BROCKWAY — It had plenty of the common features of a football all-star game.
The sultry summer temperatures, a few thousand spectators packed into the seats, and in this case, the best players from the former Allegheny Mountain League battling with their counterparts from the former Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference.
But instead of the typical offensive fireworks, this contest turned into a defensive struggle.
Holding the AML to just 124 total yards of offense, the KSAC struck for three touchdowns and maintained its lead late to pull off a 20-7 victory in the fourth annual Varischetti game on Friday in Brockway.
The AML’s only points of the night came on a 45-yard interception return from Garrett McClintick (Brockway) with time winding down in the third quarter.
“Can’t say enough about the effort all week and the effort tonight. We just played hard-nosed and got after it every play,” KSAC head coach Dave Eggleton (Clarion-Limestone) said.
“(Shutting them out) was our goal all week. We told the guys all week we thought we had the guys in place who could do it.”
Despite both the AML and the KSAC folding into the District 9 football league at the conclusion of the 2017 season, the Varischetti organizers decided to keep the traditional format of the game.
Friday’s victory was the first for the KSAC, which had lost the previous three meetings, including a 40-14 defeat last year.
“It’s always great to have the opportunity to coach a bunch of great athletes,” AML head coach Adam Jack (Smethport) said. But, better than that, really good kids.”
The KSAC wasted no time on its quest to end the AML’s three-game win streak. On the game’s very first drive, the KSAC offense marched down the field on a methodical 14-play drive that ate 6:19 off the game clock. It was capped by a two-yard touchdown run from Logan Minich.
After forcing the AML into a three-and-out on the next drive, the KSAC’s Bryan Dworek (Brookville) took a short pass from Dylan Ishman (Punxsutawney) and danced and dazzled his way 61 yards into the end zone.
It’d prove to be the only trips to paydirt the KSAC would need in the game.
“It was a great group of kids and we had a great time all week long,” Eggleton said. “I’ve said to many people all week long that I think there have been years past where we maybe didn’t get the guys that should have been out year, but this year they all came and they showed up big.”
Dworek’s touchdown grab was part of a five-catch, 180-yard performance. And while the KSAC offense handled the AML ‘D’ to the tune of 270 yards and a 20-0 score at halftime, the group from up north had no plans of getting routed.
After allowing a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ishman to Sam Minich with just 56 ticks left on the clock in the second quarter, the AML defense — led by former Kane head coach Todd Silfies — held the KSAC scoreless in the second half. It also forced that INT in the third quarter as well as a fumble recovery on a punt in the fourth. But despite several chances down the stretch, the offense just couldn’t capitalize.
“Defensively, Coach Silfies and his staff made some great adjustments at halftime and shut those guys out; you saw our only score was defensively,” Jack said.
“On the offensive side of the ball we had a little bit of rhythm going there at the start of the third quarter, but then just couldn’t get back to it later on.”
The AML got the ball back on the KSAC 27-yard-line following that muffed punt and had the chance to cut the lead, but saw several passes into the endzone fall incomplete.
Leading the AML offense was quarterback Peter Downer (Brockway), who rushed for 41 yards and threw for 46. The KSAC held three of the top rushers in District 9 from the AML — Donny Pattison (Bradford), Blake Kinner (Smethport) and Stephen Kelly (Coudersport) — to just 47 yards on 11 rushing attempts.
The AML allowed four sacks in the game, including two on third downs, that lost 36 yards total.
In addition to Silfies, Jack was assisted on the AML sideline by current Ridgway head coach Mark Heindl as well as Smethport assistant coach Jim Berlin.
Jack said that the contest got his anticipation building for the start of the 2019 season, and “stoked his embers a little bit.”
Twelve players, including Parker Rohr (Ridgway), Chris Connelly (Otto-Eldred), Cole Secco (Ridgway), Daunte Allegretto (Ridgway) and Donny Pattison (Bradford) were awarded $1,000 scholarships at halftime by various game sponsors.
AT BROCKWAY
BY QUARTERS
KSAC 14 6 0 0—20
AML 0 0 7 0—7
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: KSAC: 16, AML: 9; Rushes/Yards Rushing: KSAC: 33-150, AML: 22-99; Yards Passing: KSAC: 248, AML: 61; Comp-Att-Int: KSAC: 9-16-1, AML: 9-20-0; Penalties: KSAC: 9-82, AML: 6-55; Fumbles-Lost: KSAC: 1-1, AML: 0-0; Total Yards: KSAC: 398, AML: 124 Offensive Plays: KSAC: 51, AML: 46
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: KSAC: Dylan Ishman 6-13-178-2, Kahle 1-1-35, Mills 2-2-35; AML: Peter Downer 7-15-46, Grant Ognen 2-5-15
Rushing: KSAC: A. Wiles 8-51, H. Wiles 2-18, L. Minich 8-16, S. Minich 2-5, Ishman 2-13, Park 2-6, Mills 3-16, Jones 8-25; AML: Downer 6-41, Stephen Kelly 4-18, Blake Kinner 3-16, Donny Pattison 4-7, Evan Furlong 2-9, Noah VonGunden 1 (-1), Grant Ognen 2-9
Receiving: KSAC: Dworek 5-180-1, S. Minich 2-50-1, Wiles 1-12, Newcome 1-6; AML: Isaac Schloder 1-22, Daunte Allegretto 2-11, Kinner 3-10, Hunter Cashmer 1-9, Pattison 1-10
Scoring summary
First quarter
KSAC: Logan Minich, 2-yard run (Archer Mills PAT), 5:41
KSAC: Dworek, 61-yard pass from Ishman (Mills PAT), 0:10
Second quarter
KSAC: Sam Minich, 14-yard pass from Ishman (PAT failed), 0:56
Third quarter
AML: Garrett McClintick, 45-yard interception return (Zane Puhala PAT), 0:40
Fourth quarter
No scoring
