A month into the high school football season, Allegheny Mountain League crossover play is finally over.
I’m not sure I could be happier.
Some scores seemed to be a bit closer this year between teams from the South and North, yet the South still finished 22-2 in the crossover matchups, as Otto-Eldred and then Coudersport dropped Elk Catholic. That’s actually a game more than the North won the last two years, as Coudersport beat Ridgway in 2015 and Bradford High last year.
Five times so far this season a team from the South pitched a shutout. The final scores for those games were 56-0, 48-0, 48-0, 42-0 and 63-0 – not exactly barn burners.
I don’t think I’m the only one around the area who’s excited to get into division matchups. The storylines are definitely there.
Can the Kane machine be stopped? Is Bradford High ready to show it’s game for the fast and physical nature of the AML South? Will Otto-Eldred repeat as North champs or will Coudersport challenge the Terrors?
Really, it’s hard to say if there’s much separation from the pack when the games aren’t, well, close. The safe bet would be to tab Kane and Otto-Eldred as the mid-season favorites (they were also the preseason favorites) to represent their respective divisions, but that’s not to discount Bradford High, Ridgway, Curwensville, Brockway or Coudersport, who very much have championship aspirations.
This week, at least two unbeatens will fall as Curwensville (4-0) and its newly minted District 9 all-time leading rusher Nick Stewart travel to Kane (4-0), while Ridgway (4-0) heads south to Brockway (4-0). Bradford High, at 4-0, plays host to Elk Catholic (2-2), a team coming off two consecutive losses.
In the North, Smethport (0-4) versus Cameron County (0-4) is assured to produce a win for one of the winless sides, while Otto-Eldred (1-3) heads to Port Allegany (0-4). On Saturday afternoon on Wolverine Mountain, Sheffield (0-4) hosts Coudersport (1-3).
While we’re talking about it
It’s safe to say something needs to be done with the AML scheduling – and that of District 9 as a whole. Whispers of the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference and the AML merging to create D-9 large and small school divisions have been present for a few seasons now.
What’s the solution if a merger doesn’t happen? Aside from some fans spouting off that it’s unfair Class AAAA Bradford High is much too big for the smaller North teams (does that argument work when it’s noted a school like Kane hasn’t lost a regular season game since 2014?), there’s not much that can happen except maybe tinker with the schedule so that crossover games aren’t loaded into the opening four weeks.
Ridgway is #JoeyStrong33
In Friday night’s Sheffield-Ridgway game in Johnsonburg, injured Elkers player Joey Elinski was taken from the field and eventually flown by medical helicopter to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Altoona with a C3-4 spinal cord contusion.
A Johnsonburg student playing for Ridgway through the schools’ cooperative agreement, Elinski’s football career may be over but he is on the road to recovery.
“With the unbelievable support of family, friends and local communities, Joey is on his way to hopefully making a full recovery,” Elinski’s cousin, Jessica Steger, said to D9Sports.com. “Unfortunately, his high school football career is over, but that won’t stop him from being on the sideline to cheer on his team. Joey Elinski is a warrior with a work ethic and determination like no other.”
Steger is selling shirts with #JoeyStrong33 printed on the front and Elinski’s number 33 on the shoulder. For those interested in shirts ($10 for all sizes both youth and adult), contact Steger at 594-0384 or stegerjess@gmail.com with any questions by Thursday.
The goal is to have the shirts made, received and worn for the Elkers’ home game against Bradford High next Friday.
The Bradford High football booster club sold 50/50 tickets at Monday night’s JV contest in order to buy the Owls the #JoeyStrong33 shirts to wear on the bus before the game on Sept. 29.
