There are going to be plenty of must-win football games in District 9 over the next few weeks.
With another slate of critical matchups in the books after Week 6, much is still left to be decided. And while there were certainly immediate ramifications felt following those results, much of what happened last Friday is going to set up plenty larger games down the road.
Both small school divisions will come down to the final week of the year, and although Ridgway has a steady hold on the Large School lead, numerous schools are still jockeying for seeding and playoff positions in that division as well.
Here’s a look at some of the top storylines from a busy Week 6:
Elkers pass season’s biggest test
All eyes were on the Ridgway-Clarion contest Friday night, and Mark Heindl’s squad once again put on a show. Ridgway jumped out to a commanding 21-0 lead at halftime, and although the Bobcats made the score respectable in the second half, the Elkers once again displayed their dominance on both sides of the ball.
Ridgway (7-0) allowed Clarion to run for just 96 yards in the game and the 15 points given up were actually the second-highest total that Ridgway has allowed this season.
The Elkers have been equally potent on the offensive side of the ball, spreading the ball to weapons in the air and on the ground. Quarterback Paul Gresco is over 800 yards on the season, and Ridgway already has four rushers with over 250 yards on the season. However, Evan Furlong, their featured back, left Friday’s game with an injury that will be worth monitoring as the season progresses.
With just two league games left against Karns City and Brookville, as well as a crossover contest with Union/A-C Valley, the Elkers have a very real chance to wrap up the 2018 season undefeated.
North showdown set
Both Smethport and Coudersport easily handled its business on Friday night in the final league test before Week 9’s division-deciding game between the two schools.
Smethport (7-0, 4-0) rolled for a 56-6 win over Cameron County, while the Falcons (5-2, 4-0) easily handled a short-handed Otto-Eldred team 47-6. The Hubbers had seven different players find the end zone on Friday, but were once again led by a few familiar faces. Running back Blake Kinner had five carries for 150 yards and two scores, and fellow backfield mate Nathan Hollowell added another running score.
Smethport has allowed just 13 points over its last two contests, and Friday’s game also marked the Hubbers’ six win this season by 10 points or more.
Coudersport, meanwhile, snapped a two-game O-E win streak against them and bounced back from a tough loss to Curwensville the week prior. The Terrors were missing two of their top offensive weapons, while Coudy relied heavily on theirs. Standout running back Stephen Kelly gashed the Terrors for 179 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Hayden Keck ran for 32 yards and had a touchdown through the air.
But once again, it is the Coudersport defense that should scare opposing teams. The Falcons have held teams to six points or fewer in all of their victories this season, with only a 34-point blemish against Clarion-Limestone and 14 points given up to Curwensville being the exceptions.
The Week 9 matchup, which Coudersport will host, should favors the Hubbers because of what they’ve done against common opponents. Smethport beat beat both Curwensville and Clarion-Limestone by 13 points, while Smethport fell to those teams by eight and 12 points, respectively.
Bradford wins again
The Bradford Owls hit their low point two weeks ago. Two straight losses that included an upset defeat at Moniteau put the Owls under .500 and desperate for a win.
Since then, however, Bradford has knocked off Brockway and Punxsutawney by a combined 68-27 scoreline that put their season back on track. Despite throwing two interceptions on Friday, the Owls have taken much better care of the football in recent games and have eliminated mistakes in other areas of the field.
Running backs Donny Pattison and Jaron Ambrose have been able to showcase their abilities — the two combined for 385 yards against Punxsy — and have left opposing defenses without many answers. The Owls host Clarion (6-1) this Friday in what will be an uphill battle, but a game that the Owls are much better poised to win than they were a few weeks ago.
ECC making noise in the South
After a slow start that featured losses in two of their first three games, the Crusaders have rolled to four straight victories. Friday’s 26-16 victory over Clarion-Limestone was not only the most impressive in the streak, but it was also the most meaningful.
ECC is now in a three-way tie with the Lions and Curwensville in the division, but because the Crusaders hold wins over each of those two teams, all they’ll need to do is defeat Keystone (3-4, 0-4) in Week 9 of the season.
Even more impressive than the four-game streak, is that ECC was one of the worst teams in the district last year. The Crusaders lost their final seven games of the season and weren’t projected to do much this year either.
A strong running game led by Stephen Bobby and a defense that forces turnovers has changed this team’s fate. ECC was trailing at halftime of Friday’s game, but outscored C-L 12-0 over the final 24 minutes to secure the win. That is certainly the type of comeback to not just galvanize a team for the rest of the regular season, but for a playoff run, as well.
Meanwhile, Clarion-Limestone, which entered the game riding a four-game streak of its own, may now have to try to win without star running back Austin Newcomb. The senior, who has a staggering 1200 yards on the ground and 19 touchdowns, missed the entire second with injury and would be too big of a loss to overcome for the Lions.
Those three teams are also locked into a tight battle in the middle of the Class A playoff power rankings behind Smethport’s 890 points. Clarion-Limestone (690 points) currently occupies the second spot with Curwensville (670 points, third place) ECC (650, fourth), and Coudy (600, fifth)
All within range as seeding and home field advantage are all on the line over the final few weeks of the season.
