We’re now just two weeks from the start to fall football camp here in Pennsylvania, so long as nothing changes in the meantime.
So on that hopeful note, here’s a look at the most interesting local matchups from Weeks 0-2 of the PIAA football season, which kicks off on Aug. 28.
Week 0: Port Allegany at Otto-Eldred
Last year, a late pass interference call on O-E gave Port Allegany a second chance at the goal line, and the Gators capitalized with a go-ahead Josh Rees touchdown to win 14-12. Rees, of course, was the focal point of Port A’s offense up until he was injured last season, and on this night he ran for 190 yards and both of Port’s touchdowns on 29 carries.
But Rees graduated this year, and so Port Allegany is tasked with finding somebody to become the focal point of this year’s offense. After Rees’ injury last year, the Gators found playmakers in Howie Stuckey and Taro Tanaka, among others. Stuckey is gone, too, but Tanaka returns at running back for his senior season.
Otto-Eldred, meanwhile, returns a fair amount of firepower, beginning with quarterback Cole Sebastian. The soon-to-be senior and Canisius baseball commit threw for 2,366 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, and was picked off just eight times. He also led the Terrors in rushing with 601 yards and eight scores.
Leading receiver Ethan Smith (53 rec., 939 yards, 12 TDs) is back, too, but Sebastian’s other favorite target from a year ago, Cam Magee (48 rec., 804 yards, 9 TDs) graduated.
How this year’s game plays out will depend on two things: Port A finding its next go-to playmaker and how O-E’s returning stars sync up early on in the season.
Week 1: Kane at Ridgway
A year ago, Ridgway coughed up a 21-10 second-half lead as Kane stunned the Elkers 25-21 at home, but the Elkers went on to finish 11-2 and win their fourth consecutive D9 championship.
Both teams are retooling this year, especially in the playmaker department.
Kane loses Jake Alcorn, who led the team in all purpose yards with 1,981 and led the Wolves in rushing with 561 yards and five touchdowns, to graduation. It also lost Teddy Race, who ran for 424 yards and four scores on the ground and anchored Kane’s defense with a team-high 136 tackles.
But the Wolves do return quarterback Harley Morris, who stepped in for the Wolves when they upset Brookville 28-22 on the road to open D9 postseason play last season. His performance in that game (9-for-13 for 153 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception) was something Kane’s program can only hope is a sign of the future for the signal caller.
Meanwhile, the Elkers are in their usual spot entering this season: a talented senior class has departed, but Heindl maintains high expectations for the newest class of varsity players.
Jake Wickett and Matt Dush each graduated, and were quarterback Paul Gresco’s usual targets when he wasn’t hitting Austin Green, who also has departed due to graduation.
Wickett ran for a team-high 665 yards and 13 touchdowns, and added 30 receptions for 512 receiving yards and four scores through the air, and also handled specialist duties and kick and punt returner.
Dush, meanwhile, led the Elkers in receiving 48 receptions, 786 yards and four touchdowns, while Green scored a team-high 11 receiving touchdowns and chipped in 685 yards and 42 receptions.
But Gresco (150-for-218, 2,354 yards and 23 TDs) is back under center, and Gabe Watts returns for his senior year after running for 636 yards and 11 touchdowns on 92 carries.
This game, set to be held in Elk County this year, will be a huge matchup with Class AA seeding implications on the line.
Week 2: DuBois at St. Marys
It will mark the first time in the 2020 season a Big 30 team gets its shot at Class AAAAA DuBois, as the Beavers opted to schedule D9 opponents this year as opposed to making trips into District 10, outside of playing Clearfield.
A season ago, the Flying Dutchmen went 6-5 under new coach Chris Dworek, their best mark since 2016.
The best part for St. Marys? Just about every playmaker from that season is back. Quarterback Christian Coudriet returns for his junior season after passing for 2,612 yards and 22 touchdowns a year ago, while leading rusher Jacob Kline (100 carries, 685 yards, 11 TDs) is back, too.
Meanwhile, Coudriet’s favorite targets, Bryce Walker (53 rec., 660 yards, 3 TDs), Michael Fitzgerald (36 rec., 637 yards, 7 TDs) and Terry Williams (31 rec., 428 yards, 6 TDs), are all seniors this year.
With that group back, Week 2’s matchup with DuBois should be a nice test of whether that group can replicate and perhaps even build on last year’s successes. The Beavers went 1-9, their lone win coming via forfeit, in 2019, but returned plenty of bodies from 2019’s roster of 85 players. With that much manpower, DuBois should prove tough for any Big 30 team.
(Joel Whetzel, a Bradford Era sportswriter, can be reached at jwhetzel@bradfordera.com.)
