moses and slot Noah Archer graduated. That trio, who became known as the “Big Three,” accounted for a lion’s share of the offensive production.

But in a 40-0 win over Ridgway in the season opener and behind that rugged line with five seasoned starters, the Gators didn’t miss a beat.

Senior Peyton Stiles, who played well last season, shined while rushing for 73 yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns.

The three sophomores who were tasked with replacing the “Big Three” from last season also had strong debuts.

Quarterback Nick Wilfong was 4-of-5 passing for 43 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Aaron Bliss rushed for a team-leading 92 yards on 10 carries and a TD and Tristan Kiser caught three passes for 41 yards and a score.

“We always said that we’re gonna go as far as how quicklu our youth catches up to our front,” Bienkowski said. “We like our skills and, obviously, there’s that front behind them.”

Central Clarion coach Dave Eggleton is well aware of that formidable line of Port’s, on both sides of the ball.

He has is own line with all five starters back.

“There’s no real secret of what they like to do,” Eggleton said. “And they do it very well. We have to match that physicality up front, on both the offensive and defensive lines. That’s what’s going to be the test. I think we have a pretty good line ourselves, so I’m excited to see how we match up. Last year when we played them, our athletes were kind of the difference in the game. The battle up front was really interesting and it’s probably gonna be interesting to watch and see how that goes again.”

While Port cruised in its opener, Central Clarion found itself in a tussle early against a feisty Brookville team before pulling away.

Brookville played a Cover 4 shell and blitzed Central Clarion junior quarterback Jase Ferguson, who adjusted by scrambling for some big rushing yards.

Ferguson gained 183 yards on the ground.

“He can really make defenses pay no matter what they want to do,” Eggleton said. “(Against Brookville) when Jase broke the pocket, there weren’t a lot of linebackers there. He was getting into the secondary. I thought our line in the running game really blocked well. I thought we could have protected better in the passing game and given Jase some more time, but we were seeing a lot of blitzes and they held up pretty well. There are definitely things we’re going to try to get better at this week.”

Central Clarion rushed for 334 yards in the win over Brookville.

Bienkowski certainly doesn’t want the Wildcats’ skill players to run amok again.

“We respect the heck out of Jase Ferguson,” Bienkowski said. “He runs the ball really hard. He’s athletic as heck and he seems like a really good kid. He’s the type of kid you root for. I told our kids we’re dealing with a bunch of good people and a good football team and we have a bunch of good people and a good football team.

“We want to make sure we play our style of football,” the coach added. “We cannot and are not going to try to compete with there skills one-on-one.”

Port Allegany wants to make sure Central Clarion earns everything.

The Wildcats are certainly capable of scoring from anywhere on the field. That can’t happen on Friday night if the Gators want to leave with a victory, Bienkowski said.

“Let’s say they score four touchdowns,” Bienkowski said. “If they score four touchdowns on four nine-, 10-, 11-, 12-play drives, then they’re the better team, honestly. We want to make them earn it and make them uncomfortable.”

Central Clarion football coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.