District Nine Review and Standings – Week 10

Tagged under: District 9, News, pfn

Phil Myers | November 1, 2022

The top game of the week had to be the DuBois Beaver-Hollidaysburg Golden Tiger contest. The Beavers were up early in the 4^th quarter 35-24, but Hollidaysburg scored with 9 minutes left to cut the lead to 35-30. When DuBois drove into Hollidaysburg territory, the Golden Tiger defense came up big on a 4^th down and three. Hollidaysburg then went the distance scoring with under a minute left on a 4^th down pass from the Beaver 20 to win 36-35.

The much-anticipated game between Central Clarion and Redbank Valley was very entertaining with Redbank coming from behind to win 47-38. One of the craziest sequence of events you’ll ever see happened in the final two and a half minutes of the first half as 3 touchdowns and a safety were scored. The Wildcats got a safety and a 52-yard touchdown pass to go up 23-14. Redbank responded with a 6-play drive, scoring on a 19-yard TD toss. The Bulldogs followed that up with a pick six by Brandon Ross as time expired in the half to give them a lead they never relinquished.

Here are the top performers for the week:

Quarterbacks (threw for over 200 yards and/or 2 or more touchdowns) – Redbank’s freshman QB, Braylon Wagner, played like a seasoned veteran, not someone staring only their third game varsity game ever. He threw for 267 yards and 5 touchdowns in leading the Bulldogs to their win over Central Clarion. Jase Ferguson helped his Central Clarion team stay in the game by throwing for 287 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran for 2 others. Ferguson has over 2,00 passing yards for the year. Dan McGarry of Curwensville had 249 yards throwing the ball with 2 TD passes. He also ran for 114 yards and another score. Bradford’s Talon Reese threw for 273 yards to go over 2,000 for the year. He also pitched the pigskin for 2 TDs. Drew Keth (Keystone) threw for 3 touchdowns. Brookville’s Noah Peterson passed for a pair of touchdowns and ran for one. Braydon Fox of Brockway had 2 TD passes as did Trey Wingard of DuBois. Drew Evens threw for a touchdown and ran for one too. Kane’s quarterback, Ricky Zampogna, ran for 239 yards and 3 scores including a 98-yard scamper. He passed for another. Mason Martin, Karns City’s backup QB, ran for 2 scores. Carter Freeland (Clearfield) accounted for a total of 243 yards passing and running.

Running Backs (ran for over 100 yards and/or scored 2 or more touchdowns) –Brockway’s Jendy Cuello ran for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns. Kyle Nellis of Keystone had 170 yards rushing and 3 TDs. Port Allegany’s Blaine Moses hit the 100-yard mark and scored 3 times. Zeke Bennett was back for Punxsy and he didn’t disappoint as he scored a pair of TDs while rushing for 194 yards. Ridgway’s Luke Zimmerman and Aiden Zimmerman each rushed for 2 TDs.

Wide Receivers (over 100 yards in receptions and/or 2 or more TDs) – Ashton Rex had 9 catches for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns for Central Clarion. Tate Minich had 126 yards and 2 TDs for Redbank Valley. Brookville’s Brayden Kunselman hauled in a pair of TD tosses in gaining 116 yards. Bradford had two players in this week’s honor roll. Lucas Laktash had 110 yards receiving and Isaiah Fitton had 119. Tyler Albright of Keystone snagged 3 touchdown passes and scored a 4^th TD on a run.

Special teams, defense, and other notes – Redbank Valley’s Brandon Ross turned the game around with Central Clarion with his 40-yard interception return of a screen pass for a touchdown as time ran out in the first half. Mason Clouse (Redbank) returned an onsides kick 50 yards for a TD. Brayden Kunselman of Brookville returned a fumble 23 yards for a TD. It was one of three touchdowns scored by Kunselman. Redbank sacked Central Clarion QBs a half dozen times. Noah Peterson, the Brookville quarterback, had 2 interceptions for the Blue Raider defense.

Punxsutawney ended up the 2022 campaign with a winning record, their first since 2014. Bradford is now winless in their last 28 games. But their QB, Talon Reese, is only a sophomore and very talented. They can build around that the next 2 years. Clearfield and Curwensville play in leagues outside of District 9. The Clearfield Bison finished the regular season 7-3, while Curwensville’s Golden Tide ended up 3-7.

Top Games for the Upcoming Week – We will have the playoff schedule for District 9 in a day or two. Teams with .500 or better record will participate in the playoffs with the exception of Elk County Catholic and Otto-Eldred.

Final Regular Season Standings:

Region 1: