RIDGWAY — A year ago, Ridgway led Kane 21-10 entering the fourth quarter before the Wolves rallied for a 25-21 upset of the Elkers at Paul R. Miller Stadium. It wound up being Ridgway’s only loss until the PIAA state playoffs, and provided a glimpse into what Kane was capable of doing when healthy.
Now, the two are set for the rematch down in Ridgway.
Both teams are retooling a bit. Kane is replacing Jake Alcorn and Ted Race from last year’s team that finished 6-5 after starting the season 5-0. The lone win after that initial streak was a 28-22 playoff victory at Brookville in the first round of the District 9 Class AA postseason.
However, the Wolves do bring back just about every other starter and letterwinner from that season, giving head coach Jim Hillman some confidence that his team can build on its rollercoaster 2019 campaign. Among those returning are quarterback Zuke Smith, star lineman Reese Novosel and receiver/defensive back Bobby Rumcik.
Ridgway, meanwhile, lost a lot of its firepower from last season, as the Elkers graduated nearly every skill player — including quarterback Paul Gresco and receiver/running back hybrids Matt Dush and Jake Wickett — that contributed to the team’s 11-2 record and District 9 Class A championship — the program’s fourth in a row. The Elkers do, however, return 18 letterwinners that saw valuable playing time that season, including receiver Alex Bon and six returning linemen.
Expect another back-and-forth affair in 2020 as the teams look to get ahead of the pack early on in the campaign.
Small School Division
Port Allegany at Coudersport
COUDERSPORT — The Gators face a tough road test in each team’s opener.
Coudy pummeled Port 55-0 in 2019, and back are quarterback Hayden Keck and nearly all of the starting linemen in front of him from that season. Keck scored six times, including once on a pick-6, on the Gators a season ago.
The Falcons are replacing 1,000-yard rusher Travis Gleason, among others. Expected to fill that void are a bevy of running backs, including returning letterwinners Brandt Kightlinger, Dylan Kelly and Logan Ruter.
Port Allegany, meanwhile, is especially young this year. The Gators feature just four seniors and two juniors, so playing time for the roster’s 19 underclassmen will be plentiful.
Port does bring back eight starters from 2019, including quarterback Drew Evens, running back Taro Tanaka and receiver Trey Ayers. The Gators also feature three returning letterwinners along the offensive front.
Smethport at Otto-Eldred
DUKE CENTER — The 2019 edition of this rivalry — a 36-22 Smethport win — featured plenty of fireworks, and there’s no reason to believe the two teams, separated by just 13 miles, won’t do much of the same again in 2020.
The Terrors and Hubbers each feature talented, dual-threat quarterbacks. O-E’s Cole Sebastian racked up an impressive 2,366 yards and 26 touchdowns through the air and 601 yards and eight scores rushing a year ago, but his offensive coordinator from that season, Nate Zitnik, is now calling plays at Bradford.
Sebastian also has his leading receiver, Ethan Smith (53 rec., 939 yards, 12 TDs), back from the 2019 Terror team that finished 3-7, as well as plenty of other receivers. O-E also brings back four letter-winning linemen this year.
Smethport, fresh off of a 6-5 season that included another D9 Class A postseason appearance, will depend on Noah Lent under center and returns nine starters on each side of the ball.
As a sophomore, Lent threw for 699 yards and 11 touchdowns, but did most of his damage on the ground. Lent led Smethport in rushing a season ago with 827 yards and seven scores.
Also back in the backfield for the Hubs this year is versatile Braedon Johnson, who ran for 668 yards and four touchdowns and also led Smethport in receiving with 30 receptions for 360 yards and five scores.
All kickoff times are scheduled for 7 p.m.
