MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Blane Gold was on a boat in Texas when the word came down on Thursday morning.
The Redbank Valley football coach nearly fell into the water.
Seven of his players were named to the Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State team in Class A.
(Pictured above, Redbank Valley senior Ashton Kahle was one of seven Bulldogs to earn spots on the Class A all-state team as voted on by media members across Pennsylvania/photo by Ripple Photography)
“It says a lot about how we’ve grown as a program,” Gold said.
The record-setting senior wide receiver tandem of Ashton Kahle and Mason Clouse earned spots, along with sophomore quarterback Braylon Wagner — a record-setter himself — senior offensive lineman Christian Clinger, senior defensive lineman Brandon Ross, senior linebacker Caden Adams and senior specialist Owen Clouse.
“For Braylon to make it as a sophomore — he’s the future of our program,” Gold said. “I’m a firm believer that as long as you have a quarterback, you have a fighting chance to be very competitive. Then you look at the other six guys who are all seniors. They never talked about personal accolades. They never talked about the records. They always put the team success first. Those six guys put everything they had at making us a better team.”
Kahle finished the season with a school-record 1,343 yards on 64 receptions and 17 touchdowns. He also had eight interceptions on defense.
Mason Clouse joined him in the 1,000-yard receiving club — the first two Redbank Valley players to ever do that. Clouse finished with 63 catches for 1,149 yards and 18 TDs. He was also a force on defense with seven interceptions and 85 tackles.
For Wagner, it was an embarrassment of riches and he took full advantage, throwing for a school-record 3,045 yards and 46 touchdowns. He completed 181 of 267 passes and also rushed for eight TDs.
Clinger was the backbone of the offensive line, helping Wagner have time to pick apart opposing defenses and helping the Bulldogs, who finished 12-2 and advanced to the PIAA Class A semifinal, average 45.6 points per game.
“A lot of his work has gone under the radar for years,” Gold said of Clinger. “He’s put the time in the weight room and has done everything that could be asked of him. He was a three-year starter and it’s really neat for a guy like that to be recognized.”
Ross was a force on the defensive line for Redbank Valley with 92 tackles (22 for a loss).
Adams was a tackling machine at middle linebacker with 101, including 52 solo stops, to go along with a sack, interception, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal.
Owen Clouse was more than just a kicker, even though he was certainly a standout one, making 63 of 65 extra points. He also booted four field goals with the longest 37 yards.
As the season progressed he became a bigger part of the defense and offense. He also returned two punts for touchdowns and had a receiving TD.
“All seven of those kids were kids I knew I had a chance, but knew we probably weren’t going to get all of them,” Gold said. “The fact that we did get all of them is a testament to the program and how they furthered the program, but I’m also really ecstatic and happy for them because as much as we try to ignore the individual records, there’s no denying that each kid has individual goals. To see those seven be able to accomplish those goals, while also accomplishing a lot from a team standpoint, that’s certainly special.”
The seven from Redbank weren’t the only District 9 players to make the Class A team.
Brockway senior offensive lineman Reese Yahner also made the team.
Yahner was the anchor of the Rovers’ line. He helped the Brockway offense up up 2,957 yards passing and 1,727 yards rushing.
In Class 2A, Central Clarion had two players made the Pa. writers all-state team.
Junior quarterback Jase Ferguson was a selection after posting gaudy numbers.
Ferguson completed 141 of 222 passes for 2,698 yards and 46 touchdowns. He also rushed for 868 yards and scored 10 more times.
“It’s definitely an honor to be able to achieve this, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my coaches, teammates, parents and most importantly God,” Ferguson said.
Junior linebacker Braylon Beckwith also made the team after turning in an exceptional campaign.
He registered 130 tackles — including 19 for a loss.
“It means a lot,” Beckwith said. “It means the offseason work paid off and my play on the field was noticed. Without my team, I probably couldn’t gave made plays I did, really. Giving most of the credit to them.”
