Football Preview: Port Allegany Gators vs. Redbank Valley Bulldogs
The Port Allegany Gators will square off against the Redbank Valley Bulldogs at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Port Allegany is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Smethport: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Port Allegany blew Smethport out of the water with a 73-6 final score. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 53-0.
Aiden Bliss was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 127 yards and four touchdowns on only nine carries, and also picked up 34 receiving yards. Tristan Kiser was another key back, gaining 126 total yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Port Allegany was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 347 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 179 rushing yards in 13 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Port Allegany's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Bliss and Liam Hawver.
Meanwhile, Redbank Valley strolled past Brockway with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 38-21. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 120th, while the Rovers are ranked 253rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Redbank Valley's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braylon Wagner, who threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Carson Gould was Wagner's top target, picking up 95 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Redbank Valley's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Broc Monrean and Jaxon Huffman who racked up 5.5 sacks between them. Huffman also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up 2.5 sacks and making nine total tackles (3.5 for loss).
Port Allegany's win bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Redbank Valley, the victory made it two in a row for them and also bumps their season record up to 2-0.
Port Allegany ended up a good deal behind Redbank Valley in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, losing 26-7. Will Port Allegany have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
