BROCKWAY — Just two seasons removed from back-to-back winless campaigns, St. Marys is headed to a District 9 championship game.
The Flying Dutchmen (5-0), in their second year under coach Chris Dworek, will face Clearfield (3-1) on Saturday at Brockway’s Varischetti Field for the D9 Class AAA title. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Dutch have been the best Large School Division team, by far, in the Intermediate Unit 9 bubble, having dispatched each of their opponents by a minimum of two scores. They boast two wins each over Kane and Ridgway, and have also beaten Bradford once.
Clearfield, meanwhile, plays a District 6 schedule, and features wins over Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and Huntingdon. The Bisons’ lone defeat was a 25-21 decision against Central (Martinsburg).
St. Marys has featured a potent spread offense this season. Quarterback Christian Coudriet has racked up 1,218 yards and 15 touchdowns on 94-of-150 passing. His top four receivers — Mitchell Reiter, Michael Fitzgerald, Logan Mosier and Bryce Walker — have combined for 77 receptions, 1,002 yards and 13 scores.
The Bison, meanwhile, are quarterbacked by junior Oliver Billotte (45-for-79, 708 yards, 10 TDs). He also leads Clearfield in rushing with 152 yards and three scores on 31 carries. Mark McGonigal has added 116 yards and four scores on 24 attempts.
Senior receiver Jake Lezzer is far and away Billotte’s top target, as he has exactly half of Clearfield’s 46 total receptions. Lezzer has 470 yards and four touchdowns on his 23 grabs.
Friday
Class AA Semifinals
Ridgway (3-2) at Brookville (6-0), 7 p.m.
BROOKVILLE — The Elkers’ quest for a fifth-consecutive District 9 championship begins tonight in Jefferson County.
Ridgway has won two-consecutive 2A titles, and before that had won back-to-back championships in 1A. Brookville, however, poses a serious threat to that run.
The high-octane Raiders have scored at least 42 points in all but one of their games. That stray mark was a 35-13 win over DuBois.
Ridgway, meanwhile, is averaging 23.6 points per game and has only broken 40 points once — a 45-14 win at Bradford in Week 2.
As it’s been in recent years, the Elkers use a committee approach offensively. Quarterback Ben Briggs has thrown for 473 yards and three scores on a 32-for-58 season, while Eric Salberg leads the team in rushing with 134 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries.
Camron Marciniak (34 carries, 110 yards, 4 TDs) and Briggs (40 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD) also factor largely into Ridgway’s run game. Will Howard leads the Elkers in receiving with nine receptions for 261 yards and two scores.
The Raiders, meanwhile, run everything through explosive quarterback Jack Krug (128-for-183, 1,814 yards, 25 TDs, 3 INTs).
At his disposal are plenty of playmakers. Three Brookville receivers have tallied at least 400 receiving yards on the year: Kyle Macbeth (30 receptions, 499 yards, 5 TDs), Brayden Kunselman (24 receptions, 406 yards, 7 TDs) and Robert Keth (29 receptions, 405 yards, 6 TDs).
Non-Playoff Games
Otto-Eldred (1-3) at Kane (2-3), 7 p.m.
KANE — A pair of old Allegheny Mountain League foes will meet for the first time since District 9’s football realignment.
Otto-Eldred will visit Kane in the first matchup between the two schools since Kane’s 33-0 win over the Terrors in the 2017 AML championship.
O-E uses quarterback Cole Sebastian in every facet of the game. He’s thrown for 733 yards and seven scores on 67-for-117 passing and has added 38 carries for 157 yards and two scores on the ground.
Ethan Smith and Jake Merry are his favorite targets. Smith has hauled in 25 receptions for 276 yards and three touchdowns while Merry has caught 21 passes for 227 yards and two scores.
Kane quarterback Zuke Smith is 44-for-107 on the year and has amassed 651 yards and seven touchdowns. Three Wolves have run for at least 150 yards on the year: Harley Morris (41 carries, 184 yards, 1 TD), Josh Buhl (31 carries, 181 yards, 4 TDs) and Smith (27 carries, 168 yards, 1 TD).
Buhl also has seven receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver, while Ricky Zampogna has caught a team-high 15 passes for 194 yards and two scores.
Elk County Catholic (3-2) at Cameron County (0-4), 7 p.m.
EMPORIUM — For the second time this season, Elk Catholic and Cameron County will do battle.
The Crusaders won the first matchup, 32-6.
Both teams feature run-first strategies. Cameron County runs through Dylan Rieder, while Elk Catholic relies on Nick Crisp and Sam Kaul.
Statistics for the matchup were not available.
