He’s answered the call every time he’s been asked.
Most recently was three years ago when Hinsdale realized just
how much it missed its football team.
In just two seasons at the varsity level Rod Rohl has put the
Bobcats in the Section 6 playoffs.
Rohl said earlier this summer that he felt his team was capable
of having a good season and he was right.
The Bobcats put the finishing touches on a 5-2 record last
Saturday at home with a 32-19 victory over Forestville.
In that win Dustin Washington scored three touchdowns and rushed
for 230 yards to make certain his team got the win it needed to
make the playoffs. He has 1,316 yards this season.
Hinsdale will travel to Portville tonight for a first-round
Class D playoff game against the heavily-favored Panthers
(6-1).
“I knew the kids had it in them,” Rohl said following the win
over Forestville and after shaking hands and accepting
congratulations from a multitude of well-wishers.
“We just had to get it out of them,” he added. “They played well
today.”
Last season the Bobcats won just one game. They could score
points, but couldn’t stop opponents from scoring. That changed this
season.
“Kids didn’t have anyone to teach them how to tackle,” Rohl
stated during an interview prior to the Don Raabe Charities
Classic. “That was our biggest problem last season (2006).”
Saturday in their regular season finale, Hinsdale played hard on
both sides of the ball. The hosts jumped out to a 20-0 lead and
held a 26-7 advantage at halftime. The defense had a brief lapse in
the third period when the Hornets struck for a pair of quick
touchdowns over a three minute span, but then dug in and the
Bobcats offense answered with a score of its own to nail down the
victory.
Rohl has gotten the maximum effort out of his players throughout
his coaching career, and no matter what happens tonight he has to
be pleased with how quickly his players responded.
Now all he has to do is wait and see if this season’s success
will carry over and get kids fired up and anxious to get on the
field next season.
At 70-plus years old, he’s proven he can still coach and
Hinsdale still has football players!
HOW ABOUT IT!: The D-9 Class AAA playoffs are getting real
interesting.
I know I’ve mentioned a couple of times that it appeared
Clearfield couldn’t wait to get Bradford off its football schedule
this season, but it looks like the Bisons and Owls could end up
squaring off on the gridiron anyway.
Clearfield, as I noted recently, will come back to District 9
for the playoffs. It should be a three-team tournament.
Punxsutawney hasn’t won a game this season, so it’s very unlikely
the Chucks will get in. The way things are going, the Bisons could
wind up playing St. Marys, or, Bradford, or, both of them.
How the pairings for the playoffs will shake out is uncertain,
but my guess is, it will be based on overall record. Right now
Bradford has one loss, St. Marys two and Clearfield three, but the
season is far from over.
What makes it even more interesting is the fact that the Bisons
upset previously unbeaten Indian Valley last week, 19-13.
Indian Valley was the ball club that gave Hollidaysburg its only
loss this season. Bradford fans know all about Hollidaysburg which
handed Bradford its first setback last Friday night by a 27-7
margin.
CONGRATULATIONS: Three members of Kane’s unbeaten Wolves
football team – Zach Anderson, John Bizzak and Dustin Moran – were
among the players receiving “Honorable Mention” on this week’s
d9sports.com player of the week list.
Joining them from the Big 30 area were Cameron County’s Charlie
Holjencin, Coudersport’s Boomer Wetzel, Port Allegany’s Josh
Saltsman, Sheffield’s Jordan Copley and St. Marys’ Todd Schatz.
Sharing the top spot as co-players of the week in the district
were Clearfield’s Jarrin Campman and Karns City’s Anthony Stimac, a
pair of junior quarterbacks.
THE RECORD: I admit it, I got caught by a couple of teams. I
didn’t think Port Allegany could beat Ridgway and I never figured
that Clearfield would beat Indian Valley. Olean’s win over East
Aurora was a major upset across the border, but a good one for head
coach Mike Kane and the Huskies who have struggled this season. I
managed to post a record of 20-8 for the weekend, which ups my
overall season tally to 140-47. The regular season is over for most
of the New York Big 30 teams, however, the Pennsy squads still have
a couple more games.
Here’s what things look like this weekend, picking just the
regular season games.
TONIGHT’S GAMES
Bradford at DuBois
The Owls lost to Hollidaysburg last week, but that game’s
history. Now they have to focus on their final District 9 League
game and winning the title with a perfect 4-0 record. Tonight the
Owls will show their fans what they’re made of. Bradford by 12
Smethport at Coudersport
The Falcons are just too strong for the Hubbers and are looking
for some payback in the playoffs. Coudersport by 18
Kane at Brockway
No stopping the Wolves as they look to run the table. The Rovers
will put up a battle, but not enough to make a difference in the
final score. Kane by 21
Ridgway at Curwensville
The Elkers are struggling and the Golden Tide get them at just
the right time. Curwensville by 8
Clearfield at St. Marys
After the Bisons stunned Indian Valley last week, I have to go
with them. Clearfield by 16
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Otto-Eldred at Port Allegany
The Gators got on track last week, while the Terrors troubles
continue to grow. Port Allegany by 18
Cameron County at Sheffield
No stopping that Red Raider machine. Cameron by 30
Johnsonburg at Elk County Catholic
This could be a good game, but I see a win in week eight for the
Crusaders. ECCH by 10
THE OTHER GAMES
(Tonight)
Brookville at Punxsutawney, Brookville by 21
Eisenhower at Youngsville, Eisenhower by 18
Titusville at Warren, Titusville by 14
Olean High at Lackawanna, Lackawanna by 4
Pioneer at Amherst, Amherst by 6
Nichols at Olean Walsh, Nichols by 2
