Kane is a week removed from winning its third-straight District 9 championship, but by the business-like way some players reacted it wouldn’t be a stretch to think the Wolves expected to be back in this position all season long.
Led by nine seniors and a deep junior class littered with big-game experience, the Wolves head into tonight’s PIAA Class AA first round matchup with District 5’s Chestnut Hill (7 p.m. at DuBois’ Mansell Stadium) looking for that elusive state playoff win.
“I think we’re still hungry,” Kane head coach Todd Silfies said. “Obviously the district title was the No. 1 goal on our list at the beginning of the season. Even with that, we never get ahead of ourselves. Not until it was in front of us did we really talk about it.
“We have guys [who] seem to be maybe not quite satisfied yet. They’re happy, but they’re not satisfied yet. That’s going to play a little bit into our hands.”
Kane (12-0) has bowed out of states the last two seasons after quarterfinal losses in Class A.
“Our guys are excited,” Silfies said. “A couple of our guys have had the opportunity to play in this level of game a couple times already. We’re looking for those leaders to come up and use their experience to show us the way.”
The Wolves players and coaching staff are leaning on their previous big-game experience to help them avoid mistakes playing on a much grander stage.
“It’s like anything else in life, the more you do it, the more comfortable you become with it,” Silfies said. “The more you know the little ins and outs and hopefully that will pay off for us.”
The Wolves have relied all season on a strong running game to set up an explosive passing game led by efficient quarterback Reed Williams (26 touchdowns, four interceptions). Davis Gardner and Ray Maze are Williams’ top targets, while a massive offensive line led by seniors Keaton Rounsville and Toby Fox get things started up front.
Erik DeLong (1,658 yards, 21 touchdowns) is the leader of the backfield, while fullback Austin Labesky and change-of-pace backs Frank Truden and Ange Costanzo also get carries.
DeLong, who was forced to the sideline late in last week’s victory over Clarion with an ankle injury, figures to be 100 percent. In his place, Truden stepped in and ran for 66 yards, winding clock and keeping the offensive unit – one that averages more than 40 points per game – potent.
“We certainly expect to be more healthy this Friday than last Friday, certainly at the end of the game last Friday,” Silfies said, noting his team’s next-man-up philosophy. “We do have that mentality. Those other guys will be ready to go. Frank did a fantastic job on offense. I think it’s important to note J.T. Stewart coming in at linebacker, kind of shuffling guys around a little bit. A guy that usually plays cornerback and a little linebacker in a nickel situation, he’s playing linebacker in a run-thump game.”
Because of the resolve shown by his team with new players in new positions and situations, Silfies was still being impressed with his team three months into the season.
“I think even though we thought we knew an awful lot about our team,” Silfies said, “I think we found out an awful lot about our team in that game Friday night in terms of what they were willing to do to gut it out for their teammates. What they were willing to do to fill in roles for teammates who couldn’t go and some of the guys playing through some things that your average high school football player wouldn’t be willing to put up with and stay on the field.”
The Lions (9-3) use a balanced offense led by dual-threat quarterback Logan Hauck (2,069 yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions passing; 909 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns) and a poised, youthful line – Chestnut Ridge starts six freshmen or sophomores on its offensive and defensive lines. To game plan for Chestnut Ridge, the Wolves might be best to look at themselves.
“In some ways you’re watching film and you’re thinking it’s kind of like looking in the mirror,” Silfies said. “They have a bunch of tough kids and a lot of different guys who can do a lot of different things. They have a dual-threat quarterback who’s tough. He’s going to be a challenge to stop.”
The winner of tonight’s game travels to play against the District 10 champion – either Wilmington or Sharpsville – at a District 10 location.
INSIDE THE STATISTICS
Chestnut Ridge allows 18.6 points per game, while Kane gives up a paltry 9.4 per game. After a 3-3 start, the Lions are riding a 6-game winning streak, while Kane hasn’t lost a regular season game since 2014.
The Wolves are ranked No. 6 by the Pa. Football News and third by WesternPaFootball.net. Chestnut Ridge is unranked in both polls.
TOP-NOTCH SIGNAL CALLERS
Chestnut Ridge’s Logan Hauck tossed for a season-high 301 yards on 16-for-18 passing in last week’s 41-7 win over Berlin Brothersvalley. He completes 65 percent of his passes, while Kane quarterback Reed Williams completes 60 percent of his balls and for an average of 20.5 yards per completion.
UNLIKELY BACKUP
When Frank Truden stepped into the lineup down the stretch in last week’s Class AA title game, he gave a performance fans were used to seeing all season long. When called upon for a change-of-pace or because of injury, Truden’s game-breaking speed adds a different wrinkle into to Kane’s offense.
“You’ve got to know Frank’s story to completely appreciate it,” Kane head coach Todd Silfies said after the team’s district title win last week. “Halfway through last year, he was the backup kicker and didn’t have a position.”
An athletic player who is the starting point guard on the school’s basketball team, listed as the backup kicker? Part of that lies with a lack of football experience, while moreso having to do with injuries Truden suffered in an elementary-school accident that left doctors wary to clear him for full contact.
“You talk about kids working hard. Frank worked hard to learn the game of football because he had never played before. He’s a battler. The things you see him do out here, he does on the basketball court, he does in everyday life. He just battles through whatever we need him to do for us. And you can’t say enough. Just a hard-nosed kid.”
ACTS OF SPORTSMANSHIP
Sean Jordan, Kane’s assistant offensive coordinator, was the starting quarterback during head coach Todd Silfies’ first season in 2012, which ended in a second-place finish after a loss in the Class AA title game to Karns City.
Last Friday’s victory meant Jordan finally got his hands on a district champion medal, though only briefly. That’s because he and junior running back Erik DeLong gave theirs away to two individuals close to the program with Down syndrome.
Jordan’s medal went to Paul Burton, a longtime Wolves supporter whose brother, Matt – a player on Kane’s first league title team in 2002 – died tragically last week. DeLong, meanwhile, gave his medal to Thomas Walker, a seventh-grade student who served as the team’s honorary captain before its semifinal game against Moniteau.
