There’s plenty at stake in eight District 9 football matchups featuring Big 30 teams this Friday and Saturday. There is little room for a misstep in several rivalry games this week with 12 teams in D-9 posting winning records across the three divisions. In the large school matchups, Kane (4-0), Ridgway (3-1) and St. Marys (3-1) are all looking to keep pace atop the league while Bradford has a good opportunity for its first win against Moniteau.
It’s rivalry week on the small school side with Otto-Eldred hosting Smethport and Port Allegany traveling to Coudersport in two games that are critical in the league standings.
Here are capsule looks at each of the eight matchups.
Moniteau (0-4) at Bradford (0-4)
A pair of teams that made the District 9 playoffs in 2018 will both be searching for their first win of the season when Moniteau visits Bradford Friday night at Parkway Field.
Thus far, the Warriors have been defeated by Kane (46-19), Clarion (42-8), Ridgway (42-7) and Karns City (21-6).
Bradford, meanwhile, has fallen to Brookville, St. Marys, Kane and Ridgway, and was shutout in three of those games.
Last year, Moniteau narrowly topped Bradford 12-7.
For the Owls to reverse their fortunes in 2019, they’ll have to get their offense going. So far, Bradford has stagnated when it has possession, with an average of 137.6 offensive yards and 1.5 points per game. Quarterback Caleb Nuzzo and running back Derek Sunafrank will be at the center of that effort.
Moniteau, meanwhile, has had a little bit more luck with the ball, averaging 10 points per game, but has still struggled against some of D9’s better teams, like Bradford has. – Whetzel
St. Marys (3-1) at Clarion (4-0)
Just how good is St. Marys’ surprising 3-1 record? The Flying Dutchmen, and the rest of the District, will find out Friday at Clarion.
The Bobcats enter at 4-0 and lead District 9’s Class 2A with 470 powerpoints, and are averaging 45.75 points per game during that stretch. That offensive average was boosted significantly by a 70-6 win over Punxsutawney, but in the last two weeks, Clarion has toppled a pair of 3-1 teams: Karns City and Brookville.
The Dutch, meanwhile, have taken off under new head coach Chris Dworek, as this year’s three wins are already more than St. Marys won in the prior two years combined. However, the combined record of the teams the Dutch have defeated stands at 0-12, and the only team with a winning record the Dutch have faced — Ridgway — defeated them 42-6. – Whetzel
Brockway (0-4) at Ridgway (3-1)
The Rovers are off to a surprising 0-4 start, losing all of their games by at least 27 points and struggling to find the end zone. Ridgway, meanwhile, has been a hungry team ever since its Week 1 loss to Kane. The Elkers have outscored their last two opponents (Moniteau and Bradford) by a combined 97-7 and their vaunted defense has been operating at business as usual. Ridgway’s Gabe Watts and Jake Wickett have four sacks each as part of Mark Heindl’s defense and both have been contributing on offense. Watts leads the Elkers with 198 yards on the ground and three scores, while Wickett has tallied 344 all-purpose yards through four weeks. – Sambrotto
Kane (4-0) at Punxsutawney (0-4)
Another matchup featuring two teams at the opposite end of the spectrum in the large school circuit. The Wolves have not missed a beat since their upset victory over Ridgway in Week 1, outscoring their opponents 88-6 in two games since. Kane has beaten its opponents in a variety of ways this season, but the play of running back/receiver/returner Jake Alcorn is certainly atop that list. The senior has accounted for seven touchdowns so far this season and has been a complementary change-of-pace back to go alongside Teddy Race (305 rushing yards, four TDs). Punxsy, meanwhile, hasn’t had much of anything go right on either side of the ball in getting outscored 217-40.
The only thing that could trip up Kane is looking ahead to its home matchup against undefeated Clarion next Friday, which could decide the league. – Sambrotto
Port Allegany (1-3) at Coudersport (3-0)
The Gators are still trying to find their identity after losing starting running back Josh Rees to a season-ending injury two weeks ago. In Week 4, they run into a red-hot Coudersport outfit that has allowed a total of 14 points en route to a hot start. Worse for Port A, Coudy is coming off a bye last week which has given its calvary of running backs more time to recover. The Falcons have four players with over 100 rushing yards so far this season, led by Travis Gleson’s team-high 236 to go with his six scores. Dual-threat QB Hayden Keck has also caused trouble for the opposition by averaging 73 yards per game on the ground. Coudy blanked ECC 14-0 in Week 1, while Port Allegany struggled to a 35-7 defeat against those same Crusaders last Friday. – Sambrotto
Smethport (3-0) at Otto-Eldred (1-3)
The Terrors are trying to save their season while the Hubbers are hoping to keep pace with Coudersport in the Small School North. Otto-Eldred has had no trouble moving the ball on offense this year, as quarterback Cole Sebartian has thrown for 1,088 yards and 12 touchdowns. But the Terrors have been unable to win the close games, losing two of their three by a combined eight points, including a back-and-forth affair with Union/A-C Valley a week ago. Smethport should be able to limit the air raid with one of the best defenses in District 9. The Hubbers allowed just 12 total yards to Curwensville a week ago, and their run-oriented offense keeps the ball out of the other team’s hands for large chunks of gametime. Quarterback Noah Lent and offensive specialist Braedon Johnson have proven lethal both in the air and on the ground. – Sambrotto
Union/A-C Valley (3-1) at Elk Co. Catholic (2-2)
This game will go a long way in determining the final standings in District 9’s Small School South Division.
Union/A-C Valley (3-1, 1-0) and Elk County Catholic (2-2, 1-1) sit at No. 2 and No. 3 in the South Division, respectively, and have played similar competition thus far.
The Falcon Knights suffered their only loss in a 30-8, season-opening decision to Coudersport, and have taken down Sheffield (20-14), Curwensville (24-0) and Otto-Eldred (32-26).
ECC also fell to 3-0 Coudy (14-0), and lost to South Division-leading Redbank Valley 22-6. The Crusaders have toppled Curwensville (21-0) and Port Allegany (35-7) to date.
A key for each team will be the status of ECC running back Stephen Bobby, who suffered an injury in Week 2 and has been forced to miss time on the field. – Whetzel
Cameron County (0-3) at Sheffield (0-4)
A pair of programs that have struggled in recent years will face off at Sheffield on Saturday in search of the season’s first win.
Cameron County went 1-8 a year ago, with the lone win being a 6-0 decision over Sheffield. They got on the scoreboard for the first time this season in a 49-12 loss to Keystone last week.
The Wolverines enter at 0-4, but scored 28 points on Redbank Valley in a 61-28 loss a week ago.
If Sheffield can keep that sort of offensive pace up against the Red Raiders, it could find itself with a win for the first time since 2016. – Whetzel
Other games in District 9 football this week feature: Brookville at Karns City, Keystone at Curwensville and Redbank Valley at Iroquois.
