Football Preview: Keystone Panthers vs. Port Allegany Gators
The Keystone Panthers will face off against the Port Allegany Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Keystone is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Everything went their way against Ridgway/Johnsonburg as Keystone made off with a 42-21 win. The Panthers pushed the score to 34-14 by the end of the third, a deficit the had little chance of recovering from.
A big part of Keystone's victory came down to the chemistry between Dom Corcetti and his top target Eli Nellis. Corcetti rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries while Nellis gained 203 total yards and three touchdowns. Nellis also posted 102 receiving yards, which is notable because Keystone is 2-1 when he posts at least 80 receiving yards, but 3-4 otherwise. Keystone also got help from Drew Keth, who showed off his sure hands for 82 receiving yards.
Keystone was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 318 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ridgway/Johnsonburg only rushed for 215.
Keystone didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Keth and Corcetti.
Meanwhile, Port Allegany put another one in the bag two weeks ago to keep their perfect season alive. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Cameron County 48-0. Given the Gators' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 121st, while the Raiders are ranked 477th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Aiden Bliss continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 219 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.5 yards per carry. Bliss is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 120 every time he's taken the field this season. Tristan Kiser also helped out as he racked up 117 rushing yards.
Keystone pushed their record up to 5-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.8 points per game. As for Port Allegany, their record now sits at 10-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Keystone has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 169.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Port Allegany struggles in that department as they've been averaging 369.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Keystone ended up a good deal behind Port Allegany in their previous matchup back in August, losing 35-18. Can Keystone avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
