NEW BETHLEHEM — Entering Friday night’s District 9 Small School crossover game at Redbank Valley, Smethport head coach Adam Jack acknowledged that his team was running into a big, physical opponent, and that his Hubbers would need to find ways to overcome it.
His initial concerns proved valid, as the Hubbers had no real answers for the Bulldogs’ size in a 21-0 loss.
The defeat snaps a 13-game regular season winning streak that dated back to the beginning of the 2018 season for the Hubbers, and Smethport now sits at 4-1 this year.
Despite the end of the streak and the loss, Jack remains focused on the future. The Hubbers can still win the Small School North, as they remain undefeated in divisional play and still have a game with Coudersport on the schedule.
“We still have a 4-1 record, and we intend to be in the playoffs,” he said. “We’re still going game-by-game. We’ll regroup and come out next week against Cameron County, and then move on from there.”
The size of the Bulldogs was most prevalent in the trenches on the evening. Redbank Valley (6-0) controlled the line of scrimmage and dictated play up front, which made it hard for the Hubbers to move the ball, and allowed RV to eat up plenty of possession time.
The Smethport offense that was averaging 315.5 yards and 32.25 points per game going into Friday night was held to just 70 yards total and kept off the scoreboard on nine possessions.
Quarterback Noah Lent, who had eclipsed the century mark in rushing in each of the past three games, was held to just 29 yards on 13 carries, and running back Braedon Johnson was contained to 25 yards on 10 carries.
Lent also struggled in the passing game, as he completed 10 of 25 passes for 16 yards, and was intercepted once on the evening.
His completions came primarily on screens that were quickly snuffed out by the Bulldog defense.
Smethport’s best chance at scoring came on the Hubbers’ final drive, as they moved the ball down to the Bulldog seven before turning it over on downs.
“Offensively, we struggled,” Jack said. “We had a few opportunities, but we weren’t able to take advantage, so credit to (Redbank Valley). They were big up front and controlled the line of scrimmage.”
Sacks and negative plays were of particular concern for the Hubbers. Lent was dropped in the backfield four times on passing plays, and was also tackled for loss on three run plays, and Johnson was stopped behind the line of scrimmage twice on the evening.
“Any time you get yourself behind the sticks, it makes it difficult (to sustain drives),” Jack said. “We put ourselves in that position too many times.”
Defensively, the Hubbers played a relatively strong game, aside from a pair of sustained Bulldog drives and a bad break on a fumble.
Of the eight Redbank Valley possessions, four ended in three-and-outs, and another resulted in a turnover on downs in Hubber territory. But the other three went for RV touchdowns on drives of 95, 49 and 56 yards.
The first Bulldog score came with 9:33 left in the second quarter. Redbank Valley drove from its own five down to the Hubber one, and then Hudson Martz punched it into the end zone to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.
Then, just before halftime, Redbank Valley took possession at the Smethport 49, and drove it to the red zone. The Hubbers had a chance to stymie RV at the goal line with a forced fumble, but the ball bounced into the hands of Bulldog quarterback Gunner Mangiantini, who scooped it and scored to extend the lead to 14-0.
Mangiantini struck for Redbank Valley’s final score with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter. On a read option play, Mangiantini pulled the ball at the last second and took off through the Hubber defense for a 51-yard score to give his team its 21-0 advantage, which stood until the end of the game.
“I think Gunner, playing the option, it was the best QB play I’ve seen in my time here,” Redbank Valley first-year head coach Blane Gold said. “He was a big asset tonight.”
In all, Redbank Valley rushed for 232 yards on 33 carries, good for roughly seven yards per carry. That average was boosted by five runs of 15 yards or more.
Mangiantini was the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 116 yards and a pair of scores on 10 carries. Running back Ray Shreckengost added 60 yards on nine carries, and Kobe Bonanno posted 43 yards on eight rushes.
“I thought we played pretty tough against the run, all things considered,” Jack said. “They had some big ones on us, and they had that long drive in the second quarter where they pounded it down our throats and we weren’t able to get them stopped. Primarily, I’m proud of the effort our kids put into tonight. (Redbank Valley) was big up front, but I thought we held our own.”
The win cements Redbank Valley atop the District 9 Class 1A powerpoint standings, as the Bulldogs were already in first entering the contest.
Smethport will look to rebound from its first loss with a home game against winless Cameron County next week, while Redbank Valley will host Curwensville.
AT NEW BETHLEHEM
BY QUARTERS
Smethport 0 0 0 0—0
Redbank Valley 0 14 7 0—21
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: S: 9, RV: 10; Rushes/Yards Rushing: S: 23-54, RV: 33-232; Yards Passing: S: 16, RV 69; Comp-Att-Int: S: 10-25-1, RV: 6-9-69; Penalties: S: 4-35, RV: 11-130; Fumbles-Lost: S: 0-0, RV: 1-0; Total Yards: S: 70, RV: 301 Offensive Plays: S: 53, RV: 45
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: S: Noah Lent 10-25-16-0-1; RV: Gunner Mangiantini 6-9-69-0-0
Rushing: S: Noah Lent: 13-29, Braedon Johnson: 10-25; RV: Joseph Mansfield: 1 (-5), Kobe Bonanno: 8-43, Ray Shreckengost: 9-60, Gunner Mangiantini: 10-116-2, Hudson Mart: 5-18-1
Receiving: S: Bryent Johnson: 4-23, Braedon Johnson: 5-9, Ryli Burritt: 2-10; RV: Ethan Hetrick: 2-30, Dalton Bish: 1-5, Kobe Bonanno: 1-5, Sam Hetrick: 1-30, Javin Brentel 1 (-1)
Scoring summary
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
RV: Hudson Mart, 1-yard run (Anthony Bailes PAT), 9:33
RV: Gunner Mangiantini: 5-yard run (Bailes PAT), 1:03
Third quarter
RV: Mangiantini, 51-yard run (Bailes PAT), 2:25
Fourth quarter
No scoring
