Greenville vs. Port Allegany Quarterfinal Preview
Tagged under: District 10, District 9, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs
Shane Lux | November 20, 2025
Where: Corry High School
When: November 21st, 7:00 pm
About the Port Allegany Gators
Head Coach: Justin Bienkowski
Record: 12-0
PIAA Record: 4-4
Summary: After finishing as a runner-up in the state in 2024. Port Allegany again ripped through their regular season schedule on their way to a 12-0 record. They also upped their schedule, taking on Central Clarion, who also played in the title game last season, beating the Wildcats 27-14, who went on to be the District 9 AA runner-up this season.
A season ago, the Gators were led by tailback Aiden Bliss. Nothing has changed this season as the senior has rushed for 2,549 yards and 39 touchdowns. He ran for 3,430 and 56 scores as a junior. One thing that has changed is the passing game. Sophomore quarterback Brennan Fillhart has passed for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns in 12 games thus far. Last season, Port Allegany failed to pass for 900 yards in 15 games. But make no mistake about it, Bliss and the offensive line are the bread and butter of the Gators’ attack. Bliss has averaged over 300 yards per game and scored 11 rushing touchdowns in their two playoff wins, routing both Keystone and Redbank Valley. Kellen Veilleux has chipped in with 612 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, while Veilleux and Nick Wilfong each have over 500 yards receiving.
About the Greenville Trojans
Head Coach: Mike Menold
Record: 11-1
PIAA Record: 3-4
Summary: Greenville won its first District 10 title since 1999. Now, they’re going to attempt to win their first state playoff game since 1996. It hasn’t been since a 27-14 victory over Lock Haven (now Central Mountain High School) at Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium on November 22nd, 1996, that the Trojans have won a state playoff. They advanced to the state semifinals that year, as they had in 1993. Both seasons saw close losses to Blackhawk from the WPIAL, 14-7, and 9-6.
What will 2025 have in store? Well, despite questions about the strength of their schedule, Greenville silenced all critics when they knocked off the defending District 10 champion Wilmington last week, 25-22, avenging a 21-7 setback to the Greyhounds on August 22nd. Their reward? A date with 2-time defending District 9 champion Port Allegany, who, by the way, played in last year’s state final and defeated Wilmington 38-20. It’s also noteworthy that the District 10 champion has not beaten the District 9 champions in Class A since Reynolds beat Redbank Valley 19-14 in the 2020 quarterfinals. Not only has District 10 lost, but they’ve been blown out. Port Allegany beat Reynolds 42-8 in 2022, Redbank Valley defeated Cambridge Springs 44-0 in 2023, and Port Allegany notched a 38-20 victory over Wilmington in 2024.
Greenville is led by a trio of skill players, starting with quarterback Cael Thurber. He has passed for 1,652 yards and 22 touchdowns, while rushing for 298 yards and eight scores. Thurber ran for 89 yards against Wilmington, and the Trojans could be using his legs again against the Gators since they didn’t need to utilize that during most of their regular season. Rudy Gentile and Kaysom Mataria lead the rushing attack, with Gentile gaining 1,214 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In comparison, Mataria has gained 688 yards and eight touchdowns, including an impressive 12.1 yards per carry despite missing two games. Justin Schell leads the recieving core with 43 catches for 952 yards and 15 touchdowns, he also leads the team with three interceptions on defense. Keith Covert has 22 receptions for 293 yards and four touchdowns.
Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews
You must be logged in to post a comment.