PORT ALLEGANY – When Port Allegany lost its season opener there
was some concern that high hopes for a championship season may be
in jeopardy.

Saturday afternoon, however, the young Gators rolled to their
second straight victory, a 35-0 triumph over arch-rival Smethport
to remain in the title hunt.

Port broke the game open against the Hubbers with a pair of
touchdowns in the final minute of the first half to expand a
12-point lead to 28 points.

Defensively, the Gators never allowed the visitors’ offense to
really get on track although Smethport did put together a solid
scoring threat in the second quarter, but couldn’t stick the ball
in the end zone.

“We played well at times and poorly at others,” said Mike
Bodamer, Port Allegany coach. “We’re pretty young with sophomores
and juniors, but we’re learning and Derick (Morey) is doing a good
job in his first year at quarterback.”

Port’s first points of the game came on its second possession.
The Gators drove 53 yards with Morey sneaking into the end zone
from two yards out for the score. The PAT kick failed, but the
hosts had a 6-0 lead.

Port was on the move again as play moved into the second
quarter. Three Morey pass completions – Colby Brookens, Chad
Saltsman and Sam O’Connor – had the ball resting on the Hubbers’19.
On the next play Nick Nichols went the distance for the TD. The
Gators again failed on the PAT, but had doubled their advantage to
12-0.

Two possessions later Smethport put together its best drive
getting first down yardage from Zach Rittberg, Kyle Nobles and
quarterback Devon Baumgardner to place the ball at the Port 20. The
Hubbers’ march stalled, however, and the Gators took over on downs
at their own 24.

“They found some holes to work on, but our kids made the
adjustments themselves,” Bodamer explained.

On the first play Morey dropped back and found Brookens open for
a 76-yard touchdown pass. Saltsman got the call for the two-point
conversion and the hosts were up 20-0 with 56.7 seconds left in the
half.

Smethport chose to run a play instead of kneel down and the
visitors paid for it when Brookens wrestled the ball away from a
Hubbers’ receiver and raced into the end zone for a Gators’ score.
Nichols added the two-point PAT and Port took a 28-0 lead into the
locker room at halftime.

“Derick came over to me and said he felt we could throw long on
them. I told him to go ahead a try it and he hit the pass,” said
Bodamer. “Then we came up with the interception for the score and
that was definitely the back breaker.”

Defense dominated the third quarter, with Port’s Tony Haskins
recovering a Smethport fumble just before the end of the period to
set up the Gators’ final score of the afternoon.

Nichols and Mark Chelgren alternated carries as play moved into
the fourth quarter. Chelgren capped the 45-yard march with a
one-yard dive for the touchdown and Saltsman kicked the PAT for the
35-0 final margin.

Port Allegany will host Kane Saturday afternoon, while Smethport
visits Brockway on Friday.