CLARION – It was a two-for-one deal for Kane Area High School
when the Wolves defeated Cameron County 14-6 in the District 9
Class A football championship game at Clarion University’s Memorial
Stadium on Saturday.
Not only was it Kane’s first-ever D-9 title, but it also counted
as a PIAA First Round victory. The 13-0 Wolves will now face 13-0
Mercyhurst Prep at 1 p.m. Saturday at Erie’s Vetrans Stadium.
“This is the first football title in school history and a major
accomplishment for our program,” said Kane head coach Jason Barner,
who was voted Big 30 co-Head Coach of the Year. “We are on an
upswing and the kids are believing in it. This is an honor to
represent District 9, and hopefully we will go out and represent
District 9 to the best of our ability.”
The Wolves took the opening kickoff and moved into Red Raider
territory on a 30-yard pass from Zach Anderson to Deryk Smith.
After the drive stalled at the Cameron County 35, D.J. Horton
downed Anderson’s 34-yard punt at the Red Raider 1-yard line.
A 14-yard keeper by Jordan Crane got Cameron County out of the
shadow of its own goal line. Then three plays later on a 40-yard
pass to Sean McManigle, Mike Punk recovered the ensuing fumble and
Kane was back in business at its own 41.
The Wolves went backward from there when Anderson was first
sacked by Marcus Mullens and then on the next play by half the
population of Emporium.
Cameron could do nothing with the good field position at the
Kane 48, but then the AML North champs (11-2) pushed the Wolves
back to their own 2 on sacks by Shawn Ellenberger and Taylor
Songer.
“They (Red Raiders) were giving us different coverages and their
blitz packages were giving us trouble,” Barner said of the five
first-half sacks. “We had to make some adjustments down here in our
motions and things of that nature.”
Following a short punt and a Kane penalty, the Red Raiders
received an early Christmas present at the Wolves’ 20.
The gift turned out to be a mirage as a four-yard pass from
Crane to Darrick Mason left Cameron three yards short on fourth
down.
Kane then put together its longest drive of the half when a
12-play, 54-yard, seven-minute sojourn ended at the Cameron 33
after a sack by Mason and Jarek Holjencin.
The Red Raiders utilized a 26-yard run by Abram Zoschg and a
15-yard pass interference penalty to advance the pigskin to the
Kane 28, but Zoschg was tackled by Ross Nicholson for a six-yard
loss and Cameron had to punt.
Kane had one more opportunity with 1:25 left in the half and
took it into the Cameron end on a 19-yard run by Dustin Moran and
an 11-yard hookup from Anderson to John Bizzak. Then with six
seconds showing, Anderson was picked off by Zoschg as the scoreless
yet entertaining half came to a conclusion.
“I told the kids at halftime ‘somebody has to make a big play to
change the momentum of this game,'” Barner declared. “Big players
make big plays in big games.”
The Wolves received a big break on the first play from scrimmage
of the third quarter when a bad handoff exchange was pounced on by
Nicholson at the Cameron 16.
On a fourth-and-four from the 10, Songer registered the sixth
Red Raider sack of the day to quell the threat at the 15.
After a Cameron punt, Kane regained possession at its own 29. On
a third-and-nine, Matt Mix broke three tackles including one in the
backfield on a 27-yard pass play from Anderson to the Cameron
43.
Following a seventh sack by Mason and Mike Malizia, Anderson
scrambled to his right and Bizzak made a great sideline catch to
transform a third-and-12 into a 17-yard gain to the Red Raider
28.
Two plays later from the 25, Anderson found Punk at the 15 and
the 5-9, 160-pound senior wide receiver zigged and zagged his way
to the end zone. Anderson’s extra point sailed wide right, but Kane
was finally on the board with 4:08 left in the third.
“A big play in the second half was that swing pass to Mix,”
Barner recalled. “He made a huge run after the catch.”
After the teams traded punts, Crane was intercepted by Arie Paup
at the Cameron 49.
Kane couldn’t move the chains, but its defense forced another
turnover when Nicholson knocked the ball loose and Bizzak recovered
at the Red Raider 11.
“Nicholson made some big plays and Bizzak played extremely well
defensively,” Barner noted. “Cameron County is a very good football
team. It was a very physical football game and turnovers came into
play. Our defense caused some huge ones and that was the
difference.”
Once again the Wolves couldn’t cash in as a fourth down pass
attempt to Bizzak in the end zone was well defended by Zoschg.
The Red Raiders then turned it over on their third straight
possession when Moran stepped in front of a pass and 30 yards later
dove over the goal line for the pick six. Mix then caught the
two-pointer from Anderson and it was 14-0 with 4:53 remaining.
“We had 28 picks coming into the game,” Barner boasted. “These
kids are making plays. That was only about the 10th play he’s
(Moran) played on defense all year long. Matt Mix was bleeding and
we had to get him out of there. There was no brilliant coaching
philosophy there.”
The Red Raiders then demonstrated they weren’t quite ready to
have a fork stuck in them yet as a 15-yard penalty and a 20-yard
scamper by Crane set up a first down at the Kane 33.
Two plays later from the 34, Crane located a wide open Zoschg at
the 10 and the senior slipped into the end zone. Nicholson thwarted
Crane’s two-point run, but the Red Raiders were back in the
neighborhood at 14-6 with 2:36 left.
Cameron had one last gasp when a shanked three-yard punt placed
the ball at the Red Raider 48 with 45 seconds remaining.
Good pressure by the Kane defensive line and great blanketing by
the secondary caused four straight incompletions, and all Anderson
had to do with 18 seconds showing was take a celebratory knee to
finalize the historic district title.
“You’re going to face adversity,” Barner said of the final
Cameron possession. “The kids took the challenge and rose to
it.”
