By HUNTER O. LYLE
When head coach Ryan Yingling strolled onto Smethport’s practice field in the opening days of training camp, the rust had already been knocked off. Along with his work on the sidelines of the 53rd annual Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic a few weeks prior, where he led Pennsylvania to a decisive win, Yingling had been with his crew for the majority of the summer.
Between checking in with players, supervising off-season work outs and planning outlining the X’s and O’s, Yingling was ready to pick up the clipboard and whistle for year No. 2.
“It feels great to be back. We actually started in June. We were pulling double-duty, working with our kids in the summer and did a couple seven-on-sevens with New York State with Olean and Allegany-Limestone, which was great,” said Yingling, who played for the Hubbers during his own football career at Smethport. “Then we came in right after Big 30 and got back to work that Monday.”
However, while he is personally enjoying the familiarity of rejoining the Orange and White, a handful of teams around the area are not so fortunate, as they look to replace voids on both the rosters and coaching staffs ahead of the 2026 high school football season.
The biggest deficit on paper is undoubtedly felt in Port Allegany, where two eras are coming to an end in tandem. After a decade on the sidelines, coaching the Gators to multiple District 9 Championships and winning three in the last four years, Justin Bienkowski’s tenure has finally wound to a close.
Picking up the torch from his former boss, Cliff Fillhart, who has served on Port Allegany’s sidelines in various roles through the past handful of years, now takes the reins. His first task: finding a way to overcome the gaps left behind by their powerful graduating class, a group headlined by District 9’s All-Time leader in touchdowns and rushing yards, Aidan Bliss.
“(The offense) is definitely going to look different, and it has to. Instead of seeing one name all over the box score, hopefully you’re going to see four or five of them,” said Fillhart. “It’ll probably be a little more balanced than what we’ve had in the past couple years.”
Despite losing close to 4,000 all-purpose yards, the tools at Fillhart’s disposal are not to be underestimated. Returning to the Gators’ offense are quarterback Brennan Fillhart and receiver and rusher Kellen Vielleux. During his sophomore season under center, Brennan Fillhart threw for 1,304 yards and 14 touchdowns on a 65 completion percentage (83-for-128). As his primary target downrange, Vielleux picked up 606 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns through his 34 carries. On the ground, Veilleux, who is now a senior, also collected 663 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on his 84 carries.
When looking at the duo’s athleticism and game-tested connection, bolstered by the other 12 returning letterwinners like receivers Chase Boyd and Liam Hawver, Cliff Fillhart predicts the Gators offense could lean towards velocity over strength.
“We’re going to have a lot of speed. I think that’s what we are more than anything else. We’re going to try to make you miss us rather than try to run you over,” said Cliff Fillhart. “The ball is going to be in space rather than in a phone booth.”
Port Allegany opens their season this Friday when they host Coudersport at 7 p.m.
Over in Bradford, the Owls are also welcoming in a fresh face to the coaching staff as they look to break out of their perennial purgatory.
After graduating a swath of experience the year before, including their three-year quarterback Talan Reese, Bradford was left to plug-and-play during the 2025 campaign, one that produced just a single win. However, now having some youth to build from and with experienced head coach Troy Cook taking over the program, the Owls are aiming to take a step in the right direction.
“The first thing we’re looking to do is look to compete and get the kids in a spot where they’re proud to be a part of the team and are looking to improve every day,” said Cook, who coached at Otto-Eldred for several years before taking a one-year hiatus last season. “They’re attitude and effort and participation has been phenomenal ever since we started off-season workouts back in February. Great attitudes, great questions and the team is really coming along as far as the leadership aspect goes.”
The man in the middle this year will be Lucas Wallace, a mobile quarterback entering his junior year. While Wallace only took a handful of snaps last season, playing behind then-senior Andrew Giordano, the pieces around him will open up opportunities and ways downfield. Tommy Langdon, the Owls’ second best rusher a season ago who finished with 359 yards and four touchdowns, will lead the charge on the ground, while Braylan Austin, who finished with 125 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, will look to break open the air raid.
Bradford opens their schedule on the road, traveling to face Punxsutawney on Friday at 7 p.m.
While Cook’s current team is ready to forge ahead with a set gameplan, his alma mater will be testing the waters by committee come kickoff.
Similar to the Owls, Otto-Eldred graduated a star-studded class of seniors in 2024 and heading into 2025, their success rested largely on the shoulders of their senior quarterback, Shane Magee. When Magee went down in week five with a season-ending injury, sophomore Ryan Schenfield stepped in, throwing for 547 yards and six touchdowns during the Terrors’ 2-8 finish.
“It was a lot of change for the kids last year. New head coach, new offensive coordinator. They had a pretty good senior class the year prior, so it was just kind of a rough go for them a little bit with all the change,” said new head coach Brian Neal, who was the team’s offensive coordinator under Eric Rees in 2025. “Then our leader and best player, Magee, broke his collar bone. It was just a lot to overcome.”
This year, Schenfield is back in the mix for the QB1 spot, competing with a familiar face in Mason Schenfield, his cousin who was unable to play last year due to injury. Despite whomever the Terrors decide to start under center, the keys to the season won’t rest on any one position or player. Instead, O-E’s campaign relies on their ability to become a well-rounded and dynamic team.
Along with Ryan Schenfield, the Terrors welcome back nine other returning letterwinners, including receivers Wyatt Blendinger and Dawson Welch, who combined for 981 receiving yards and ten touchdowns, and Michael Eaton, who followed Magee and Ryan Schenfield in rushing yards with 178 and one touchdown. Combined with Ryan Schenfield, this quartet also combined for 195 total tackles on defense.
“I’d just say we need to be versatile in everything we do. I wouldn’t say we have any one thing that we can put our hat on,” said Neal. “But we’ve got a really good group of kids that work hard. As long as we stay together, I think we can have a really good season.”
Back in Smethport, the Hubbers are embracing the benefits of youth.
In Yingling’s first year leading the Orange and White, the team saw the needle move in the right direction. Following three years that produced four wins, Smethport matched that total with a 4-6 season, one that saw them take home three wins in their final four games and earn second place in the Region 4 standings.
“Last year, we switched our offense a little bit, tried some different things and about halfway through the season it worked out for us. Over the winter, as a staff, we decided to expand that a little bit (for this season,)” said Yingling. “One thing that was a huge accomplishment was that (the Big 30 committee) selected us for the Sportsmanship award, and that was the first time since 1987. It was great for our team and the kids have really carried that into this year as well.”
Although they lost the main weapons in their arsenal from a season ago, Jonah Ganoe who rushed for 1,338 yards and 13 of the Hubbers’ 20 touchdowns, the vast majority of the young roster – which was composed of over 60 percent underclassmen last year – returns ready to take the next step both individually and as a team.
Stepping in as a rookie quarterback who hadn’t played the position since middle school, Mason Swanson quickly found his footing during his sophomore stint. Throwing for nine passing touchdowns and 659 passing yards on a completion rate just north of 0.500, Swanson firmly cemented himself as the Hubbers’ go-to-hurler.
In his second year in the pocket, he is joined by some slightly more veteran talent in senior receiver and rusher Aidan Tanner, who picked up a combined 255 yards and five touchdowns both on the ground and in the air, and senior Jude Kisko, a down-hill back that tallied 523 rushing yards and three touchdowns a year prior. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Zack Hungiville comes back as hungry as ever, looking to improve on his 95 total tackles and 10 tackles-for-loss, both of which were team-high numbers.
For Yingling, there is no question of talent. Instead, he is solely focused on creating an atmosphere and environment that develops skill and fosters success as a whole.
“I think they’re all going to take the next step together. I don’t think there’s one player that needs to step up more than the others. I think if we can get them all to step in the right direction together, that’s what we’re pushing for as a coaching staff,” said Yingling. “Just really building on the attitudes that they developed last year. They’ve all bought into the team, from the seniors all the way down to the freshmen, all working towards the same goal and we’re really happy to see it.”
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