BRADFORD, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Port Allegany sophomore Aiden Bliss had a slow start to his season.
Things did not go as well as the big Gator running back, who was stepping into some big shoes, had hoped.
“His face was in the mud, scrimmage, Week 1, Week 2 — you know, Central Clarion kind of gave everybody a piece of humble pie,” said Port Allegany coach Justin Bienkowski. “We challenged Aiden and he has come out the other end.”
(Pictured above, Port Allegany running back Aiden Bliss has rushed for 740 yards and 11 TDs in the last five games for the Gators, who face Brockway on Friday in the Class A semifinals/photo by Patrick Crants Photography)
He’s been coming out on the other end of the defenses he’s faced lately, too.
Bliss has been one of the big reasons why Port Allegany is 9-2 and facing familiar foe Brockway (8-3) at 7 p.m. on Friday in Bradford in the District 9 Class A semifinals.
Bliss has taken off, rushing for 1,082 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. As the year has gone on, the 6-foot, 195-pound bruiser of a back has gotten better and stronger.
Over the last five games, Bliss has rumbled for 740 yards and 11 TDs.
“He’s been great,” Bienkowski said. “He just wants to win. He asks, ‘What am I doing wrong so I can improve?’ That’s academics. That’s athletics. What a great kid to coach and I’m glad he’s got the benefit of the guys in front of him.”
Those guys in front of Bliss were the one known commodity for the Gators, who were coming off a District 9 Class A title a year ago and a run to the PIAA semifinals a season ago.
Guys like Bliss, senior running back Peyton Stiles and sophomore quarterback Nick Wilfong have benefitted from their strength and experience.
Stiles has eerily similar stats to Bliss, rushing for 1,050 yards on 133 carries and finding the end zone 15 times.
Bliss and Stiles are the first duo to reach 1,000 yards in a season in the history of Port Allegany football.
They will certainly be a handful for Brockway, which is coming off an uneven 27-20 win over Union/A-C Valley.
“It’s always a really good battle with them,” said Brockway coach Jake Heigel.
He should know. This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools in the last two seasons. The Gators have won all three of them, including a 21-14 victory in the District 9 final last year and a 29-7 victory in September.
“They’re really well-coached. They’re physical,” Heigel said. “They’re not trying to trick you in any way. They’re going to pretty much line up and say, ‘Stop us.’ That’s their mentality.”
Brockway’s loss to Port Allegany earlier in the year was a wake-up call for the Rovers. Since, they have dropped just one game — to Redbank Valley, which also beat Port Allegany.
“We had a pretty poor showing the first time we played them,” Heigel said. “That game really forced us to look in the mirror and find what our identity was, where guys needed to be and who needed to play better. We reshuffled basically because of that game.”
Brockway will find out if that reshuffling worked or not on Friday.
It has so far.
Brayden Fox didn’t have his best game against Union/A-C Valley, but he made big plays when it counted in rallying the Rovers back from down 14-0 in the second quarter to move on.
Fox has thrown for 2,284 yards and 21 touchdowns despite missing a game this season.
“He’s a heck of a player,” Bienkowski said of Fox. “He’s an athlete and he knows how to win whatever sport he’s playing. I’m a defensive guy at heart and every single time he sits back there and claps his hands and catches that snap, I’m thinking how dynamic a team they are. We have to make sure we have all our I’s dotted and T’s crossed.”
Fox has plenty of weapons around him.
Blake Pisarcik is putting together one of the best seasons in Brockway history. The senior has 67 receptions for 1,096 yards and seven touchdowns.
Last week, he threw a TD pass, caught a scoring pass and also had a rushing touchdown for a rare trifecta.
Freshman Jake Daugherty is another dangerous threat on the outside with 27 grabs for 671 yards and 11 TDs and Matt Brubaker and Isaac Crawford also have more than 300 yards and 20 receptions.
Throw in workhorse running back Jendy Cuello, who has gained 1,295 yards on the ground, and the Rovers’ offense can tax a defense at all levels.
It’s a perfect battle of conflicting styles and one both coaches and teams are looking forward to.
“I just look forward to two quality programs trying to punch each other in the mouth one more time,” Bienkowski said.
