ST. MARYS — Two teams will enter undefeated, but only one will leave Dutch Country Stadium with its unblemished record intact.
St. Marys and Ridgway, both 2-0, are set to clash in a titanic Elk County battle tonight (7 o’clock) with bragging rights and a one-game lead in the IU9 Large School Division on the line.
Both teams have beaten Bradford and Kane to this point. The Flying Dutchmen opened their season with a 69-13 thrashing of the Owls and then topped Kane 23-7 last week, while Ridgway survived a late Kane rally for a 17-14 win in Week 1 and then beat Bradford 45-14 at Parkway Field last week.
St. Marys quarterback Christian Coudriet is 43-for-69 on the year for 517 yards and seven touchdowns. As expected, Bryce Walker, Mitchell Reiter and Michael Fitzgerald have been his favorite targets, combining for 31 of the Dutchmen’s 46 receptions for 339 yards and six scores.
The Elkers, meanwhile, have been up to their usual tricks by relying on a staunch defense. Through two games, Ridgway has already recorded six sacks, including two by Alex Bon. In addition, Ricky Delhunty has a team-leading 15 tackles so far, while Camron Marciniak has 13 and Cole Haight and Cole Casilio have 11 each.
The Ridgway offense, meanwhile, has been a committee approach with no Elker recording more than Ben Briggs’ 186 total yards (156 passing, 30 rushing).
IU9 Small School Division
Port Allegany (0-2) at Smethport (2-0)
For the third week in a row, Port Allegany is tasked with facing a dynamic playmaker at quarterback. After taking on Coudersport’s Hayden Keck in Week 1 and Otto-Eldred’s Cole Sebastian last Saturday, Port will face Noah Lent tonight.
The junior has thrown for 234 yards and four scores on 11-for-23 passing to this point, but has done most of his damage on the ground. Lent has run wild to the tune of 269 yards and six touchdowns on 29 carries — an average of nearly 9.3 yards per carry.
When Lent isn’t the one making plays, versatile tailback Braedon Johnson usually is. Johnson has run for 288 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries this year, and is also typically a factor in the Hubbers’ passing game.
Smethport topped Otto-Eldred 60-6 to open the season and then cruised past Elk Catholic last week, 39-6.
Port A, meanwhile, is off to a tough start, having lost to Coudersport 60-6 to begin the year and then 40-30 to O-E last week. Quarterback Drew Evens has thrown for 463 yards and receiver Trey Ayers (13 receptions, 226 yards, 2 TDs) has explosive playmaking ability on the outside.
When the Gators run the ball, Blaine Moses and Taro Tanaka are bruisers, having combined for 124 yards and two scores this year.
Cameron County (0-2) at Otto-Eldred (1-1)
The Red Raiders haven’t had it easy thus far, having lost to a pair of D9 Class A playoff teams from a year ago in Elk Catholic (32-6) and Coudersport (45-0).
O-E, meanwhile, fell to Smethport 60-6 to start the year but got back on track with a 40-30 win at Port Allegany last weekend.
The Terrors are led by dual-threat quarterback Cole Sebastian, who scored six touchdowns a week ago through four methods: passing, receiving, rushing and an interception return. He’s thrown for 349 yards and four scores on a 31-for-61 year so far, and has added 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Receiver Ethan Smith has caught 14 passes for 125 yards and two scores.
For Cameron County, Dylan Rieder has run for 125 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries this year, and Dylan Baney added 12 runs for 73 yards against Coudersport last week.
Elk Catholic (1-1) at Coudersport (2-0)
A week after facing Class A contender Smethport, the Crusaders get a crack at the other team atop the IU9 Small School standings with Coudy.
The Falcons’ option attack is alive and well. Quarterback Hayden Keck has run for 262 yards and six touchdowns on 14 carries, while running back Brandt Kightlinger has racked up 200 yards and a pair of scores on 23 carries. As an offense, Coudersport is averaging 377.5 yards per game.
ECC, meanwhile, centers its run-first offense on Sam Kaul (18 carries, 239 yards, 2 TDs) and Nick Crisp (34 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD). Kaul has broken the century mark in both of the Crusaders’ games this season, while Crisp ran for 110 yards and a touchdown against Cameron County but was stymied last week with 21 yards on 14 carries.
