Sneaking into the state bracket for the first time in 30 years with a win over Moniteau in the District 9 Class A consolation game, the Gators found themselves pitted against the Crushers, the runners up from District 6. Despite traveling over three hours to reach their first tournament stage, Port stepped off the bus ready to fight.

Through the first two quarters, they kept right in stride with Bishop McCourt, finding themselves only down by two after the first eight minutes and eventually knotting the game at 24 as they entered halftime. However, then the Crushers threw the first real punch. Connecting on four 3-pointers alongside a wave of offense, Bishop McCourt quickly pulled away in the third, outscoring the Gators 28-14. But Port kept the white flag tucked away.

Launching their own barrage of offense in the final quarter of play, the Gators began chipping away at the deficit. Led by Jarrod Funk’s 10 points in the quarter, Port grabbed a hold of the momentum and clung to it as they surged past the Crushers. Outscoring their opponents 29-12, Port kept their season alive in hostile territory. 

Four Gators reached double-digit scoring figures through the win. Isac Amell ended with a team-high 19 points alongside 11 rebounds and four assists, while Funk finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and a block. Nick Wilfong tallied 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds, followed by Chase Boyd with 12 points and three steals. 

Up next, Port advances to see Sewickley Academy, the champions out of the WPIAL, on Wednesday, March 11. The time and location of that second round matchup is yet to be announced. 

AT JOHNSTOWN

Port Allegany (67)

Amell 8 3-10 19, Funk 6 4-7 17, Wilfong 6 0-0 13, Boyd 2 6-7 12, Hawver 3 0-0 6. Totals: 25 13-34 67

Bishop McCourt (64)

Forrest 8 3-4 22, Gellucci 6 3-4 15, Laughord 5 1-2 14, Koulachic 3 1-2 8, Dressick 1 0-0 3, Newcomer 0 2-2 2. Totals: 23 10-14 64

Port Allegany 13 24 38 67

Bishop McCourt 15 24 52 64

Three-point goals: PA (4) Boyd 2, Funk, Wilfong, BM (8) Forrest 3, Laughord 3, Dressick, Koulachic; Total fouls: PA 14, BM 21; Fouled out: Koulachic (BM).

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Saturday: Green Bay 13, St. Bonaventure 2 (5 innings)

Sunday: Game 1 — Northern Illinois 13, St. Bonaventure 2 (5 innings), Game 2 — Green Bay 12, St. Bonaventure 3 (5 innings)

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — The St. Bonaventure softball team wrapped up play at the Boilermaker Classic with three five-inning losses.

Two of the losses came at the hands of Green Bay, which took the first and third of the three weekend games the Bonnies played by scores of 13-2 and 12-3, respectively.

Bona’s second game of the weekend was a 13-2 loss to Northern Illinois.

Over the course of the weekend, Sydney DeGram led Bona with four hits while Grace Miller tallied three. Lauren Dundon and Kendall Stull each finished the weekend with two RBI.

By HUNTER O. LYLE

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KANE, PA – Against the greatest and most elite talent, there is no stopping them. Sometimes all you can hope for is to slow them down for as long as possible. Facing the most prolific team in District 9, Keystone found that sentiment invariably true as they went head-to-head with Port Allegany in the Class A semifinals. 

In a night that saw their star running back Aiden Bliss rush for over 300 yards, tally over 2,000 for the season and become the All-Time D9 leader in rushing yards, Port’s ascension continued with a 53-23 rout of the Panthers, earning their place in the championship game for the fourth consecutive year. 

“The expectation level that these kids have for Aiden is pure trust and loyalty. We don’t waiver at all. They don’t wonder if he has it. When you have 31 on your side, he just wills it,” said Port Allegany head coach Justin Bienkowski. “At the end of the day, everybody gets to see the football player, but the football player is (just a little) of Aiden Bliss. It’s the human, it’s the character, it’s the way he is, the way he acts, the way he carries himself. That’s why that record is going to be special and it just so happens that he’s got six letters that spell Gators across his chest.”

Anyone facing the Gators knew where the danger was coming from and there would be no deviation from Port out of the gates. Giving the ball to Bliss early and often, he wasted no time getting up field, pulling away for a quick 18-yard gain on his first touch of the afternoon. However, unlike in the regular season, where he could be counted on to break loose a massive gain sooner rather than later, the Panthers contained Bliss to relatively short gains. 

With all eyes on No. 31, Keystone delivered extra attention in the form of gang tackles and low hits to force Bliss to the ground before he escaped through a gap downfield. However, even their best efforts could only do so much. 

As Port chipped away at the distance between them and the endzone, a 16-yard rush from Bliss put them on the goalline. One snap later, he was in and the Gators were up 7-0. Doubling down on their immediate start, Port forced a fumble on Keystone’s first play of the day, recovered by none other than Bliss, before finding Kellen Veilleux in the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown pass to go up by 13. 

On their first real possession of the game, the Panthers found production. After returning the kick to Port’s own 36-yard line, Keystone was led by their hyper-athletic quarterback, Dom Corcetti. Constantly running play-action snaps, Corcetti showcased his triple-threat arsenal to begin marching downfield. Collecting yards through the air and on the ground, the Panthers put themselves on the board with a Corcetti carry to end the first quarter. 

Similarly, Port retaliated. Beginning to diversify their offense by looking for men downrange, the Gators crossed the gridiron in less than four minutes. Ultimately, Bliss came up with his second touchdown of the night on a 18-yard carry, surpassing the 2,000 rushing yard mark for the second season in a row. 

Although they let up another Panther score – Corcetti connected with Landyn Reed for a 34-yard pass into the endzone – the Gators cushioned their lead with two more touchdowns before the half, both of which came from Bliss. 

Immediately after the Keystone score, Bliss found his first major gain of the night, bursting into no-man’s-land for a 60-yard touchdown before the Port pushed the Panthers off the field with two minutes to go. Taking over with a sense of urgency, the Gators covered 73-yards to go up 35-13 entering halftime. 

“We practice for endurance. That’s the heart of our team, so I know if I go out there and give it my all every single play, the guys next to me are going to do the same. I firmly believe there’s not a lot of teams that can hang with us if we do that,” said Bliss. “Slowly, you could feel a team break and we feed off of that. It’s a special process throughout a game.”

Entering the third quarter, Keystone looked ready to storm back into the game. Coming out with a pass-minded offense, the Panthers chunked out yards in bunches as they made their way to Port’s 16-yard line. Although their initial drive would be met with a wall – the Gators stopped them just one yard shy of a fourth-and-seven conversion – Keystone earned the first points of the second half by forcing a safety two snaps later. 

Starting over at their own 48-yard-line, a pair of passes and two quarterback carries landed the Panthers back in the redzone, where Corcetti crossed the distance for a 14-yard touchdown. 

“At first we were very tight. We needed to be on point at all times, but (when we started making errors), our guys just stayed resilient. They stay the course,” said Bienkowski. “They’re always calm, cool and collected and never get too high or too low.”

Despite their surge on offense, Keystone defense still had no answer for the Gators. Continuously bulldozing their way across the field, Port mixed in a number of names and options as they plotted ways through an overwhelmed opponent. 

With just over a minute and a half left in the third, Bliss scored his fifth touchdown of the afternoon on a nine-yard run, then helping the defense to force the Panthers into a three-and-out. Collecting 61 yards on the Gators’ next touchdown drive, Bliss’s final score of the day etched his name in the history books. 

Amassing a grand total of 7,332 yards, he passed Nick Stewart (Curwensville, 2014-2017) to become the All-Time Leading rusher in District 9. 

“I’m just super grateful for all the people that have helped me along the way. God is my life and I can’t be more thankful enough for that. All glory to Him. I have a lot of special teammates, a lot of special coaches and mentors,” said Bliss. “It’s been a special ride throughout this and we have some things left to do but I can’t be thankful enough for the people in my life. It’s been amazing.”

After a pause in the game for the fans in Orange and Black to celebrate the moment, Keystone realized the inevitable. With no gas left in their tank, they were facing an unstoppable opponent who held an insurmountable lead. Running through the motions for the final eight and a half minutes, the inevitable came to fruition: the Gators were heading to the finals once again.

Bliss finishes with a season-high 329 rushing yards on 31 carries, scoring six times while coming away with a fumble recovery and interception on defense. Quarterback Brennan Fillhart ended with 77 passing yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Nick Wilfong and Veilleux in the endzone. 

Up next, the Gators face another championship meeting with their rivals, Redbank Valley. Over the course of Port’s successful campaigns, which have garnered two D9 titles in three years, they have seen the Bulldogs twice, both in 2023 and 2024. However, while Bienkowski and Co. are eager to defend their throne come next Friday at 7 p.m., they are also happy to take it one step at a time.

“We’re going to enjoy (the win over Keystone) for the rest of Saturday. The coaching staff and I will meet tomorrow morning and we’ll start planning and getting to work on that,” said Bienkowski. “But we’re going to enjoy this one. Our goal all year long is to coach and play one more week. Continue to coach and play and these kids will continue to take us on a ride that we’re fortunate enough to be a part of.” 

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DUKE CENTER, PA – In a clash of the only two undefeated teams in the North Tier League, the Port Allegany volleyball team asserted their supremacy, taking down Otto-Eldred in three clean sets. 

Although the Lady Terrors entered Monday’s matchup with one blemish on their record, a loss to Bradford in early September, both teams had been on a tear in league play. Constantly dispatching opponents with ease, Port (9-0) and O-E (8-1) had been red hot to open the season.

“Our success comes from our five seniors and how hard they work. They work hard everyday in practice,” said Port Allegany head coach Matt Barr. “They all work hard, they all want to work for each other.” 

With the stands full of both visiting and home fans and facing a rowdy Hawaiian-themed student section, the Lady Gators got to work quieting the Terror Dome. After trading blows early, Port jumped out to a quick 4-0 run that was sparked by Jenna Renner. Working at the net, Renner was the answer to O-E’s dominant power-hitter Rayel Hakes. After coming away with a thunderous spike, she then stuffed Hakes point blank as Port jumped out to a 6-2 lead. 

Although the Lady Terrors would eventually tie the game at 7-7, finding their own big hits from Ayla Van Scoter and Baylee Franics, their momentum would soon fade. A 7-4 run by the Lady Gators, followed by four unanswered points late would put them up by five, a lead that would hold for the remainder of the set, producing a 25-20 win and a 1-0 lead on the night.

“The set one win is always important. It kind of set the tempo of the game,” said Barr. “Our girls did a good job of going out tonight, coming out fast, coming out smart and strong.” 

In the second set, Port would once again burst out of the gates, albeit, to a 7-4 advantage on the scoreboard. Once again, the Blue and Gold would gather steam, scoring four unanswered, only to have the Lady Gators retaliate. Finding their largest scoring stretch of the night at 6-0, Port quickly amassed a 17-11 lead that would steamroll to 25-16 to put them firmly in control. 

O-E opened the do-or-die third with their strongest play of the night. Feeding hitters, finding impossible returns over the net and using a combination of accurate taps and powerful slams, the Lady Terrors took their biggest lead of the evening at 9-6.

But then came the Lady Gators once again. 

Grabbing a hold of the momentum and refusing to let go, Port tied the game up at 11 before scoring six unanswered points. Despite breaking the run with a handful of big hits from Hakes and Co., the Lady Terrors interruption would only be temporary. On final push, totalling at 7-2 and finished off with a smash from Renner, sealed the Lady Gators sweep, preserving their untouched record and proving they were the team to beat. 

Renner finished the night with a team-high 30 digs and 14 kills while Brynn Evans had 22 digs and three kills. Mady Errick recorded 29 digs, Lily Lehmier had 14 kills, 12 digs and five aces while Isa Lehmier had 31 assists and three aces.

“We’ve had confidence all year. Our mentality is that we bring our A-game. We like our chances with anybody,” said Barr. “(O-E) is a really good team and we’re glad to come out of here with the win.”

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PORT ALLEGANY, PA – Playing on a night where they honored their senior leadership, the Port Allegany football team added another blowout win to their record, dominating Smethport 68-6. 

A large part of what makes the Gators’ engine go comes from their seasoned veterans. Ahead of kickoff, the Black and Orange took time to recognize their eight seniors, most of which have spent their entire high school career on the gridiron: Brayden Babcock (four years), Aiden Bliss (four years), Jarrod Funk (three years), Julian Kaple (four years), Tristan Kiser (four years), Patrick McMahon (two years), Ethan Tarbox (four years) and Nicholas Wilfong (four years). 

“This class will go down as the winningest class in school history if things continue to go. I believe Carson and Juuso Young’s class who graduated last year had mid-40s wins and I believe these kids will surpass that,” said Port Allegany head coach Justin Bienkowski. “These kids have been playing together since they were in third grade. We’ve always had the same system, the youth guys to the junior high guys to the varsity guys and it’s just their turn and their taking it and running with it.” 

Honorary night or not, there was no doubt Port was bound to hit the field running, literally, and they did so relentlessly against the Hubbers. 

Starting with the ball on their own 45-yard-line, the Gators would make incremental gains with a six-yard run from quarterback Brennan Fillhart and a screen pass to Wilfong before putting the ball in their star running back’s hands. On his very first touch of the game, Bliss carried the ball 34-yards downfield, putting Port just three yards away from the endzone. Two plays later, Kellen Veilleux closed the distance for the first touchdown of the night just two minutes into the game. 

Things would steamroll from there. 

The Gators’ defense would then show their might, punching holes into Smethport’s offensive line and coming away with back-to-back sacks, the second of which resulted in a safety. On the very first snap of Port’s second drive, Bliss would cross the field for a 68-yard touchdown before Fillhart ran in the 2-point conversion. With just under four minutes missing from the clock, the Gators’ had quickly amassed an 18-0 lead.

“We want to be able to play fast. We want to be able to huddle up. We want to be able to play multiple formations and we run so many formations. Our offensive staff is as good as anybody and I’m so proud of how they do things,” said Bienkowski on his team’s rapid pace. “With that being said, they put guys in position and we want tempo. (When opponents) are down and getting tired, we’re going to beat them up and put our foot on their throat.” 

Settling down from the initial gut punch, the Hubbers then finally found some footing. Giving their ball to the the main weapon in their arsenal, Jonah Ganoe put the team on his shoulders, bruising for short gains at a time. Using his smash-mouth toughness, Ganoe slowly marched the Hubbers downfield, including a pivotal seven-yard gain on fourth down that put Smethport in the redzone. 

“(Ganoe’s) done an excellent job this season. Last week we came out and had over 518 yards of offense and he was the breakaway runner for us and tonight was no different,” said Smethport head coach Ryan Yingling. “He powered through. We knew we were coming into a tough situation and not one of those kids backed down. That’s really what we were gauging tonight.” 

However, the Hubbers’ most successful drive of the night would fall just shy of the endzone. Landing on the Gators’ 18, a massive sack would break the ball loose and although Smethport recovered it, they were now facing third-and-20. Port’s defense remained vigilant despite the Hubbers switch to the air, deflecting a pass to put the final nail in the possession and put the ball back in their hands. 

Rolling into the second quarter following another big run from Bliss, Port then showed off their capabilities in the passing game, starting with a 26-yard reception from Wilfong. One play later, Fillhart found Veilleux for a 30-yard catch that ended with another six points.

The next 16 minutes were filled with more of the same. 

The Gators ended the half with three more touchdowns – Veilleux reached the endzone twice with a 27-yard carry and 50-yard punt return while Bliss scored on a 34-yard rush – before shutting the Hubbers out in three at the top of the third and scoring once more uninterrupted with six minutes left in the quarter.

Then the Hubbers finally found their break. Down 56-0, Smethport received the kickoff, with the initial handler switching back and giving the ball to Ganoe. Finding perfectly-timed blocks and scrambling through closing windows, Ganoe streaked down the left sideline for a 75-yard touchdown, breaking the shutout. 

Their revelry was short-lived. Kicking the ball to the Gators immediately after, Smethport watched as Port repeated the feat. Seeming to have endless energy, Veilleux added to his night with a 75-yard return of his own, retaliating with his sixth score of the night. 

From there, both teams relented and substituted in their junior varsity rosters to cross the finish line. Keeping their foot on the pedal, the Gators would tally one more touchdown with 9:49 left in the fourth after Valon McFall scrambled across the goal line for a 10-yard gain. 

“It’s so important to get the young guys experience because when those guys are at practice, they’re getting beat up by our ones obviously but they don’t run away. They’re a part of this team,” said Bienkowski. “We’re good top to bottom.” 

Then the clock would wind down without any more celebrations. While one team recorded their fourth win, the other recorded their fourth loss.

Veilleux’s big night concluded with 47 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards, reaching the endzone six times. Fillhart finished 5-for-5 through the air, collecting 86 passing yards and one touchdown, carrying the ball in for another while Bliss ended with 197 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown. 

“Most importantly, I want to credit Aiden Bliss. He was three yards short of 200, he knew that but he also knew the right thing to do for our team was to sub out at that time and be as classy as we could,” said Bienkowski. “Aiden was 100 percent on board with that and I think that’s noteworthy. This team goes as he wants to go, the guys buy into him, the coaches support him and it was a hugely adult move from him.” 

For Smethport, Ganoe ended with 61 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

Looking forward, both teams move into Week 5 with regional opponents. However, while Port, in Region 2, has just one of said matchups left, Smethport has four, starting with Bucktail on Friday at home. 

“Next week we start our Region 4 competition again. We’re going right back to what we do. We had to make some changes tonight but we’re going back to our plan,” said Yingling. “We’re going to focus on Bucktail and take it week to week.”

Just as in their first game of the season, when they posted 63 points in the first half against Bradford, the Gators hit the ground running. The 52 points they recorded through two quarters came by committee and as part of a mixed bag of offense as four different Gators made their way into the scorebooks. Securing the win in the first 24-minutes of play, Port then eased their foot off the pedal, although, still scoring 14 points in the final two quarters. 

Brennan Fillhart ended with 155 passing yards and one touchdown off a 7-for-10 completion rate while Aidan Bliss led the ground game with 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Bliss also caught for 58 yards alongside Kellen Veilleux and Chase Boyd who tallied 78 and 70 receiving yards, respectively. 

Up next, the Gators have their hardest test yet, traveling to face Central Clarion on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Ridgway 21, Smethport 8

SMETHPORT, PA – Despite holding a stalemate through the first two quarters, the Hubbers hopes of a Week 2 victory faded fast as the Elkers capitalized on several late-game mistakes. 

Entering the second half at 0-0, Smethport’s first error came on their first drive of the third, when a fumble immediately gave way to a touchdown in the opposite direction. Ridgway then took the ball to the endzone again before a third touchdown in the fourth put them up 21-0. 

The Hubbers found their lone score of the day late in the fourth, when Tristen Lenze recovered a fumble on the Elkers’ four-yard line, taking it in for a touchdown. Aiden Tanner then ran in the 2-point conversion. 

Smethport’s quarterback Mason Swanson finished 13-for-18 through the air, passing for 90 yards while Zach Hungiville led the defense with eight solo tackles, seven assisted tackles and two sacks. Maddox Dickerson came away with five solo tackles and an interception while Tanner and Lenze both had fumble recoveries. 

Girls Soccer

Portville 1, Fredonia 0

FREDONIA, NY – Kiyah Mohr scored the Panthers lone goal of their win against Fredonia, opening their 2025 campaign with a win in front of their home fans. 

Mohr was assisted by Grace Gariepy while Bella Morales came away with four saves during the win.

Frewsburg 3, Allegany-Limestone 2

FREWSBURG, NY — Conceding three second-half goals, the Allegany-Limestone girls soccer team dropped their season-opener at Frewsburg.

Madison Honeck scored the lone goal in the first half with the assist coming from Kennedy Honeck as the Gators took a slim advantage into the break.

Frewsburg’s Audrey Eckwahl tied up the affair before Kennedy Honeck, assisted by Madison Honeck, put A-L back in the driver’s seat.

Unfortunately, two goals from Jaden Jimerson flipped the script once more as Frewsburg swiped a victory late.

Boys Soccer

Silver Creek-Forestville 8, Salamanca 3

SILVER CREEK, NY – The Warriors opened their season with a road loss, despite Easton Chudy’s two goals. 

Alongside Chudy, eighth grader Darren Hayes also found the back of the net. In goal, Carter Light recorded 11 saves. 

Salamanca will have a chance for redemption sooner rather than later, as they take on Silvercreek-Forestville again next week. 

Women’s College Soccer

Pitt-Bradford 3, SUNY Cobleskill 2

COBLESKILL, NY – Mya King led the Panthers to an opening day win as she began her sophomore season with a hat trick. 

Battling back and forth for nearly 40 minutes, King finally broke the stalemate, controlling a long clearance from Cobleskill before dangling through defenders and finding the back of the net to go into halftime with the lead. Although the Fighting Tigers would respond, King would as well, scoring in the 72nd minute and again in the 79th minute after another Cobleskill goal three minutes prior. 

King connected on three of her six shots, four of which were on goal while Lauren Donnelly and Keylee Leeper both finished with assists. Josie Orinko tended the net, coming away with two saves.

In Week 1 of the regular season, both the Owls and Terrors were sent back to the drawing board after tough losses. For O-E, they faced a revenge match against Union/A-C Valley, who they had drawn in the District 9 Class A postseason a year prior. Unfortunately, they found a similar result, being beaten 42-6 to christen the year. Bradford opened their campaign with Port Allegany, a team that was fresh off a PIAA Class A state championship appearance and who dominated the field in a 70-33 beat down.

“We had to get back to fundamentals. We installed a whole new offense this offseason and I think we tried to put too much in to get ready for week one,” said Bradford head coach Jeff Puglio. “So we scaled it back, went back to basics this week and really hammered on our footwork and the fundamentals.”

Coming into the game, both teams had notable speedsters. For the visiting Terrors, theirs came in the form of their hypermobile quarterback, Shane Magee, who was equally able to launch a dot downfield as he was to scramble for bunches of yards at a time. For Bradford, Logan Kohler led the footrace, a supersonic wrestler that just needs a few steps to reach his top speed and burst from the pocket.

Flashes were seen from both sidelines early. After forcing the Owls off the field in three, the Terrors quickly leaned on Magee, who racked up 16 quick rushing yards – including 11 on the first O-E snap of the game – on their initial drive. Stunting the Terrors quickly thereafter, Kohler was quick to repeat the feat, quickly acquiring 15 yards on his third touch of the game. However, the battle on the ground had yet to reach the redzone. 

That changed during the Terrors’ second drive. 

With the Owls’ keying on to Magee, O-E rotated in some new names and a new front that came from the air. Eyeing receivers Wyatt Blendinger and Dawson Welch and running back Michael Eaton, the Terrors marched up to Bradford’s 19 as the first half came to a close. Rolling into the second, O-E made short work of the final distance between the endzone, with Magee bursting out of the pocket to his left for a 13-yard touchdown. He then struck again for a successful 2-point conversion that put the Terrors up 8-0 with 9:29 left in the second.

“Shane is our guy. He’s been the engine that makes us go. He’s a senior, he’s a leader, he has a little bit of swagger to him,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Eric Rees. “We’re going to hang our hat on him. There’s no doubt about it.” 

Seemingly fitting, Kohler then put the Owls in prime position with a massive kickoff return, making his way to O-E’s 32-yard-line, but Bradford was unable to close the distance. Their defense, however, shut out the Terrors in three immediately after before Kohler once again put the team on his shoulders with a 51-yard run on the first play of the drive. Following 12-yard and five-yard gains from Tommy Langdon, Kohler powered through another gap, scoring the Owls’ first touchdown of the night via a 27-yard run. 

“Logan’s a dynamic player. You see him on the return game, you see what he can do for us offensively and when he’s doing what he’s doing, it opens up everything else,” said Puglio. 

With just over four minutes left on the clock, the Terrors then switched to the air, determined to improve upon their one-point lead. Eventually making it to the Owls’ 26-yard line, their air assault backfired, as Bradford – who else but Kohler? – picked off a pass. Having just 5.9 seconds to clear three quarters of the field, quarterback Andrew Giordano launched a deep throw down range and connected with Braylan Austin for a 75-yard touchdown with nothing but zeros left on the clock.

“We were stalling in the first half. Not much was going our way and we were kind of getting in our own way, I think,” said Puglio. “Going into halftime with momentum was huge. There was a lot of noise, a lot of voices (in the locker room) and we started to believe. When you’ve been struggling as a program, when you start to get kids to believe in themselves, special things start to happen.” 

Up 14-8 at the start of the second half, Bradford’s hot streak continued, with Matthew Decasper recovering an O-E fumble on the first drive of the third quarter. However, while they seemed to be firing on all cylinders early, they couldn’t get over the hump and back into the endzone. Errant penalties, miscommunications and bad snaps – one of which gave way to a safety – kept the Owls scoreless throughout the entire third. 

Luckily for Bradford, the wear and tear on the Terrors was overwhelming. Unable to sustain a possession for more than a few snaps, O-E began to cave to the incoming pressure, giving up blown plays and sacks as the game began to wind down. Although they were able to start the fourth on Bradford’s 23, another interception, this time picked off by Fabian Sherk in the endzone, cut the Terrors’ momentum just as it was about to climax. The Owls eventually marched the ball down the length of the field, scoring off of a 19-yard carry from Langdon before a third O-E interception from Braylon Little deflated their offense. 

Despite the dropped heads on the sidelines, O-E would find one last brightspot. Taking over with nine and a half minutes remaining, Magee launched a high-arching throw down field which reached Welch and resulted in a 53-yard score. While that seemed to spark life in the Terrors, drawing them to within five points, it would only be momentarily. 

Lining up for the kick off, there was only one Owl in the backfield. As Bradford’s student section chanted his name, the kick landed directly in front of Kohler, who wasted no time reaching top speed. As he cut through the middle, gaps opened in front of him and in just a matter of seconds, the senior had cleared 75 yards for Bradford’s fourth touchdown of the day.

“We gave up some really big, explosive plays to Logan Kohler. That kid is special. He’s so fast and we knew it. Our gameplan was to stop No. 30. We didn’t,” said Rees. “We put a second kicker in there, I told him to kick it low and hard at somebody and he didn’t kick it low and hard enough.” 

Down by 12 and with only a few minutes remaining, the Terrors relented. As the final seconds dropped off the clock, they accepted another loss added to their season while the Owls rejoiced with their home fans as they rang in the first win of the season.

Kohler’s exceptional night ended with 215 rushing yards and two touchdowns while in the air, Giordano finished with 85 yards and a score alongside 64 rushing yards. Langdon tallied 64 yards on the ground as the Owls improved to 1-1. For the Terrors, Magee ran for 67 yards while completing 7-of-13 of his passes for 43 yards in the air. Welch caught six passes for 31 receiving yards. 

With Bradford’s two-game home stand coming to an end, they now take to the road, where the challenges become even harder. Next week, they travel to Punxsutawney to take on the Chucks before a meeting with DuBois the following Friday.

“We just have to keep working on the fundamentals. I think that this offense speaks for itself and if you are fundamentally sound, you give yourself a chance,” said Puglio. “Punxsutawney has a really good player in Bo Thomas. We remember what he did to us last year, the kids haven’t forgotten, so that’s something we’ll be looking at this week and just give them our best shot.”

After back-to-back 3-2 losses to start the campaign, coach Mick Giordano’s squad nabbed a 1-0 win over the Red Flashes. It marked the first time the Bonnies have defeated Saint Francis consecutively, at home in the all-time series between the sides.

However, the action truly didn’t ramp up until after the intermission. In the first half, Bona and Saint Francis combined for just five total shots, both managing to put just one on frame. The offenses would eventually find their groove after halftime, and luckily for Bona they made their first big chance of the second half count.

In the 47th minute, midfielder Kyle Macfarlane — who scored a goal in the Bonnies’ season-opener against Niagara and provided an assist against Bucknell — made a well-timed run and slotted past the Saint Francis goalkeeper to get the visitors on the board.

Bona was able to maintain significant pressure on the Red Flashes’ goal in the minutes that followed, but no brace was to be scored. Saint Francis weathered the storm, and as the half wore on, the hosts took their turn to bombard the Bona defensive third.

A number of near-misses had Bona on the brink of conceding its slim lead, but the defense held together, surviving a late red card handed to Neshawn Sutherland that set up a Saint Francis free kick that just barely cleared the crossbar.

Bona wound out the clock with a number of deep clearances and with the final horn, picked up its first win tally of the year.

Next up for the Bonnies is a home affair against Mercyhurst on Aug. 31 at 2 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

St. Bonaventure 1, Saint Peter’s 1

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The St. Bonaventure women’s soccer team was left still in search of its first win of the season after a late, heartbreaking equalizer saw Saint Peter’s rescue a 1-1 tie.

It was a true battle between the Bonnies and Peacocks that saw a grand total of 19 fouls called, six yellow cards shown and one red card to Bona’s Abigail Wysong. But the physicality truly wasn’t ramped up until after the Bonnies netted the game’s opening goal.

In the 28th minute, Ekemini Udofa was rewarded for her extremely well-timed run in behind the Peacocks’ defense with a through ball that caught even the Saint Peter’s goalkeeper out. One touch took her around the keeper and all that was left for Udofa to do in order to get her first goal of the campaign was to pass the ball into an open net.

The hosts, on the back of big wins over Temple and LIU, in which they out scored their opponents a combined 6-1, were on the back foot.

Bona took the lead into the intermission and carried it through a good portion of the second half, until Saint Peter’s got themselves back into the game. In the 77th minute, a pass from Alexa De Barros to Julia Pinho Magno, on a set piece routine was well-covered by the Bona defense. Still, Pinho Magno managed to get a shot off, one that hit Bona goalkeeper Juliana Castellano in the hands, but was too strong to keep out of the net.

From that moment on, Bona and Saint Peter’s threw everything they had at each other. It was a fight until the end, but when the final horn sounded the sides were left to settle for a draw.

The Bonnies will travel to Post University for their next game, set for Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.

Girl’s Soccer

GIRARD, PA – After dropping their season opener, the Bradford girls’ soccer team righted their ship with a shutout 3-0 win over Girard. 

In their first glimpse of action, the Lady Owls took on Harbor Creek on their home field, a team they earned a 1-0 win over the season before. While that contest ended with a tally in the loss column, they snapped back with a road win, led by their star Alyssa Mangold. 

Against the Lady Yellowjackets, Mangold came away with two goals with her forward counterpart Karissa Chamberlin assisting on one and netting another. Kierstan Taylor and Rory Hollerbeke also both recorded assists while Maddy Stark came away with three saves while tending the net. 

Port Allegany 1, Ridgway 0

RIDGWAY, PA – The Lady Gators evened their record at 1-1 with a win against the Lady Elkers.

After 40 scoreless minutes, Kylee Pelchy broke the stalemate with a score in the second half, receiving a pass from Kendra Meade. 

In the goal, Sara Zameroski came away with 26 saves while her replacement, Hannah Taylor, tallied five. 

Volleyball

Bradford 3, Brockway 1

BROCKWAY, PA – Playing their third game of the week, the Lady Owls recorded their second win with a hard fought win over the Lady Rovers.

Bradford took wins in the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-23, before dropping the third set 25-21. However, they would rally for a win in set No. 4 with the biggest margin of victory of the day, clinching the victory with a 25-17 final set.

Running the offense, Aliya Corignani came away with 39 assists alongside seven kills while Emma Pilon tallied 14 kills. Hayley Keane dominated the net with six blocks to go with her 13 kills while Addison Carter claimed 10 kills. 

Port Allegany 3, Galeton 0

GALETON, PA – Taking care of business sooner rather than later, the Lady Gators stumped Galeton as they pulled away with a sweep, winning 25-8, 25-9 and 25-16. 

Brynn Evans ended with 17 service points, six aces and four kills alongside Jenna Renner, who tallied nine kills, three aces and 11 service points. Lily Lehmier had 17 service points, eight kills and three aces and Isla Lehmier tallied 17 assists, three aces, three kills and 13 service points. 

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SMETHPORT, PA – Looking to build upon their program through trial and error, the Smethport volleyball team began their 2025 campaign with a loss to Coudersport, losing in three sets. 

While the Lady Falcons managed to sneak into the District 9 Class A postseason bracket a season ago, ultimately losing as the ninth seed in the first round, the Lady Hubbers were forced to watch from home, earning just a single win on the season.

“It was a hard season. We have a very strong volleyball area I would say. We played some very strong teams and we were competitive in a lot of games, just only one of them went our way,” said Smethport head coach Mark Miller. “I’m really excited for this year. We have a really strong, young team.” 

Returning five experienced letter winners to the team, Miller knows a complete turn around in the win column might be a tad unrealistic. Instead, he is just looking for steady progress. 

“I don’t look at our goals as wins or losses. I don’t care about the record, I just want to see improvement,” said Miller, “both in the girls and the culture and in everything.” 

Taking to their home court to christen the season, Smethport initially kept stride with Coudy. Despite falling behind 5-1 in the early goings, the Lady Hubbers mustered a brief scoring run to tie the game at 7-7. Deadlocked at 9-9, however, the Lady Falcons stole the momentum. With fluid passing and a crisp control of anything coming over the net, Coudy pulled away as the Lady Hubbers began missing the mark on shots that landed out of the zone or into the net. A 6-0 Coudy run eventually blossomed to 17-1, carrying them to a Set One win. 

The second set was a similar story. After matching the Lady Falcons’ energy early with improved passing rather than frantic one-hit returns, Smethport eventually ran out of gas. A 10-8 deficit quickly grew as Coudy scored five unanswered points before pulling away with an 11-2 run. The Lady Falcons would pull ahead 2-0 on the evening, finishing on a 14-3 scoring blitz.

“It was just a lot of errors. It’s the young mistakes. A lot of players played junior varsity last year and they’re just getting used to it,” said Miller. “This was our first game. Coudersport already played a game so they kind of got their nerves out of the way.” 

With the first game of the season on the line, the Lady Hubbers put their best foot forward. After weathering an initial scoring run, Smethport knotted the game at 6-6 before another momentary lapse set them back again, albeit, just by three. Staying determined with a handful of good serves and passes to their front line hitters, Smethport once again brought the game back to even at 12-12. 

“We came in a lot stronger (to the third set,”) said Miller. “We made a lot fewer mistakes and were more confident.”

However, from there, the Lady Falcons went on the kill. Delany Wahlers opened up another run by collecting three aces in the span of four points while their net protector, Saige Fox, denied everything across the top alongside sending powerful slams back down onto the Lady Hubbers. Despite another round of streaky offense, Smethport eventually faced a sweep in the form of a 25-19 loss. 

Alyssa Ayers finished with seven digs and six kills while Jenna Goodman ended with 10 assists. Chloe Conn and Kailyn Ruffner both ended with six digs each. 

“Our defense is amazing. We’re getting to every ball, we’re at least getting a touch on it. I was really impressed with our defense, we’re just scrappy,” said Miller on his first impression of his team in action. “I think the errors are just something we have to clean up, hitting out of bounds, serving especially. That will come with time.”

The Lady Owls got right to work early, dominating in the first set and pulling out a 25-13 win. However, the Lady Panthers would fire back as they started to find their legs, albeit losing the next set as well, 25-18. In the do-or-die set for Austin, they came as close as ever to pulling out a win over the Lady Owls, yet still were unable to find a win, ultimately losing 26-24. 

Bradford was led by Emma Pilon, who tallied 10 kills while Haley Keane finished with nine. Addison Carter opened the 2025 campaign with five kills alongside Aliya Corignani, who facilitated the offense with 23 assists and two kills. 

Girls Soccer

West Forest 3, Port Allegany 2

PORT ALLEGANY, PA – Despite getting on the scoreboard first, the Lady Gators were unable to stop a comeback, falling at home in their season opener. 

Kailey Bartlett scored both goals for Port while Hannah Taylor ended with 19 saves while tending the net. 

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PORT ALLEGANY, PA – Getting to the top of the mountain is one thing, but staying there is another. That is the task at hand this fall for the Port Allegany football team as they look to defend their District 9 Class A throne despite losing a considerable amount of the team’s cornerstones. 

Over the course of the past few years, the Gators have been a staple for success in District 9. After collecting just 15 combined wins in the previous five seasons, Port has churned out double-digit win seasons that have given way to three consecutive championship appearances. 

In 2022, the 12-2 Gators earned a Class A banner with a 21-14 win over Brockway before reaching the title game the following year at 10-3. While they were unable to achieve back-to-back championships, the Gators earned revenge in 2024, going undefeated through the regular season before meeting Redbank again and coming out with a 62-28 dominating win. They would keep the momentum rolling with a trip to the PIAA Class A Championship, where they ultimately fell to District 6 champs Bishop Guilfoyle, 41-22.

“(Success takes) having kids like this who work their tails off, play multiple sports and are super coachable. They worked all summer for this, worked all offseason in the weight room,” said Port Allegany head coach Justin Bienkowski. “That’s why. That’s why our program has been what it is. Credit to the players that put the time in.” 

Despite the impeccable consistency and the results forged from it, Beinkowski and Co. are not one for reminiscing. Rather than rest on any laurels, the Gators prefer to get back to the drawing board, where they will look for answers to the voids left in their rosters. 

Part of Port’s success was their outstanding offense, anchored by their impenetrable line. However, after losing four key parts in the trenches, notably former Big 30 Player of the Year Carson Neely and his immovable counterpart Juuso Young, adjustments will be unavoidable. 

“It definitely affects the offense. Carson Neely and Juuso Young were arguably two of the best that ever walked these hallways and the old guys will tell you that. The intelligence, the mindset, the work ethic, the leadership, we’re going to miss that,” said Beinkowski, “but we have some really solid seniors in the skill department. They’re going to try to compensate for that.” 

Part of the equation will be how to continue to allow Aidan Bliss to lead the charge, literally. 

Earning the starting running back spot during his sophomore year, Bliss exploded onto the gridiron for 1,638 rushing yards – averaging 126 a game – and 24 touchdowns. The next year, he doubled down, collecting 3,430 total rushing yards – 228.7 per game – alongside a whopping 56 touchdowns – accounting for over half of the Gators’ 104 endzone appearances as they outscored opponents 49.8-18.2. While Bliss will still be the tip of the spear and while Port will still focus on the pound-it-in-your-face run game, the offense will need to adapt. 

Although they lost several big chunks from last years’ roster, Port returns 18 letterwinners, all of whom have had varsity experience given the number of lop-sided victories they enjoyed a season ago. That includes sophomore quarterback Brennan Fillhart. 

Taking over the man-in-the-middle during his freshman year, Fillhart threw for 726 yards for nine touchdowns on a 72 percent completion rate. Lauded for his IQ on the field by his coaching staff, he will add a new dynamic to the Gators’ arsenal. 

“I want to say we were (93-percent to seven-percent) run heavy last year, you’re going to see that change a little bit more to, not balanced, but a little more (pass-focused,)” said Bienkowski. “The first and foremost thing (Fillhart offers) is intelligence. He can put guys in spots. If somebody’s out of alignment, he can get them in formation. If we have to check a play because the defense came out in something we didn’t expect, he’s fully capable and has the trust of our entire staff to make that change.” 

With still a week left before the regular season begins, the Gators are still hashing out the X’s and O’s. However, contender or not, all they are focused on is what’s in front of them.

 “The thing they’ve been doing in the first couple days here is every drill is their best. We don’t talk about the whole practice, we don’t talk about the grueling three-hour crap show, it’s just simply attack the next drill and that’s how we attack every day. We want to win today,” said Bienkowski. “Our goal was, simply put, we want to play as much football as we can and if that means District, States, whatever it means, we just want to be together as long as possible and play as much football as we can.” 

2025 Schedule

Friday, Aug. 22: at Bradford, 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 29: vs Moniteau, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 5: at Clarion Area, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 12: vs Smethport, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 19: at Redbank Valley, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 26: vs St. Marys, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 3: at Brookville, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11: vs Otto-Eldred, 1:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 17: vs UACV, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 23: at Brockway, 7 p.m.