District 9 – Region 3 Conference Preview
Tagged under: Conference Previews, District 9, News
Phil Myers | August 18, 2023
Bucktail played some competitive football last year and was rewarded with a couple of wins and some other close games. Coach Frank Sutliff will have a veteran team of Bucks this year as they only lost one senior. The kids put in a lot of work and everyone involved is hoping the payoff is a spot in the D-4 playoffs. (Bucktail is actually a District 4 team playing in the District 9 league for competition purposes.) Brody Pentz returns to quarterback the Bucks’ offense. Braylon Fantaski and Tanner Pettingill return in the backfield offensively. All three will take the field on defense too. Daniel Gavlock and Evan Hillyer will anchor the line on both sides of the ball for the Bucks.
Cameron County returns 8 experience players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. With a seasoned offensive line, along with a solid quarterback and running back, the offense should be able to put up points. The key will be defense. Although the defensive line will be a veteran one, losing the top two playmakers to graduation will hurt a bit. Newcomers will be expected to make an impact immediately. Staying healthy, mental toughness, and communication will be keys according to head coach Ryan Neyman. The goals of having a winning season and winning at least one playoff game are very achievable for the Red Raiders. Maddox Baughman (QB/S), Lathan Reed (RB/LB), Jesop Farabaugh (G/DE), and Kyle Earle (WR/LB) are four players Coach Neyman expects to have a big season in 2023.
Coudersport is definitely the favorite to take the Region 3 title. They return a lot! Not many teams at any classification, let alone 1A, can boast of having a 6’3” 230-pound quarterback, yet the Falcons have one in Gavyn Ayers who looks to have a big year for the Falcons as their QB. Junior RB Ethan Ott was the leading rusher for Coudy a year ago, and looks to go over 1,000 yards in 2023. Jackson Moss and Viggo Brown are playmakers where ever they line up. CB Dylan Howard is the field general on defense. Head coach Frank Brown has high hopes for his team. He says the numbers are up allowing the Falcons to field a jayvee team this year. Last year Coudersport went 6-4. This year they should be better than that.
Elk County Catholic has a new head coach. Tim Pearson has stepped into that role and is excited for the 2023 season to begin. ECC went 7-2 last year but elected to forego the playoffs due to injuries and small numbers. Coach Pearson plans to be in the playoffs this year. He has cause to have that outlook as 7 kids return on offense and 6 on defense. Pearson will change from the single wing offense of the past 10 years or so to a variety of new formations that will aid his offense to be more dynamic and maximize the potential of the players he has. RB Noah Cherry scurried for over 1,100 yards in ’22 and scored 21 touchdowns. QB Charlie Geci and RB Frankie Smith are a couple more names to look for offensively. The leaders of the offensive line will be Lucas Grunenwald and Alex Gahr. Defensively, Cherry, Grunenwald, Gahr, Smith, Geci, and Ethan Ott are back for the Crusaders.
Elk County Catholic 2023 Schedule
Otto-Eldred is a team that has high hopes in 2023 due to the number of returning starters. QB Andrew Schenfield leads the 9 offensive returnees. Schenfield passed for 2,188 yards and 28 touchdowns in ’22. The Terrors also have their top two receivers back in Manning Splain who had 45 receptions with 10 TDs and Shene Thomas who had 30 catches, scoring 9 times. Otto has their top running back, Hunter App, returning too. Coach Troy Cook has 4 offensive linemen and 3 defensive linemen returning. Braxton Caldwell was the third leading tackler who also had 8 sacks in ’22. He’s back along with 9 other starters including Splain and Thomas and linebacker Abram Austin. Coach Cook is hoping the Terrors stay free from injuries. By doing so he believes they make the playoffs. Otto-Eldred was 6-4 last year but nixed the playoffs due to injuries.
Sheffield head coach Michael Barr feels the program is moving in the right direction. He wants every game to be meaningful. Coming off a tough 0-8 season, the Wolverines will be looking to break their 19-game losing streak in ’23. Nicholas Hagg, Colby Barr, and Andrew Kyler are a few of the ingredients that Sheffield needs to lead the team to a few victories. Barr is the quarterback, Hagg and Kyler play on the line. With a couple wide outs back and experience on the line, the Wolverines aim to put more points on the board this year. The most important thing for the defense is to make plays and cut down on points allowed.
PFN’s Projected Region 3 Finish:
- Coudersport
- Cameron County
- Otto-Eldred
- Elk County Catholic
- Bucktail
- Sheffield
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