The Pennsylvania high school football post-season started and ended last week for Shaler, coached by 1986 Clearfield Area High School graduate Jacque DeMatteo, but it\’s just beginning this weekend for most of the District 9 and District 6 hopefuls as well as two District 10 teams coached by former area athletes who will be across the field from each other Saturday night at Slippery Rock University.
Undefeated and Region 3 Class AA champion Wilmington (10-0) will start its bid to return to the District 10 title game by tangling with Corry (6-4) in a 7 p.m. kickoff at SRU. Wilmington has won seven district crowns under 1965 Curwensville Joint High School grad Terry Verrelli (201-98-3 in 28 seasons), but the last one was in 2001. Corry, on the other hand, is making its first playoff appearance in a decade as the Region 4 Class AA\’s fourth seed. The Beavers, coached for the fifth season by 1992 Moshannon Valley High School grad Homer DeLattre, tied North East for fourth place but earned the playoff berth by virtue of their win over the Grapepickers. Corry\’s winning record is its first since 1996. Both teams are outstanding on defense, Wilmington allowing 6.3 points a game and Corry allowing 10. The Greyhounds, however, boast one of the most potent offenses in the district with a 317-yard average. The Beavers are averaging only 13.8 points a game.
The other 10-AA quarterfinals, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, pit Sharon (7-2) against Region Harbor Creek (8-2), Grove City (6-3) against Seneca (7-3) and Greenville (6-4) against Fairview (8-1).
Last week, Wilmington rolled to a 41-0 halftime lead in a 41-13 victory over District 9\’s Moniteau (6-4) for what is believed to be the school\’s first 10-0 season. After the game, family, friends and former players surprised Verrelli with a celebration of win No. 200 at Northwestern Oct. 27. The 2006 team presented him with a plaque as well as the game ball and a picture of the players carrying him off the field that night.
Corry lost 19-7 to Franklin, a Class AAA team. DeLattre\’s Beavers crossed midfield seven times and were inside the F-20 six times. Franklin went in front to stay at 13-7 with a touchdown late in the half and clinched the win with an 85-yard TD pass with 2:18 left after a Corry offsides penalty averted a fourth down situation.
Shaler, seeded seventh for the District 7 Class AAAA Playoffs, bowed out with a 24-13 loss to 10th seed Gateway (6-4) to finish 7-3, the Titans\’ best record in DeMatteo\’s seven seasons and one of the WPIAL\’s biggest turnarounds of the year; they had a 3-7 record last year. The Titans have qualified for the playoffs five years but have found the first round to be a stumbling block. Gateway easily was the toughest first-round draw for the top eight seeds, and scatback Cameron Saddler showed why by dashing for 228 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yarder that made it a 14-0 game late in the first quarter.
District 9 playoff games, all in Class A, show No. 8 seed Clarion (5-5) at No. 1 Coudersport (10-0) and No. 7 Keystone (6-4) at No. 2 Redbank Valley (7-2) Friday night and No. 6 Ridgway (6-3) at No. 3 Curwensville (8-2) and No. 5 Cameron County at No. 4 Johnsonburg (7-2) Saturday night.
In District 6, Indian Valley (5-5) visits Huntingdon (9-1) Friday and Hollidaysburg (6-4) goes to Johnstown (7-3) in Class AAA, while Northern Cambria (7-3) plays at Purchase Line (8-1) and Laurel Valley (7-3) at Southern Huntingdon (8-1) Friday and Glendale (8-2) goes to Bellwood-Antis (7-2) and Juniata Valley (7-2) goes to Portage (7-2) Saturday in Class A. In the Districts 5-6 Class AA brackets, Bedford (6-4) is at Bishop McCort (8-1) and Chestnut Ridge (7-3) at Tyrone (10-0) Friday and Marion Center (9-1) at Forest Hills (8-2) and Philipsburg-Osceola (7-3) at Penn Cambria (9-1) Saturday.
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Allegheny Mountain League championship game star Chris Cavallari was the D9Sports.com choice for the District 9 Football Player of the Week for Week 10.
The senior running back, who also was honored with the award in Week Seven, gained 139 yards and scored both touchdowns in the undefeated Falcons\’ 14-6 home field victory over Curwensville Saturday night. Cavallari, who carried 28 times, also made four tackles, two of them for sacks, from his outside linebacker post on defense.
Other top contenders for the final award of the 2006 season were Brookville’s Joe Galbraith (118 yards rushing, 1 TD; 5 tackles) in a 25-20 thriller against Clarion, Otto-Eldred’s Travis Bair (18-for-30 for 283 yards passing, 2 TDs) in 14-0 shutout of Cowanesque Valley, Brockway’s Anthony Varischetti (148 yards rushing; 51 yards receiving, gamewinning TD) in 24-21 upset of Clearfield and Punxsutawney’s David Pisano (112 yards rushing, 1 TD; 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble) in 7-2 win over Bald Eagle Area..
Joining that quartet on the District 9 Honor Roll were Clearfield wide receiver Doug Kephart, six receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown and two carries for 24 yards, and Curwensville running back Nick Sipes, 26 carries for 142 yards and the Golden Tide touchdown.
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Traditional regular season finales and playoff openers did not impact the state scholastic rankings very much, with 23 teams still undefeated as the district playoffs shift into high gear this weekend.
The Pennsylvania Football News kept Curwensville (8-2) on its Class A \”Other Teams To Watch\” list and Coudersport (10-0) No. 7 after the Allegheny Mountain League title game.
Three other District 9 teams continue to receive \”Other Teams To Watch\” recognition, Brookville (9-1) and Karns City (9-1) in Class AA and Redbank Valley (7-2) in Class A.
All five teams received honorable mention in the Patriot-News of Harrisburg state rankings.
The PFN has a trio of District 6 teams worthy of Top 10 recognition, State College (8-2) remaining No. 10 in Class AAAA in spite of a 32-27 loss to No. 3 Harrisburg, Huntingdon (9-1) moving up one notch to No. 9 in Class AAA and Tyrone (10-0) staying No. 4 in Class AA.
Making the \”Others Teams To Watch\” lists are Marion Center (9-1) and Penn Cambria (9-1) in Class AA and Purchase Line (8-1), Bellwood-Antis (7-2), Southern Huntingdon (8-1) and Portage (7-2) in Class A.
The Patriot-News has Tyrone ranked No. 4 in Class AA, with honorable mention to State College in AAAA, Huntingdon in AAA, Penn Cambria, Bishop McCort (8-1) and Forest Hills (8-2) in AA and Purchase Line, Bellwood-Antis, Southern Huntingdon and Portage in A..
In addition to Coudersport and Tyrone, Pennsylvania teams still unbeaten are, in order of their state rankings by the Pennsylvania Football News, Parkland (District 11), Upper St. Clair (7), Ridley (1) and Council Rock North (1) in Class AAAA, Thomas Jefferson (7), Selinsgrove (4), Pine-Richland (7) and Northern York (3) in AAA, Wilson (11), Aliquippa (7), Lancaster Catholic (3), Wilmington (10) and Wyomissing (3) in AA, and Southern Columbia (4), Rochester (7), Clairton (7), West Middlesex (10), Millersburg (3), Beth-Center (7), Mercyhurst Prep (10) and Meyersdale (5) in A. Meyersdale has not cracked the Top 10 in either set of rankings, while The Patriot-News has Ridley honorable mention in AAAA.
