District 10   Week 6 Summary

 by Todd Warner

Congratulations to Harbor Creek’s marvelous four-year starter Stephen Blose.  On Friday, he shattered the Pennsylvania State single game rushing record when he ripped through Fort LeBoeuf for 490 yards on 28 carries.  With 6 TD runs and a perfect 8-for-8 night kicking PATs, he scored 44 of the Huskies’ points in the 56-22 rout of LeBoeuf.  Blose, a terrific all-around athlete who might be 5’8” and 175 pounds, missed the first three games of this season in the backfield due to an injury and Harbor Creek really struggled during his absence.  Now that he has returned to running, tackling, returning, kicking, and punting, the Huskies are still for now alive in the D10AA playoff hunt.

 Congratulations are also due to the Kennedy Catholic Golden Eagles as they claimed the Region 1 title and automatic D10A playoff berth that comes with it on Saturday with a workmanlike 27-0 shutout of Lakeview. KC is the first team in any of D10’s classes or six regions to clinch a playoff berth.

Once again, other than the scores, game details for many of the Region 1 and Region 3 games were not available.  We need a dedicated contributor from the southern portion of D10 to ensure that better details are provided each week from that area.

Class A Summary:   As noted above, Kennedy Catholic shutout Lakeview, 27-0, and soared into a playoff spot.  Defending D10A champion Sharpsville rolled past Linesville, 31-7.  That game was tied at 7 after one period, but the Blue Devils dominated the trenches over the final three periods as both Ian Brown and Pat O’Connor rushed for more than 100 yards.  The win set up a likely playoff-deciding game this week when Sharpsville travels to West Middlesex to meet the Big Reds.  Once-beaten West Middlesex beat Conneaut Lake, 30-7, to stay in the playoff hunt.  The Big Reds found themselves in a 7-0 hole after one period, but Kolt Hoffman ran for a TD and passed for two more to rally West Middlesex to the win.  In a Special Thursday night edition of Inter-district football, D9AA Redbank Valley smashed Cochranton, 35-7, as Bulldog RB Skyler Smith made the PFN Stat Star list with 4 rushing TDs.  In the north, the much-anticipated “Game of the Year” is now set.  Co-Leaders Fairview and Iroquois won big on the road on Friday to set up this week’s showdown.  Fairview trounced Saegertown, 49-20, behind a 5-TD, 265-yard rushing double Stat Star performance from returning All-PFN RB Ty Perry.  Fairview built a 21-0 lead midway through the second period on Perry’s first two TD runs and a fine 24-yard TD pass from QB Kevin Stephenson to WR Chris Delavern.  Saegertown cut the deficit to 21-6 at the half and then chewed up more than six minutes on a scoring drive to open the 3^rd quarter to make it 21-14.  But Fairview answered immediately and quickly re-established control to pull away.  Fairview’s Stephenson intercepted a pair of passes to set up two Tiger scoring drives and junior standout athlete Zane Meeder booted a perfect 7-for-7 on his PAT kicks, hauled in a 44-yard bomb from Stephenson to set up Perry’s 1^st TD, and returned a punt 30 yards to set up Perry’s final scoring run.  On the defensive side of the ball, Fairview had a 15-tackle stat star performance from Alex Wagner; while Saegertown star Kyle Wilson was credited with 22 tackles.  Iroquois crushed winless Conneaut Valley, 56-0, to tune up for their trip to Fairview.  The Braves scored on all five first half possessions to take a 35-0 lead into the intermission and inflict the Mercy Rule.  RB Jarryd Pearson rushed for three Iroquois TDs, while RB Steve Barringer ran for a score and caught a 22-yard pass from his twin brother Dan for another TD.  The Braves’ other two TDs came via short runs from Dan Barringer and Corey Franz.  Iroquois’ PK Jeremy Deitzler was a perfect 8-for-8 on his PAT kicks.  Picking up a crucial win to remain alive and still lurking around in the Region 2 title and playoff chase, Cambridge Springs edged Eisenhower, 14-7.  This game was a very even match up as each team scored a 2^nd period TD for a 7-7 score that carried into the final quarter.  Cambridge Springs got the game winning score from bullish RB Josh Hobson on a 5-yard run.  Hobson came into the game as the leading rusher across all classes of D10.  He found the going tough against the physical Knights, who held him to 80 yards---but his late TD kept the surprising Blue Devils in the hunt for a playoff spot.  In a shocking rout, Union City pounded Youngsville, 50-0.  The Fightin’ Green Bears picked up their 4^th win in what has become a very solid season.  Youngsville has dropped 4 straight after a very promising 2-0 start.  Union City QB/PK Tommy Dodd threw a pair of TD passes and was a perfect 6-for-6 on his PAT kicks.  Steve Miller and Bryn Smith each scored two TDs for the Bears; while Eric Albrecht closed out the scoring with a coast-to-coast 99-yard touchdown run.  Union City’s steadily improving defense held the Eagles to just 101 yards in total offense.

Class A Week 7 Key Games:  Regardless of whether they win or lose against Linesville, Kennedy Catholic has claimed the automatic playoff awarded to the Region 1 champion.  Thus, the big game in the south is Sharpsville at West Middlesex.  The winner will assure themselves of the runner up spot in Region 1 and should get a playoff spot.  In the north, the co-leaders who are unbeaten in Region 2 play meet as Fairview hosts Iroquois.  This should be a great game with a huge crowd.  If Fairview wins, the Tigers win the Region 2 crown and an automatic playoff spot regardless of what happens anywhere else.  However, if Iroquois knocks off Fairview, it could create a really sticky three-way tie for the region crown (if Cambridge Springs can go unbeaten the rest of the way).  If that happens, you have to wonder how the D10 committee will determine who gets the four playoff spots.  Kennedy Catholic is in already.  In the event of a three-way tie for the Region 2 title, would D10 send all three of those teams to the remaining playoff spots and let the Region 1 runner up sit at home during the postseason?  If the stars line up just right in D10A, there could be a post-season controversy.

Class AA Summary:  There is now just one undefeated team in D10AA and it just happens to be the team we picked in our preseason forecast to win the district title.  Wilmington slipped past defending D10AA champ Grove City, 20-13.  The Hounds are looking for some respect from the ranking experts across the state and can clinch the Region 3 title with a win this Friday at Reynolds.  Speaking of Reynolds, the Raiders had been unbeaten and in a deadlock with Wilmington until last Friday night when they ventured into Sharon’s fabled Tiger Stadium.  Picking up by far their biggest win ever under 2^nd year Head Coach Bob Fromm, Sharon shocked Reynolds, 26-12.  Maybe the Tigers were inspired by the presence of local war hero and Army Reserve Major Larry Scheetz, a diehard and fanatical Sharon rooter who returned from the Middle East just 24 hours before kickoff and was present with his bright orange Tiger blanket among the roaring Sharon faithful during the upset.  There should be some lively discussions and even a few arguments among the very knowledgeable gridiron fans at Bianco Brothers’ Barbershop this week as the Sharon Tigers are still alive in the D10AA playoff race.  To get in the playoffs as the Region 3 runner-up, Sharon has to win their remaining region games.  They also need either Slippery Rock or Mercer to upset Hickory during the next two weeks and have Wilmington beat Reynolds on Friday.  That is asking quite a bit, but those scenarios are really not that far-fetched. Hickory battered winless Greenville, 35-0, and stayed firmly in the playoff hunt thanks to Sharon’s win over Reynolds.  Slippery Rock handled Mercer, 21-7, and will bring some recently discovered momentum into this week’s game with Hickory.  In the north, Region 4 leader Girard powered past Mercyhurst Prep, 20-6, with a dominant 2^nd half performance.  The game was knotted at 6-6 at the intermission, before the Yellowjackets picked up one yard TD runs from Rick Ayers and Derrick Johnson in each of the final two periods.  There is nothing fancy about Girard’s style of play.  In the win over MP, Girard attempted just three pass and completed none.  But bolstered by 181 yards from Johnson, Girard amassed over 300 yards on the ground and played turnover-free football.  Coach Mina George’s team is poised to clinch the Region 4 title this week.  Northwestern’s 6-0 win over North East put the Wildcats in great shape to claim the number two spot in Region 4 and an almost certain playoff spot that should  come with that finish.  Northwestern’s standout junior QB Cody Cipalla rolled in from the three yards out with the game’s only TD late in the 3^rd quarter and the Northwestern defense, led by PFN Stat Star LB Todd Morse’s 16 tackles kept the Pickers off the scoreboard.  The Wildcats’ stadium in Albion is one of the classic D10 venues to watch a key late season game on a cold, wet night and muddy field.  If the Cats make the playoffs this year, their win over North East will rate among the great classics in Albion.  The Seneca Bobcats could ruin everyone’s postseason party plans if they keep winning.  Seneca mauled Maplewood, 50-8, on Friday.  The Bobcats overcame a sloppy and close first half with a 5-TD barrage in the second half to secure the rout.  Tim Griffin and Jim Stalford scored twice for Seneca and Dan Goodman made the PFN Stat Star list with 62-yard INT return for a TD.  Maplewood’s lone score also produced a PFN Stat Star as Kevin Mack rambled 83 yards with a KO return for the Tigers lone TD.  As mentioned in the introduction above, Harbor Creek flattened Fort LeBoeuf, 56-22, as sensational Stephen Blose shattered the PA single game rushing record with 490 yards on the way to scoring 44 points in the game.

Class AA Week 7 Key Games:   In the south, if Wilmington can win at Reynolds, the Greyhounds will win the Region 3 title and clinch a playoff spot.  Hickory must win at Slippery Rock to keep their postseason dreams alive.  In the north, Girard is a heavy favorite to win the Region 4 title on the road at Fort LeBoeuf.  Seneca at Northwestern and North East at Harbor Creek are other key games as all four teams are still vying for a second playoff spot out of Region 4.

Class AAA Summary:  Stats can be deceiving for sure.  Big play-oriented General McLane only picked up four first downs against Oil City, but the PFN #7 ranked Lancers still routed the Oilers, 60-36.   General McLane has, without a doubt, more scoring weapons than any team in any class of D10 football.  GM built a 34-6 halftime lead behind 5 TDs from 4 different players.  Lightning bolt option QB Ben Swank had scoring jaunts of 56 and 68 yards.  Swank also made the Stat Star list with a second half 44-yard INT return for a TD. The Skelton brothers, Ryan and Dan, scored from 14 and 24 yards, respectively.  Ben Deppen added a 1-yard TD plunge.  In the second half, the Lancers treated their hosts to yet another rendition of what has become the weekly Drew Astorino Show.  The start junior athlete made the PFN Stat Star list with a 75-yard KO return for a TD in the 3^rd quarter.  He also scored a pair of TDs on dazzling runs of 36 and 40 yards.  On Saturday night, a live TV audience in the Erie area (Adelphia Channel 12, Image Sports Network) and almost 3,000 fans at Veterans Stadium watched Strong Vincent rally past AAAA McDowell, 16-7.  In a huge win for Coach Tom Cacchione’s Colonels, Vincent’s defense dominated the first half and SV had a 3-0 halftime lead on Harris Merzihic’s 31-yard field goal in the final minute before the intermission.    McDowell mounted a solid drive late in the 3^rd quarter that concluded with Anthony Weaver’s one yard scoring dive early in the final quarter.  But Strong Vincent was undaunted and junior QB Maurice Williams, a big time prospect who simply glides across the field led the Colonels on an impressive drive to retake the lead.  His 2-yard TD run put SV back on top, 10-7.  Then, after the Colonel defense held McDowell, Williams applied the knockout punch with a nifty 51-yard option keeper around left end for a TD that set the final score.  In a special Thursday night edition of D10 football, Corry dumped Erie East, 28-18.  The Beavers’ early lackluster performance against the winless Warriors saw them fall behind 6-0 after one period.  But QB Brenden Carney tossed scoring passes to Will McCray and Brandon Eck to put Corry up by 14-6 at the half.  From there, the Beavers were never really threatened again.  Franklin whipped Meadville, 32-0, behind a PFN Stat Star 4 TD passes by QB Nick Wested.  Wested also made the Stat Star list by racking up 230 yards through the air.  University of Pittsburgh recruit TE Nate Byham was on the receiving end of three of Wested’s TD strikes.  Franklin outgained Meadville in total yards by a 416 to 170 margin.  In an overtime thriller, Titusville edged Warren, 34-28, when Joe Snyder darted in for the winning TD from 4 yards out.  It was Snyder’s 3^rd TD of the game and capped a 175-yard rushing performance.  Warren had rallied from a 28-20 deficit to send the game into OT when Ty Wagner bulled one yard for a late TD and QB Ben Paul connected on a two-point conversion.

Class AAA Week 7 Key Games:  General McLane travels to Corry.  If the mighty Lancers win, they claim the Region 5 title.  If Corry pulls off the upset of the year, they will clinch a playoff spot.  Franklin must beat ancient rival Oil City to keep the pace for one of the final playoff spots and Titusville needs a gigantic upset of Strong Vincent to also remain in the postseason picture.

Class AAAA Summary:     It looks like the media experts in Northwestern PA who predicted that Cathedral Prep would beat D6AAAA opponent State College by 21 points must not have paid much attention to whom the Little Lions had played this year.  Without a doubt, State College had faced much tougher competition through the first five games than Prep had encountered.  Part of the blame for that can be assigned to the requirement that Prep had to play several inter-regional games against D10AAA teams that did not test the Ramblers at all.  In any event, a live television audience in the Erie area saw State College knock off Prep, 20-14, in overtime on Friday night.  The teams were tied at 7-7 at half time and 14-14 at the end of the 3^rd quarter.  A scoreless final period sent the game into overtime when State College’s big RB Justin Masorti, the reigning 215-pound Northwest Regional AAA wrestling champion, smashed over the goal line on a 10-yard TD burst to win it for the Little Lions.  Masorti also scored State High’s first TD on a 10-yard run in the second quarter.  In another rendition of Buckeye vs. Keystone State football, Warren (Ohio) John F. Kennedy beat Erie Central, 41-24.

Class AAAA Week 7 Key Game:  Erie Central faces Cathedral Prep.  The Falcons will be looking for the upset.