KANE — A year ago, Kane’s Davis Gardner was fearful he’d miss his entire junior football season due to a serious off-season knee surgery.
Fast forward to Friday when Gardner’s three key interceptions and hauled in a third-quarter touchdown to help the Wolves’ (9-0 overall, 5-0 AML South) brick wall defense take down previously undefeated Brockway, 14-3, in a battle for the Allegheny Mountain League South division crown.
“It was one of the most-depressing moments of my life,” Gardner said about being told he probably couldn’t play last year. “I was grateful to be able to play the last five games [last year] and coming out here tonight on Senior Night and showing out like that, it feels great.”
The senior wide receiver and safety hauled in a team-high six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, which included two diving catches.
“Davis picked the best night to play his best game, that’s for sure,” Kane head coach Todd Silfies said.
Kane is the AML South champion for the second-straight year. The Wolves go for their third AML title game win in as many years next Friday at Otto-Eldred, the North division winner after beating Smethport, 39-0.
Gardner picked off Brockway’s Hunter Miller to halt drives in the second, third and fourth quarters. The last pick thwarted the Rovers’ last real attempt to get back into the game, as the Kane defense held the high-powered Rovers to 207 total yards and no touchdowns for the first time this season. Brockway had been averaging more than 50 points and 400 yards per game.
“I thought it was a great team defensive effort,” Silfies said. “Davis Gardner on Senior Night. What can you say? He’s coming up with great plays on defense.”
Miller finished a pedestrian 12-for-39 passing for 164 yards, but with four costly interceptions. Miller picked up the slack rushing, running 14 times for 45 yards, as Kane held running back Mark Latuska to a minus-1 yard rushing on eight attempts.
“I thought defensively,” Silfies said, “our line did such a fantastic job executing the game plan we had in tonight. That was about being disciplined. I thought we were really smart defensively.”
After picking off Miller in the third quarter, Gardner hauled in a 15-yarder from quarterback Reed Williams (10-for-17, 176 yards, two touchdowns) for a first down. A few plays later, Williams found Gardner in the corner of the end zone to put the Wolves up, 14-3.
The Wolves scored on the first play of the second quarter when Williams found Frank Truden on a 79-yarder to take a 7-3 lead. The speedy Truden, who also forced a fumble on a big fourth-quarter hit on defense, used a mismatch to outrun his defender and race for the score.
“It was a chance to get Frank Truden on a linebacker,” Silfies said. “They did a nice job. They had two linebackers on him. Reed Williams threw a gorgeous lob pass.”
Kane was expecting a different defensive coverage, but Williams was able to recognize it and adjust his throw accordingly, Silfies noted.
“It speaks to the quality of offensive coordinator we have in Tyler Smith, and I think it speaks to the quality of quarterback we have in Reed Williams.”
The game got off to a sloppy start for both teams, with falling temperatures, wind and steady moisture affecting play-calling.
Kane’s first two offensive plays included a penalty and an Erik DeLong fumble, one of two on the night for him as he was held to 31 yards. DeLong has now failed to top 50 yards rushing for two straight weeks.
Brockway took over at Kane’s 15, but then lost possession after a shotgun snap went over Miller’s head. Another fumble a few drives later by Kane gave Brockway the ball at the 8-yard line. As they have done all season, the Kane defense bent but didn’t break, allowing only three points on an 11-yard field goal by Jarrett Esposito.
“We made some mistakes early,” Silfies said. “I thought we did a great job as a team of rallying and kind of sticking up for each other and having each other’s backs there.”
With the win, Kane is locked into the No. 1 seed in the District 9 Class AA playoffs, while Brockway is the second seed and Clarion is third. Brookville and Moniteau are the only other teams left in Class AA and may not enter the four-team bracket with below .500 records, meaning Kane would have a bye into its fifth-straight district championship appearance.
