PORT ALLEGANY — Through the first three weeks of the season, Port Allegany relied on its ground game and some stout defense for a pair of victories.
With visiting Cameron County determined to clog the running lanes for the talented senior backfield tandem of Blaine Moses and Noah Archer, though, Port turned to the air — including some key contributions from unexpected sources — to roll past the Red Raiders, 46-0, on Friday night at Gator Field.
Senior quarterback Drew Evens threw for 217 yards and a trio of touchdown passes, including a pair of long-distance connections to Archer, and the Gators (3-1, 2-0 D9 Region 2) allowed just one CC trip across midfield in securing their second consecutive shutout.
“Our kids were focused all week,” coach Justin Bienkowski said after watching his squad earn its seventh win in a row in the century-long series against the Red Raiders (0-4, 0-0 D9 Region 3). “We had great weight room sessions, we had great practices. We worked on the passing game with Drew a little bit, getting the ball out of his hands. Our kids executed the game plan really well.
“We couldn’t run the ball — they were going to take the run away from us, everybody knew that — and we were able to have some success throwing the ball. Our guys gave some protection for Drew, and he just keeps getting guys involved.”
The first big play from the passing game, though, didn’t involve Evens.
Midway through the first quarter, with Port facing fourth-and-9 from near midfield, junior punter Braylon Button caught the snap from center and lofted a perfect spiral into the waiting arms of Archer for a 29-yard gain deep into Raiders territory. Two plays later, Archer followed his blockers into the end zone for the game’s first score, with Moses adding the two-point conversion.
The Gators hit the scoreboard twice more to start the second frame, cashing in back-to-back drives on a short Moses run and a pretty Evens pump-fake and toss to Archer.
Meanwhile, the defense was shifting Cameron County into reverse.
The Raiders finished the game with just 42 yards of total offense, including -14 yards on the ground.
“Coach Kyle Bachman and Coach Chad Saltsman on the defensive side of the football, they do a phenomenal job prepping,” Bienkowski said. “These kids know exactly what to do and how to do it. They put the game plan together, and the kids executed it great.”
And just when the visitors finally gained some momentum, with junior quarterback Maddox Baughman avoiding the pass rush to hit some key completions to advance into Port territory for the first time, Evens was there with a drive-stopping interception and a 40-yard runback to put the Gators back in business.
“That’s been our story, we move the ball and then we have a turnover,” CC coach Ryan Neyman said. “That comes back to a young offensive line, trying to fill some voids from the players we lost to graduation last year. We’re still trying to work in a solid five and figure out where they can play.”
Taking over with 1:48 left in the half, they worked the two-minute drill to perfection, with Archer taking an Evens pass 38 yards to paydirt for his third score of the evening and a 32-0 lead at the break.
The trend continued after halftime, with Evens finding fellow senior Kaden Price a step behind the defense for a 31-yard score that meant much more than putting a few points on the board.
“Kaden Price catching a touchdown pass, a converted lineman/fullback, and it’s a special night for him. It was Senior Night, Kaden lost his dad in the spring, so it was a tough night for him. I’m just glad our football family could be there for him,” Bienkowski said.
“He does his part. He blocks … and speaking of blocking, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Aiden Bliss blocking. He did a phenomenal job blocking for us. Every guy on our team tries to do their part, whether it’s blocking, tackling, rallying, contain.
“This is a pretty tight-knit group of kids, and they deserve all the success. They’ve done it since January 5, so this is just another opportunity to reap the benefits of their hard work.”
The Gator reserves took over with the running-clock rule in effect, capping the scoring with a 15-yard connection from Nick Wilfong to fellow freshman Tristan Kiser.
“Just an overall good night for Gator football,” Bienkowski said. “Great atmosphere, great to honor the band, cheerleaders, and football player seniors. It’s good to be a Gator.”
NEXT WEEK: Both teams are at home, with Cameron County hosting Coudersport (2-2) in a District 9 Region 3 matchup on Friday evening while Port Allegany welcomes fellow Region 2 contender Brockway (2-2) in a Saturday-afternoon matinee.
“Coudersport’s a talented group,” Neyman said. “We did some seven-on-seven work against them and had some success, but our biggest thing is we’ve got to pass block. We have great receivers, we have a good quarterback, we just have to find that drive on the offensive line. And we’ll find it.”
Bienkowski, reminiscing about previous Saturday Brockway-Port A contests when both schools had record-breaking offenses and deep playoff runs, said with a smile, “We’re going old-school. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. We’re looking forward to it. I told the kids, ‘Enjoy this win, and then Monday we’ll come back to work.’ These kids will lock in and do anything we ask them to do to the best of their ability.
“We know Coach Heigel will have the Rovers ready, and we’ll be ready too. Hopefully we can put together a nice Homecoming weekend for our fans.”
