BROCKWAY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — If there is a blueprint on how to beat Redbank Valley, Brockway may have followed it down to the last nail last season in a 7-3 win over the Bulldogs in the District 9 Class A semifinals.
The Rovers kept that high octane Redbank offense off the field with long, sustained drives on the ground with Jendy Cuello handling the workload.
But Brockway coach Jake Heigel warns that was last year. This is a new season. New teams. New challenges.
(Pictured above, the Redbank Valley defense converges on Brockway running back Jendy Cuello in the District 9 Class A semifinals last season/photo by Madison McFarland)
“You know, everybody says that (we had the blueprint),” Heigel said. “Last year is last year. We’re always looking forward and I think every coach gives you that standard answer, but I think that was a big moment for our program. That was a great win. Each class has taken that next step and I continue to preach to these seniors to take that next step. You can’t look back.”
Heigel, though, wouldn’t be heartbroken if this game plays out similarly to last year’s second meeting.
Brockway lost in the regular season last year to the Bulldogs by six points.
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
Cuello is back and running well behind a big and physical line.
Cuello, who only two years ago was just learning the game and barely saw the field, has been one of the best players in District 9 on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, he’s running hard and with a little swerve. Last week, he had 191 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-7 win over Ridgway. This season, Cuello has gained 1,037 yards and scored eight TDs.
On defense at defensive back, Cuello has also excelled.
“I hear this from other coaches as well, he’s an easy kid to root for,” Heigel said. “He’s just such a good kid and he does everything the right way. And he works hard. He’s truly settled into the senior captain role and not just as a running back, I mean, defensively he really does shore up everything on he back end and plays the flat really well. The more he touches the ball, you feel good about it.”
Ultimately, though, Brockway’s chances hinge on its ability to slow down a prolific Redbank Valley offense that’s putting up video game numbers.
The Bulldogs were at it again last week in a 57-13 dismantling of a very solid Port Allegany team.
Braylon Wagner tossed five more touchdown passes, giving the sophomore 33 on the season to tie the school record. Mason Clouse hauled in three more TD receptions, breaking a three-decade record for single-season touchdown grabs.
Redbank Valley has four talented receivers, all of whom can stretch a defense and make difficult catches over the middle.
It’s a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators to stop.
“Jason Kundick (Redbank Valley offensive coordinator) has done an awesome job,” Heigel said. “I mean, their offense just reloads year after year. It’s truly impressive. I’ve seen programs where the well has run dry, be it in college or high school, but they just continue to develop guys.”
The Thursday game has presented Redbank Valley with its own set of challenges this week.
The school has a trip for freshmen and sophomores to Washington D.C. that may take some underclassmen on the roster out of the equation on Thursday night.
“We found out a few weeks ago that if we won out, we knew that the Port game would be the region championship game,” said Redbank Valley coach Blane Gold. “So we really focused on that with our guys and putting ourselves in position to do that because this is such a weird week for us.
“We knew we were going to be potentially down guys, that we could lose about 15 of our players,” Gold added. “Whoever we have Thursday night we will play. We have to navigate some adversity this week.”
There hasn’t been much of that so far.
Redbank Valley’s average score this season is 55-10.
Scoring 55 points per game is nice on the stat sheet, but Gold and the Bulldogs have much bigger goals in mind.
Like a D9 championship. And beyond.
“We have the assumption that we’re going to play Port, we’re going to play Brockway again,” Gold said. “You just roll with the punches. Last week I was really happy because we’ve been stressing for a long time that we need to start fast coming out of both halves. We talked about the importance of getting an eight-point lead, not just a one-score lead. We wanted eight. We were determined that we weren’t going to lose another 8-7 game.”
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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