District Nine Teams Had Quite a Year in 2024

Tagged under: District 9, News, pfn

Phil Myers | December 17, 2024

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For District Nine, 2024 was a year like no other in recent memory.  Since 1988 when the PIAA went to state championship games D9 had only three representatives in the finals in those 36 years prior to this season.  (Keystone lost to Dunmore 57-18 in 1989, Smethport lost to Scotland School 24-7 in 1992, and Redbank Valley lost to Bishop Guilfoyle 21-14 in 2021.)  Then in 2024, Port Allegany and Central Clarion both made the show.  Central Clarion, in 2A, was the first school to make it that was not a 1A team.  Port and Clarion were among only five undefeated schools and the only two unbeatens from the same district!

Much to the chagrin of many around the state and especially in D9, both schools failed in their attempt to win the district’s first football state title.  I’d have to say that Bishop Guilfoyle was the favorite going into their 1A battle with Port Allegany due to the quality program they have become under the tutelage of coach Justin Wheeler.  But I will say they also hadn’t run up against an offensive line as good as Port’s all year, nor a running back like Aiden Bliss, who led PA in rushing, touchdowns, and points scored.  As the game played out, Port Allegany tied the game late in the third quarter, but then ran out of gas as Guilfoyle put the pedal to the metal and pulled away.

The surprise of the weekend, to me, was Central Clarion losing to Troy.  That is not taking anything from Troy, as they turned out to be the better team and they were as good as billed, no doubt.  But I had Clarion winning based on schedule and based on their line, their offense, defense, special teams, etc.  Add to that quarterback Jase Ferguson, who had no equal in Pennsylvania 2A football this year, and one had a recipe for success.  But Troy’s defense played outstanding in the first half and their offense kept the ball away from the top scoring team in the state by having the ball twice as long for the entire game!  Also, Troy’s offense scored more points on Central Clarion than anyone else did this year.  During the game, three costly penalties hurt Clarion.  Then at the end, a blunder in time management resulted in a 50-yard field attempt instead of…  There are folks out there saying if D9 couldn’t win a state gold medal with this Central Clarion team then they may never win that elusive trophy.

Other teams in District Nine had outstanding years as well, but couldn’t quite overcome some of the other quality teams from around the state.  Clearfield, in 4A, had a phenomenal football season under second coach Myles Caragein who took over the program from the legend himself, Tim Janocko.  The Bison went 12-0 but then ran into perennial power Thomas Jefferson.  Five turnovers and not playing their best spelled doom.  On top of that, one of the best backs in the state Brady Collins, was not 100% for the game.  But man, Clearfield made the Western semifinals which is a great accomplishment.

In 5A, DuBois won its first playoff game in many years by beating Erie Cathedral Prep and then lost to undefeated Hollidaysburg by the closest of margins or the Beavers would have been in the Eastern quarterfinals.  A loss to Central Clarion and a pair of defeats at the hands of Hollidaysburg accounted for three of DuBois’s four blemishes.  Watch out for them next year as they return a quality quarterback and some potentially outstanding young running backs.

In 1A there is Redbank Valley.  Since coach Blane Gold took over in 2019, he has compiled a record of 59-14 with a state championship game appearance in 2021, losing to Bishop Guilfoyle.  The Bulldogs also barely lost to Fort Cherry in the 2023 Western final.  This year they played an extremely tough schedule losing twice to Port Allegany plus getting whipped by Central Clarion and Karns City who gave Central Clarion a battle in the D9 finals at 2A.  Those three teams had a combined record of 35-5 and two made the state championship game!

In 2A there was Karns City who was the only team to not be mercy ruled by Central Clarion until the Wildcats got to the state finals.  K.C. had a record of 7-3 with two losses coming to Central Clarion and the other to 5A DuBois in a shootout early in the season.

Then there is Brockway who elected to play up at 3A for the 2024 and 2025 seasons and who arguably played the toughest schedule they ever had.  Among their 5 losses were games to the two state finalists (Central Clarion and Port Allegany), Redbank Valley (who recently is now a threat to win districts every year), and DuBois (who is a class 5A school).  The Rovers have had some really good players in recent years, plus they have good coaching, but seem to be missing an element somewhere that would make them a state-wide threat.  If the coaches can hone in on that unknown, Brockway may be looking at a deep run some year soon.

District 9 had ten teams out of twenty-two who finished with winning records in 2024.  Three of them had undefeated regular seasons.  There are now some pretty good coaches and coaching staffs in D9 who have gained valuable experience and may just need to adjust a bit in the playoffs to the competition around the state.  In the coming years who knows what might happen.  I’m thinking there may be a state title in the near future.  The question is, who’s it going to be?

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