Football Focus: Preview of the 2024 football season in District 10
Jeff Uveino and Tom Reisenweber discuss what’s new and what to expect from the upcoming District 10 football season.
One of the big questions entering the season was what Oil City’s formidable running attack would look like without Ethen Knox, the all-time leading runner in District 10 history. Harbor Creek answered that question by limiting the Oilers to 78 rushing yards on Friday.
Harbor Creek’s dominant defensive performance and timely scoring gave head coach John Angerer his first win as the Huskies defeated the Oilers 13-6.
The last team to hold Oil City under 100 rushing yards was Meadville on September 30, 2023 in a 32-8 win at Bender Field.
Oil City tried to make up for its running-ball woes with 134 passing yards from senior Cole Findlay, but it wasn’t enough to take the loss. Findlay scored a 20-yard touchdown to Gavin Stephens in the second quarter, but that was Oil City’s only touchdown.
Harbor Creek sophomore Gavin Zillman countered with a 33-yard touchdown run to tie the game before halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Tobias Vahey scored a six-yard touchdown to give the Huskies the lead with 6 minutes, 29 seconds left.
Oil City brought the ball down to the 10-yard line, but could not tie the game in the final minute.
Harbor Creek managed 164 yards of offense while the Oil City line held the Huskies in check for most of the game. However, Harbor Creek came out on top on the decisive plays. Vahey led the Huskies with 76 yards on 17 carries.
General McLane’s offensive is facing a big season
Isaac and Jacob Zietz entered the season as one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in District 10. The Twins got off to a great start on Friday despite a thrilling loss to New Castle.
Isaac Zietz completed 24 of 31 passes for 313 yards and six touchdowns, including six catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns by Jacob Zietz.
With this performance, Isaac Zietz moved into the top 10 career passers at McLane. He has 1,514 yards, surpassing Matt Leehan (1,398) and Kellen O’Neill (1,510). Next on the list for Zietz to pass by is Luke Kuffer (1,621), and Josh Ponsoll had 1,655 yards.
Zietz nearly led the Lancers to victory when he threw a touchdown pass with four seconds left to cut New Castle’s lead to 49-47. McLane then ran an option halfback pass for the 2-point conversion, but the pass was intercepted, giving the Canes the win.
General McLane hosts an important non-regional game against Harbor Creek next week.
Titusville and Corry are as tough as advertised
Corry picked up an impressive 28-22 victory on Friday as the Beavers held off the Rockets in a non-region game. The two senior-heavy teams traded blows all night before Corry made one last defensive effort with an interception of Will Allen.
Nolan Carey threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for one for the Beavers. Nick Lesher added 77 yards and a touchdown. Mason Savitz caught seven passes for 153 yards for Corry.
Jaxon Covell led Titusville with 15 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns and also caught a touchdown pass.
The game’s defining statistic was that Corry forced three turnovers. Keaton Frisina and Jack Vanchieri each had an interception for the Beavers.
Fairview’s running game is off to a great start
The Tigers attempted just six passes in their dominant 35-0 win over Slippery Rock on Friday. Vinny Campoli completed 5 of 6 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown while the Tigers rushed for 278 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries.
Tyler Benford led the way with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while Joey O’Reilly rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Josh Lockett also ran for a touchdown.
Harwood impresses on debut
Rylan Harwood was the backup quarterback to Nolan Seabury at Seneca last year and will get a chance to show what he can do this fall. On Friday, Harwood ran for 229 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries to lead the Bobcats to a 35-7 victory over Saegertown.
Harwood also completed four of eight passes for 22 yards, but he tore up the field in the running game. Seabury was a solid running quarterback last year, and Harwood is following in his footsteps after one game.
Bennett dominates in his debut as quarterback
Iroquois junior Cole Bennett was his team’s leading receiver last year with 35 catches for 553 yards and four touchdowns. After moving up to quarterback in the fall, he began this season completing 14 of 23 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-6 win at Cochranton. He also ran for a touchdown in the win. Carmelo Hunter was the Iroquois’ leading receiver with six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Myers goes over 3,000 yards
McDowell quarterback Blayze Myers continues to climb the program’s history by throwing for 221 yards and a touchdown in a 34-28 win at Woodland Hills on Friday.
Myers has over 3,000 passing yards in his career and currently sits at 3,012. He passed Brian Caldwell for fifth place. His next target is Ben Moore, who had 3,117 yards.
Stephon Porter also scored 236 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans.
Sharpsville shows balance in big win in Girard
The Blue Devils returned to the Wing-T this season, but showed a good balance between the running game and passing game in a 32-23 win at Battles Memorial Field on Friday. Senior quarterback Aiden Cadman threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns, while standout running back Jaiden White had three catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 129 yards and a touchdown. Geno Currie scored two running touchdowns for the Blue Devils, including a 1-yard TD run in the final minute of the game that secured the win.
Coaches achieve their first victory
There are seven new head coaches in District 10 this season, and two of them earned their first wins Friday. John Angerer earned his first win as head coach of Harbor Creek, while Aaron Slocum earned his first win with McDowell. Both were long-time assistant coaches at their respective schools before taking over as head coaches this fall.
Contact Tom Reisenweber at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.
