PORT ALLEGANY — Drew Evens will be back under center. Blaine Moses and Noah Archer return to the backfield.
But with the majority of their protectors gone, Port Allegany’s trio of experienced juniors may need to pick up the slack until their young offensive line gets acclimated to varsity competition.
“We’re going to become a better team as quickly as our offensive and defensive lines can pick up the process and move forward,” head coach Justin Bienkowski said. “We lost some key guys up front that had been three-or-four year starters.”
The Gators graduated four regulars on last year’s offensive line, leaving a need for underclassmen and new arrivals to fill those vacancies.
“We have some freshmen and sophomores that we’re looking to fill that void,” Bienkowski said. “The quicker they can pick that up, the better of a team we are.”
Bienkowski hopes his backfield trio will provide leadership to a team that features just five seniors. Evens, Moses and Archer are just juniors, but their collective varsity experience could suggest otherwise.
Evens already has two full seasons at quarterback under his belt, as the 6-1, 165-pounder, who doubles as a safety on defense, went 82-for-153 passing last season with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions a year ago. That was an improvement from his freshman season, in which he completed 78 of 162 passes for four touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Moses, a fullback, and Archer, a tailback, accounted for nearly all of the team’s rushing attack a season ago.
Moses ran for 450 yards on 73 carries while Archer ran for 352 on 74 attempts. Archer was just as impactful in the passing game, amassing 351 yards on 29 receptions while Moses hauled in four catches for 43 yards.
The duo accounted for 12 touchdowns on the ground and three through the air.
“They’re there,” Bienkowski said of the trio. “They’re consistently aware of what’s supposed to happen. Our core guys have picked it up since our first practices, but the key has been getting a couple young guys that didn’t anticipate seeing time to pick up the process and the scheme.”
Evens, Moses and Archer enter their third season in which they’ll see significant playing time.
Whether this will be their breakout year or not is hard for Bienkowski and staff to decipher just yet.
“That’s a great question,” Bienkowski said. “They’ve got to be a little bit more verbal. They’re not in the backseat anymore.”
Bienkowski will turn to the trio for leadership on and off the field, as they aim to fill the shoes of departed leaders such as Trey Ayers and Justin Young.
“(Evens), (Moses) and (Archer) know that they’re going to be our leaders,” Bienkowski said. “They’re going to be called upon to step up above and beyond what they think.”
Moses and Archer will each play linebacker on defense, anchoring a group that Bienkowski hopes will lead from the middle.
“Our linebackers are experienced. Our defensive backs are experienced,” Bienkowski said. “Just trying to get the d-line caught up. In a perfect world, if we can get as many fresh bodies just playing defensive line, and five just playing offense, we’re going to be a complete team.”
The Gators open the season with a 19-mile trip north to Otto-Eldred. A year ago, O-E bested Port in the midst of a four-game Gator losing streak that gave way to three consecutive wins at the end of the regular season, resulting in a 3-4 finish.
Port finds itself somewhere in the middle of a deep District 9 Small School North division. In a preseason coaches poll, the Gators were picked to finish third behind Coudersport and Smethport, which were tied atop the rankings.
“I’ll stick by this until we’re able to be deserving of, or in contention, to be there: It’s Coudersport and Smethport’s banner year or whatever you want to call it,” Bienkowski said. “We aren’t there yet and we don’t deserve to be called that yet.”
For now, however, the team’s focus has been near-sighted.
Bienkowski stresses taking the preseason day-by-day, not thinking about a regular season schedule or even a season opener.
“The message to the guys has so little to do with football and so much to do with making sure you’re taking care of the guys next to you,” Bienkowski said. “Be ready for tomorrow, eat right, sleep right, drink water and take care of your body. We’re not looking at Otto-Eldred game one or any of that. Just looking at trying to accomplish our objective of practice that day.”
After an Aug. 21 scrimmage against Cowanesque Valley, video tape will provide opportunities for critique. Then, the team’s focus will shift toward its game at the end of the following week.
“I don’t think I’ve heard the kids talk about Covid, masks, restrictions, any of that stuff,” Bienkowski said. “This is 2021. We really haven’t had any talk about it or recollection of last year.”
While the transition of leadership presents obstacles at times, Bienkowski knows that his players understand what he’s asking of them. And, if Port is lucky, his backfield trio’s breakout season will arrive a year early.
“They’re in the front seat dictating what we do and they know it,” Bienkowski said. “Their families know it. Their teammates know it. They’re already realizing that, why wait? We already had our time to be backseat guys, and now they’re ready to roll.”
THE RETURNING starters:
Payton Spencer, senior, 5-9, 160, wide receiver/safety
Drew Evens, junior, 6-1, 165, quarterback/safety
Blaine Moses, junior, 6-2, 190, running back/linebacker
Noah Archer, junior, 5-9, 160, wide receiver/running back/linebacker
Ashton Rethmel, junior, 5-11, 200, line both ways
Corbin Hamilton, junior, 6-1, 190, line both ways
Braylon Button, sophomore, 6-2, 195, line both ways
Peyton Stiles, sophomore, 5-8, 155, wide receiver/defensive back
ALSO LETTERING were:
Isaiah Wiley, senior, 5-6, 145, wide receiver/defensive back
Kaden Price, junior, 5-6, 180, offensive line/linebacker
Gavin Burgess, junior, 5-11, 180, offensive line/linebacker
Miska Young, sophomore, 6-2, 220, line both ways
Austin Freer, sophomore, 5-10, 230, line both ways
THE PLAYERS, by position:
Offense
Quarterbacks: Evens, Derek Smith (fr., 5-8, 125)
Running Backs: Archer, Moses
Receivers: I. Wiley, Chase Weimer (sr., 5-8, 130), AJ Wiley (sr., 5-9, 150), Archer, Jake Vicic (jr., 5-11, 140), Stiles, Colton Crowe (so., 6-0, 155), Brayden Pearsall (so., 5-8, 135), Bren Carlson (so., 5-6, 125), Jake Causer (fr., 5-11, 145), Kelvin Burgess (fr., 5-9, 140), Kaleb Smoker (fr., 6-0, 150)
Linemen: Davon Sweeney-Cromer (sr., 6-1, 330), Hamilton, Rethmel, Charles Craft (jr., 5-10, 190), G. Burgess, Price, Adin Henning (jr., 5-10, 265), Button, Levi Wilfong (so., 5-10, 195), Young, Gavyn McKervey (fr., 6-1, 275), Josh Veilleux (fr., 5-9, 185), Payton Yeager (fr., 5-8, 175), Tayton Roys (fr., 5-10, 190), Carson Neely (fr., 6-0, 250), Juuso Young (fr., 6-0, 205), Tyler Fillhart (fr., 5-8, 165)
Defense
Linemen: Sweeney-Cromer, Hamilton, Rethmel, Henning, Wilfong, Button, Freer, Young, McKervey, Veilleux, Yeager, Roys, Neely, Young, Fillhart
Linebackers: Weimer, Archer, Craft, Moses, Burgess, Price, Crowe, Carlson, Yeager, Smoker
Defensive backs: I. Wiley, Spencer, AJ Wiley, Evens, Stiles, Pearsall, Causer, K. Burgess, Smith
THE SCHEDULE:
August
27 — at Otto-Eldred, 7 p.m.
September
3 — Keystone, 7 p.m.
10 — at Smethport, 7 p.m.
17 — at Elk Co. Catholic, 7 p.m.
24 — Coudersport, 7 p.m.
October
1 — at Union/A-C Valley, 7 p.m.
9 — Sheffield, 1 p.m.
15 — at Brockway, 7 p.m.
22 — Cameron County, 7 p.m.
20 — Kane, 7 p.m.
