It’s hard to believe it’s Week 5 of the high school football season.
After action this weekend, the regular season will officially be halfway complete. There are a number of interesting storylines going into Week 5, and they begin with the showdown for first place in Region 3 between Cameron County and Otto-Eldred.
Also, can Bradford hang with Central Clarion, widely regarded as a state title contender in Class 2A. Kane has shown steady improvement — can they pull off a win over Brockway? Will playing a game on Monday have any effect on Ridgway? Will Smethport get its first win? Will Port Allegany stay unbeaten. Can St. Marys continue building positive momentum following its Week 4 win over Bradford?
All that and more, is below.
BRADFORD (1-3) at CENTRAL CLARION (4-0)
Bradford is 1-3 following a blowout loss from St. Marys. Things aren’t going to get easier for the Owls with undefeated Central Clarion next on the schedule.
The Bradford offense has a couple strong weapons led by senior quarterback Talan Reese. They will need the defense to step up, however, if they want to hang with the Wildcats. Through four games, the Owls are allowing 41 points per game.
Central Clarion is a juggernaut that is doing whatever they care to do against their opponents so far. The Wildcats are 4-0, including a 49-6 win against St. Marys. Senior quarterback Jase Ferguson leads the offensive attack as a dual-threat quarterback. Ferguson has thrown for 620 yards and is also their leading rusher with 381 yards to go with 13 total touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver Mason Buford is his top target with 380 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, junior linebacker Charlie Hepfl leads the Wildcats with 24 tackles.
UNION/A-C VALLEY (3-1) at PORT ALLEGANY (4-0)
Port Allegany is 4-0 coming off of what may have been the two toughest games on their schedule. Union/A-C Valley is 3-1 and looking to pull off the upset.
The Gators struggled out of the gate last week against Brockway after winning 66-38 against Redbank Valley in Week 3. After the game was tied 14-14 in the third quarter, junior running back Aiden Bliss ran wild to propel Port Allegany to a 47-21 blowout win.
Bliss is the Gators leading rusher with 915 yards and 16 touchdowns with 11.3 per carry in the first four games. Fellow junior Tristan Kiser is also a rushing threat with 489 yards and seven touchdowns along with averaging 14 yards per carry. As a team, Port Allegany averages 407 yards rushing per game.
Defensively, senior lineman Juuso Young has 4 sacks, and Bliss also makes a difference on the other side of the ball as a linebacker contributing 4 interceptions.
Union/A-C Valley has won three straight since losing in Week 1, 49-13 against Redbank Valley. In those wins against Ridgway, Keystone and Kane, the Falcon-Knights have allowed just 20 combined points. Defensively, the guys looking to stop the Gator rushing attack will be led by junior linebackers Max Gallagher with 46 tackles and Colbin Elliott with 34.
BUCKTAIL (0-3) at SMETHPORT (0-3)
Smethport has a quality chance to get into the win column as 0-3 Bucktail comes to Smethport in a matchup of teams looking to get their first victory.
Smethport has gone against some tough teams through their first three games. Bucktail lost 38-6 to Sheffield and Smethport was in a scoreless tie early in the second quarter with Sheffield before the game was postponed due to weather.
Senior receiver Owen Rounsville is the top weapon for the Hubbers. Head Coach Eric Rees is in his first season while quarterback Aiden Tanner is only a sophomore.
This will be a big boost for the Hubbers if they can pull off the victory. Look for them to play hard in this one
BROCKWAY (2-2) at KANE (1-3)
Kane is 1-3 after falling 33-14 to Union/A-C Valley last week. Brockway is a really good 2-2 team that has multiple weapons on offense.
Kane picked up a huge victory against Otto-Eldred two weeks ago. They couldn’t repeat their success against the Falcon-Knights, though. The Wolves are still improving under first year head coach Matt Bodamer, they will face their toughest test of the season so far with Brockway.
The Rovers are 2-2, but their two losses are against what probably are the toughest teams in District 91 A. Brockway stuck with Port Allegany until the fourth quarter last week. Sophomore quarterback Aiden Patton is having a good year with 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Senior receiver Blake Picarcik is Patton’s top target with 21 receptions, 420 yards, and seven touchdowns. Pisarcik is only one of three strong receivers though. Senior Aiden Snowberger has 10 receptions, 361 yards, and 4 touchdowns while sophomore Caleb Daugherty has 18 receptions, 317 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
MONITEAU (0-4) at
ST. MARYS (1-2)
St. Marys got their first win of the season after beating Bradford 50-22 last week. Moniteau was crushed by Bradford, so it should be a game that St. Marys can win.
Moniteau is 0-3 this season while only being able to score against Bradford. St. Marys is 1-2 but their two losses were against two tough teams. The Flying Dutch proved that they may be tough themselves after winning big against Bradford.
St. Marys senior quarterback Ben Paul has 315 yards and 4 touchdowns this season. Junior Andrew Field leads the Flying Dutch in rushing with 208 yards and 4 touchdowns with 7.2 yards per carry.
Senior receiver Ben Reynolds accounted for 265 all-purpose yards (139 receiving, 126 rushing) and three touchdowns in the win against Bradford, Field ran for 190 yards and 3 touchdowns and had a pair of sacks on defense, while Paul completed 9-of-12 passes for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns
The Flying Dutch should move to 2-2 after this game.
COUDERSPORT (2-2) at RIDGWAY (1-3)
Coudersport is 2-2 coming off of a 26-13 win against Sheffield. Ridgway is now 1-3 following their 52-16 loss to Redbank Valley Monday night.
The Falcons have beaten the teams on their schedule that they should beat. However, they have struggled against the two quality opponents that they have played. Coudersport lost to Cameron County and Otto-Eldred, two teams that they won against last season.
Senior Ethan Ott leads the team in rushing with 369 yards and 4 touchdowns with 7 yards per carry. Senior wide receiver Danny Vanvladricken has 19 receptions, 339 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
Defensively, junior linebacker Preston Ayers leads the team with 41 tackles. Sophomore cornerback Caleb Wonderly is making an impact with three interceptions this season.
Ridgway was strong defensively in their first three games of the season. Redbank Valley was able to score 52 on Monday night though.
The Elkers have struggled to get things going on offense. Their top weapon, Rocco Delhunty, had 162 yards rushing against Redbank Valley. If Ridgway is going to win, their defense will likely play a key role.
CAMERON COUNTY (3-1) at OTTO-ELDRED (3-1), 1:30 p.m., Saturday
Otto-Eldred is 3-1 after beating Bucktail 48-22. Cameron County is also 3-1 and are looking to repeat their 38-8 win from last year against the Terrors.
Otto-Eldred has been strong on offense this season. Junior quarterback Shane Magee has 835 yards passing with 12 touchdowns while senior running back Hunter App has 455 yards and 6 touchdowns.
After two big wins over Coudersport and Sheffield the Terrors fell to Kane. They responded with another blowout against Bucktail. It is fair to wonder just how strong Otto-Eldred is. They have looked really good at times and have struggled as well.
Cameron County has three straight blowout wins after losing 48-7 to Brockway in Week 1. Junior running back Malakai Zucal is the engine of the Red Raider offense with 774 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns this season.
Senior defensive end Landon Farren is a problem for opposing offenses with four sacks and six tackles for loss. Zucal also is a threat at safety with three interceptions this season.
This game is probably the most enticing of the week. Whoever wins will have an inside track on better playoff positioning late in the season. I think this game is a toss-up. Iit could go either way.
