District Nine Third Round Playoff Games Preview
Tagged under: District 9, News, pfn, Playoffs
Phil Myers | November 11, 2025
Friday, November 14, 2025:
Redbank Valley (8-4) @ Port Allegany (11-0) (Kane H.S.) – 7:00 pm
The Bulldogs of Redbank are coached by Blane Gold. Quarterback Braylon Wagner holds most of the passing records at Redbank. Wide receiver Jaxon Huffman is Wagner’s main target. Mr. Wagner has passed for 2,497 yards with 28 touchdown tosses. Huffman has 77 catches for 1,064 yards and 9 TDs. Carson Gould gives the Bulldogs a dual threat at wide receiver. He’s made 47 grabs for 514 yards and 8 TDs. Wagner is the leading rusher too, scrambling for 722 yards and 7 TDs. Peyton Kennemuth and Easton Magagnotti are the leading tacklers for the Bulldogs. Gould has 4 picks for the improving Bulldog defense. Coach Gold’s team has scored 376 points but given up 298.
The Port Allegany Gators are the 2024 Class 1A state runnersup. They are coached by Justin Bienkowski and led on the field by all-state running back Aiden Bliss, who now is the all-time leading rusher in D-9 history. Bliss has run around, past, through, and over people to the tune of 2,264 yards and 34 touchdowns. But Port Allegany has more offensive weapons. QB Brennan Fillhart has thrown for 1,209 yards and 14 TDs. Kellen Veilleux has run for 8 scores and caught 10 touchdown tosses, plus has 1,336 all-purpose yards. Julian Kaple, Ian Postlewait, and Bliss are the top tacklers, with Postlewait garnering 11 sacks to date. Liam Hawver chimes in with 4 interceptions. Port’s defense has forced 22 turnovers. The Gators have outscored the opposition 554 to 195. The Gators beat Redbank 36-6 earlier in the year.
Farrell (10-2) @ Karns City (9-2) – 7:00 pm
Karns City is coached by Joe Sherwin. The Gremlins’ offense has scored 476 points this year. The defense has given up a total of 235. The Gremlins love running the football, but they can and will pass. QB Cole Johnston is the catalyst. He’s thrown for 1,164 yards and 13 TDs. In addition, he has logged 669 yards and 17 touchdowns toting the rock. Hunter Scherer is one of three main running backs. He has 688 yards on the ground and has scored 19 touchdowns. Owen Heginbotham (682 yards and 4 TDs) and Nathan Hess (595 yards and 8 TDs) are the other two RBs. Karns City uses a multitude of receivers with 8 different wideouts having caught a touchdown pass. C.J. Emrick is far and away the leading tackler for the Gremlins. Mason Bell has recorded 12 sacks and Bryce Galan has 6 interceptions. Overall, the defense has forced 23 turnovers.
The Farrell Steelers are usually a power year in and year out. This year is no exception. The Steelers are coached by Anthony Pegues. Farrell has only allowed 91 points in 2025, and the offense has put up 493. RB Juelz Johnson is the spark on the offense. He has piled up 1,761 yards and 26 touchdowns. He averages 12 yards a carry. Aaron Pegues is the quarterback and has thrown for 1,553 yards and 16 TDs. He’s only thrown 1 interception. Jamauri Jones leads the Steeler wide receiver corps with 26 grabs and 4 TDs. The defense has two guys with over 100 tackles in Jason Marshall II and Deyontay Gillespie. Rhashaud Dunbar has recorded 9 sacks. The Farrell ‘D’ has benefitted from 23 opposition turnovers.
Penn Cambria (10-2) @ Brockway (7-4) – 7:00 pm
The Panthers were one of the best 3A teams in the state last year. But two of their best players graduated and their head coach took another job. In spite of that, Penn Cambria is still a pretty good football team. Jason Grassi is now the head coach. The Panthers have scored 447 points and surrendered 156. Brady Jones is the QB. He has thrown for 1,563 yards and 18 touchdowns. His top receiver is Blake Lilly who has hauled down 55 passes for 897 yards and 10 TDs. Corbin Vinglish heads up the running attack for Penn Cambria as he has sprinted for 1,308 yards and 19 TDs. Jones has 9 rushing TDs. Vinglish has 132 tackles for the Panther defense and Lilly has 5 interceptions. Beware, Penn Cambria has forced 28 turnovers.
Jake Heigel is the enthusiastic coach of the Brockway Rovers. QB Aiden Patton leads the Rover offense. He has aired the football out for 1,857 yards and 19 touchdowns. Caleb Daugherty is his go-to guy with 38 snags for 651 yards and 10 scores. The ground game has struggled at times with Collin Weir being the featured running back, scoring 5 times. Matt Winnings is the player with the most tackles on defense and Madox Decker has the most sacks with 9. Brockway has been outscored 279 to 274 to date.
Punxsutawney (10-1) @ Oil City (9-1) – 7:00 pm
Punxsutawney is coached by Brandon Snyder. The Chucks have scored 423 points and allowed 166 this season. Punxsy’s QB, Maddox Hetrick, has pitched the pigskin for 1,649 yards and 17 touchdowns. His favorite targets are Logan Moore and Beau Thomas. Moore has caught 57 balls for 762 yards and 7 scores. Thomas has 38 grabs for 570 yards and 8 TDs. RB Jordan Rutan has 1,071 yards rushing and 15 TDs. The Chucks have another weapon on offense in kicker Owen Roken, who has booted 3 field goals of over 40 yards this year and 7 FGs overall. He has also connected on 47 of his 50 PATs. Beau Thomas leads the ‘D’ with 135 tackles, Rutan has 7 sacks, and Max Presloid has 4 picks. The Chuck defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over 24 times.
The Oilers of Oil City are coached by Dan York. Oil City has put up 339 points offensively. Their stingy defense has only allowed 121 points. Cole Findlay is the quarterback. His passing stats are 1399 yards for 15 touchdowns. His rushing stats are 681 yards and 8 scores. Landon Baker is the leading receiver with 31 catches for 591 yards and 4 TDs. Steven Heise leads the ground game with 1,155 yards and 14 touchdowns. Blake Stevens is the Oilers’ top tackler. The team has forced 21 turnovers including 15 interceptions. Findlay and Heise are the top two interceptors with 6 and 5 respectively.
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