PORT ALLEGANY, PA – For several years, Aiden Bliss has been a household name for District 9 sports.
Between being the tip of the spear for a football team that has earned multiple District 9 championships, to man-handling his opponents on the wrestling mat, to helping lift a perennial contending baseball squad, Bliss has etched his name into the history books of sports in McKean County. Now, as his time runs out at Port Allegany, he welcomes the next frontier.
Signing his National Letter of Intent last week, Bliss makes his venture into collegiate sports official as he commits to becoming a part of West Virginia University’s wrestling team.
“It’s just a blessing. I’m so thankful for everyone that’s helped me along the way,” said Bliss. “There’s been a lot of great people in the picture and they’ve made it a possibility. I’m just so thankful.”
As a tri-sport athlete, Bliss had options when it came to pursuing the collegiate stage.
During his tenure on the gridiron, he came away with 7,869 rushing yards – including 3,430 during his junior season alone – and a grand total of 123 rushing touchdowns, both of which stand as the all-time records in D9 football. Shouldering the load, he helped propel the Gators football team to an elite echelon, reaching the championship game three times in four years and bringing the title home twice. On the mats, Bliss recorded a lop-sided 129-30 win record, placing first in the District and third in States in back-to-back years.
While he was fielding offers in both sports from numerous schools, ultimately, Bliss felt the best path to success was wrestling for the Mountaineers.
“I think (wrestling) was the best opportunity for me. I don’t know that there was every a plan, I kind of just thought ‘I’m going to do my best at all the sports that I can play and see where it falls at the end,’ ” said Bliss, whose decision came down to West Virginia University, Utah Valley University and Lock Haven University. “At the end of the day, it was wrestling.”
The signing comes as one of a wave of Gators stepping out of the swamp to pursue the next level of athletics. Along with Bliss, two of his teammates from the gridiron have also recently signed their letters of intent.
Spending his years as a Gator dominating in the trenches, Brayden Babcock will continue his duty on the line of scrimmage this fall as a Pioneer. Committing to Alfred State University, Babcock sees the opportunity as a two-fold win-win, one where he can continue to compete in athletics while also taking strides towards his preferred profession in welding.
“I wasn’t even planning on going to college but when I thought about it, I realized there’s always a chance (to play college football,)” said Babcock, who has spent the past three years working at CTC. “Alfred (State) had football, they had welding, I might as well try it.”
While being a part of a prolific football program, Jarrod Funk intends to continue his athletic career on the hardwood. After being the tip of the spear for the Gators’ most successful basketball team in the last quarter century, Funk will look to help sustain success at his next stop, joining Penn State Behrend, a team that just won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference this past winter.
“It’s a testament to how hard I’ve worked inside and outside of this school, throughout all my coaches that have helped me along the way and how I’ve put myself out there in a positive way,” said Funk, who reached 1,000 career points this past season. “I believe it’s really important to take pride in that because not many people have the courage to do that.”
While the three will be walking the halls of Port Allegany for the last time this week, the memories they made and the legacies they’ve earned might stick around for some time after.
“I’m just so thankful for what I’ve been able to accomplish. It was kind of a gift that I was able to come in with a class that was as special as mine was,” said Bliss. “I fell into a great support system with all my coaches across all my sports and that helped me create a legacy. Hopefully people will remember it for that and know I just played hard.”
