One did the majority of his damage through the air; the other on the ground. One ravaged the District 9 Large School Division while the other shredded the small schools.
In a Big 30 football season that featured its fair share of talented Pennsylvania quarterbacks, a pair of seniors shined above the rest.
St. Marys’ Christian Coudriet and Smethport’s Noah Lent were already stars before the 2021 season. Each embarked on another fruitful campaign this fall, however, producing eye-popping numbers while each earning another Big 30 All-Star offensive nod.
Each quarterback’s value was evident — Coudriet led St. Marys to a large-school conference crown for the second consecutive season, while Lent led Smethport to its second straight Small School North championship and a playoff victory. For Coudriet, experience became a valuable asset as he matured as a QB.
“When I came in as a sophomore, I was super inexperienced,” Coudriet said. “With two years under my belt, I had so much confidence going into this year. All of our team works hard and we want to win so badly, and everyone came together to put good work in and win some games.”
After a loss to rival Ridgway, Coudriet led the Flying Dutchmen to eight consecutive wins en route to a league championship.
He completed 217-of-325 passes (67%) for 2942 yards, 26 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 89 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. In 28 career games across three seasons at QB, Coudriet threw for 7,130 yards, 67 touchdowns and 28 INTs.
“My mobility from sophomore year to now, I’m a lot more agile this year, and a lot quicker and more mobile,” Coudriet said. “From youth football to Stallions to all the way up, just getting tons of reps gives me the confidence to do what I do.”
While Coudriet did most of his damage through the air, Lent became the area’s premier dual-threat QB through three-plus seasons as a starter.
Lent compiled 952 passing yards this season, completing 57-of-107 attempts (53%) for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added another 1,574 yards and 24 TDs on the ground.
“You could see him elevate his game each year, and this year, he just had a calmness and command of the offense that he hadn’t before,” Smethport coach Adam Jack said. “That comes with experience and playing in the system. Being able to see things on the field that you don’t see as a sophomore or a junior, the game slows down for you.”
Much like Coudriet, Lent matured as he grew into an upperclassman in the Hubber system. In 36 career games at QB, he threw for 2,413 yards, 45 touchdowns and 15 INTs, and ran for 3,333 yards and 43 touchdowns.
“I learned to control the game,” Lent said. “Knowing the clock, checking out of plays and audibling, stuff like that. Knowing the game; reading the defense.”
Lent credited his father, Joel, who serves as Smethport’s offensive coordinator, with helping him grow and succeed as a player.
“On the field, he wasn’t my dad; he was my coach,” Lent said. “I didn’t look at him that way. We had our ups and downs, but we worked well together and came up with some great schemes. We’ve had a bunch of big (receiving) targets and big threats. They put this offense in a few years back and it fit my personnel well, so it was a great time.”
Lent and Coudriet are each interested in playing college football. Each have received interest from and have spoken to potential collegiate programs, but each have yet to make a decision on where they’d like to play.
Coudriet is joined on the Big 30 All-Star offense by two teammates vital to St. Marys’ success — senior center Connor Bullers and junior wide receiver Logan Mosier. Mosier made 58 receptions for 995 yards and nine touchdowns; one of three receivers that made 50 or more catches this year for the Dutch.
Franklinville/Ellicottville’s Lucas Marsh was the only other QB selected to the Big 30 offense, while Port Allegany junior Blaine Moses and Ridgway senior Camron Marciniak were among the group of selected running backs.
Randolph RB Xander Hind, a junior, was selected as the Big 30 Player of the Year after rushing for 1,745 yards and 24 touchdowns on 212 attempts. Other selected RBs included Olean’s Jamison Pittman and Salamanca’s Jesse Stahlman.
Dalton Dixon earned Bradford’s lone Big 30 selection after a senior season in which he caught 51 passes for 906 yards and seven touchdowns. Dixon and Mosier were joined on the team by fellow wide receiver Noah Archer, who totaled 1,390 all-purpose yards for Port Allegany.
Bullers was joined by fellow center Lloyd Kinnicutt (Bolivar-Richburg), as well as offensive linemen Ryan Carpenter (Randolph), Alex Coder (Pioneer) and Camdyn MacDonell (Bolivar-Richburg).
