Greenville Tops Port Allegany, 36-28, In Triller

Tagged under: District 10, District 9, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Shane Lux | November 22, 2025

Corry – Could you seriously write a better script than that?

We may need to ask some Hollywood writers that question after the show that both Greenville and Port Allegany High Schools put on at Corry Friday night in the state Class A quarterfinals.

Greenville needed every second of the 48 minutes, but the Trojans pulled off another wild one, defeating Port Allegany 36-28 to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 1996.

It also marked the first time since 2020 that the District 10 champion has defeated the District 9 champion in the Class A quarterfinals, since Reynolds knocked off Redbank Valley 19-14 in 2020.

“These kids are so resilient, and at halftime we said you’re built for these kinds of battles,” said Greenville head coach Mike Menold. “What a phenomenal second half.”

Greenville had rallied from a 22-14 halftime deficit, taking a 36-28 lead when tailback Rudy Gentile scored his third touchdown of the night from 12 yards out with 3:55 to play.

They call it bend but don’t break defense for a reason. The Gators took over at their 32-yard line, with all three timeouts.

They proceeded to march 66 yards, converting two fourth downs on the legs of Aiden Bliss, following a 7-yard scramble by quarterback Brennan Fillhart and a 1-yard rush by Bliss. Port Allegany was at the Trojans’ 2-yard line with four seconds to play. Having just burned their final timeout.

Following the timeout, it was clear to everyone who was getting the ball. No surprise the Gators gave the ball to their bruising back, but the Trojans rallied to the football, gang-tackling Bliss and holding him a yard short as time expired, putting Greenville in the semifinals for the first time since 1996.

“We told them in huddle that this is the stuff that you dream about,” Menold said. “They came up big when we needed them to.”

Make no mistake, stopping Aiden Bliss in short yardage has been nearly impossible during his career. The 6’ft, 210-lb senior is the all-time leading rusher, not just at Port Allegany but also in District 9.

He led the Gators to the state final last season, rushing for a mind-boggling 3,430 yards and 56 touchdowns. Entering tonight, he had rushed for 2,549 yards and 39 scores, helping the Gators to an undefeated regular season.

Even with the stop to end the game, Bliss still had another huge game, rushing 43 times for 254 yards and four touchdowns.

But perhaps where Bliss led the Gators a season ago, could be where Rudy Gentile could help take the Trojans this season.

The Trojan’s senior tailback rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns.

“This is the first time we’ve made it to the final four since ’96, so this is awesome,” Gentile said. “This team is making history right now, and we’re not done yet. We’re excited for next week.”

Going blow for blow with Port Allegany’s rushing attack, Gentile and Greenville pounded out 312 rushing yards compared to 324 for the Gators.

However, Port Allegany ran the ball 58 times compared to 42 by the Trojans. If you understand mathematics, that’s 7.4 yards per carry to 5.9, but who’s counting?

Though it should be noted that Greenville averaged 233 yards rushing during the regular season, of course, their starters played only a little over half a game in most of their ten regular season contests.

That state quarterfinals aren’t a bad time to have your best rushing performance of the season.

Greenville showed it from the outset when they marched 66 yards in ten plays, scoring on Kaysom Mataria’s 10-yard run in the first quarter, grabbing the early lead.

The Gators then got in gear, as Aiden Bliss capped back-to-back touchdown drives of 50 and 67 yards, giving Port Allegany a 14-6 second-quarter lead, scoring on runs of 4 and 1 yards.

Rudy Gentile then scored his first touchdown of the evening on a 41-yard run, as the Trojans pulled even at 14 with 1:44 to play in the half.

But it was the Gators that took a 22-14 lead in the locker room as they drove 54 yards in the final 100 seconds, as Bliss scored his third touchdown of the quarter with a 1-yard plunge with four seconds remaining on the clock.

“We talked about how we were okay,” said Menold. “We knew we had opportunities to make plays in the second half and that we were going to. These kids fight and believe in each other. I turned around, walked away, and they said, We’re good.”

Despite punting on the opening possessions of the second half, Greenville forced a turnover on downs, then tied the game when Gentile scored on a 20-yard run following a 63-yard drive and Mataria’s 2-point rush in the latter stages of the third quarter.

“That was huge, because it’s tough when you don’t get a score when receiving the second half kick, Menold said. “So to turn them over on downs and get the football back was huge.”

At this point, it was clear there was no stopping the Trojans’ offense, as after their defense forced a punt on three plays, quarterback Cael Thurber capped a 7-play, 48-yard drive with a 4-yard run, giving them a 28-22 lead with 10:45 to play.

“We came out kind of slow in the second half,” said Gentile. “We got that stop, and then a score, that was the turn in momentum. We ran the great. I always give credit to my line up front. The backs and the quarterback are nothing without them. They deserve all the credit.”

Thurber completed 7-of-12 passes for 85 yards, while adding 59 rushing yards.

Port Allegany wasn’t finished as the Gators tied the game when Bliss scored his fourth touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run a little over two minutes later—his 50-yard gain on the drive’s first snap set up the score.

The schools continued to trade haymakers, and Greenville then went on an 8-play, 55-yard drive, during which Gentile scored on a 12-yard run with 3:55 to play, setting the stage for the fantastic finish.

“Rudy was the hot hand, and he runs so hard,” said Menold. “He never gives up on any runs; he’s constantly moving. We’ve kind of taken the angry run thing from NFL Network. He’s had a lot of angry runs this year, and he was feeling it in the second half.”

Greenville now advances to face the WPIAL champion, either Clairton or Laurel.

“Obviously, we’re going to play a very good District 7 team,” concluded Menold. “We’ll be tuning in at 11 tomorrow to see who that’s going to be. We’ll be practicing on Thursday and be ready to get after it on Friday.”

Game Highlights:

Greenville 36 Port Allegany 28

Score by Quarters

Port Allegany – 0 22 0 6 – 28

Greenville – 7 7 8 14 – 36

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

G – Kaysom Mataria 10 yd run, (Logan Campbell pat), 4:13 – 7-66

Second Quarter

PA – Aiden Bliss 4 yd run, (rush failed), 10:42 – 10-50

PA – Bliss 1 yd run, (Bliss rush), 5:15 – 5-67

G – Rudy Gentile 41 yd run, (Campbell pat), 1:44 – 8-73

PA – Bliss 1 yd run, (Bliss rush), 0:04 – 10-54

Third Quarter

G – Gentile 20 yd run, (Mataria rush), 2:24 – 8-63

Fourth Quarter

G – Thurber 4 yd run, (rush failed), 10:45 – 7-48

PA – Bliss 3 yd run, (rush failed), 8:28 – 6-65

G –  Gentile 12 yd run, (Gentile rush), 3:55 – 8-55

Individual Stats

Rushing: PA – Bliss 43-254, Kellen Veilleux 10-49, Brennan Fillhart 5-21. Totals: 58-324. G – Gentile 23-197, Mataria 8-52, Thurber 10-59, Schell 1-4. Totals: 42-312.

Receiving: PA – Veilleux 3-28, Liam Hawver 1-9, Bliss 1-23. G – Justin Schell 5-50, Keith Covert 1-6, Hunter Cox 1-29.

Passing: PA – Fillhart 5-for-7, 60 yards, Team 0-for-3. G – Thurber 7-for-12, 85 yards.

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