Isn’t it timely that the nights have been increasingly cooler as football season inches closer?
After months of off-season training, 7-on-7s, lifting, and two-a-days, the famous Friday night lights will shine for the first time in 2017 as the Allegheny Mountain League kicks off its Week 0 schedule tonight.
Technically speaking, this week is considered “0” numerically – as odd as it may sound – because last year, in an effort to decrease the number of games and prevent football season from running too close to Christmas, the PIAA gave teams the option to play just one scrimmage and start the regular season earlier, or start a week later and play two scrimmages. The AML, in an effort to keep its championship game, has chosen to run its league schedule from today to the weekend of Oct. 20.
St. Marys, the lone area team not playing this week, competes in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference (KSAC), which has opted for two scrimmages, with the exception of Karns City, which plays Armstrong in a non-conference game tonight.
In the AML, the story the last few years has been the South Division’s dominance (60-2 over the last 62 games) over its North counterparts. Chalk that up to the North being comprised of smaller schools with smaller enrollments or a host of other reasons.
No matter, Coudersport has beaten a South team school two years in a row. The Falcons will have their hands full tonight as the first of four weeks of crossover play commences with Coudersport hosting defending District 9 Class A champion Ridgway. Tom Storey, a former Coudersport assistant, takes the reigns as head coach.
Bradford High, eager to put last season’s 4-6 season in the rearview, hosts Smethport at Parkway Field. The Hubbers’ new head coach, Adam Jack, played quarterback during the time he simply described as “the streak” of 80s and 90s Smethport squads. The team will have to find a way to slow Owls’ bruising fullback John Eakin, now back in top health after an injury-riddled 2016.
In a game that could potentially be the night’s best, Brockway travels to Duke Center to take on Nick LaBella’s Otto-Eldred team. The Terrors are the defending AML North champions and lost some key players, but also return a host of other talented players, including quarterback Sawyer Drummond and receiver Dylan Close.
Brockway always brings with it a high-scoring offensive attack. One thing that’s for certain is last year’s successful Otto-Eldred teams have provided a spark for the small community.
Kane, winners of 20 straight regular season games and three consecutive D-9 titles, opens at home vs. Port Allegany, winless last season. The Gators are headed by new coach Pat Warnick.
In other AML action, Cameron County hosts Curwensville, while Sheffield travels to St. Marys to face off against Elk Catholic. All games kick off at 7 p.m.
