Cameron County/Kane rematch!
Raiders get another shot in D9 title game

Cameron County gets another shot at the undefeated Kane Wolves Saturday night with much more on the line than when the two football powers collided earlier this season.

Not only are the Red Raiders (11-1) out to avenge their only loss of the season, they're also fighting for survival. Winner of Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Clarion University's Memorial Stadium wins the PIAA District 9 title and enters the "Elite Eight" of the state Class A playoffs.

Cameron County got to this point with yet another dominating performance Saturday afternoon at Clarion, rolling over Redbank Valley, 34-0.

It wasn't just the score that impressed Raider head coach Tony Defilippi, but the way his team amassed those 34 points.

"When you get in the playoffs, you need to be able to run the ball," Defilippi said. "We challenged our offensive line to move them out. Our backs found the holes and we made the plays."

Abram Zoschg ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while catching a touchdown pass. Zoschg now has 20 TDs.

Cameron Clingan ran for 75 yards on 13 attempts, including the game's first touchdown on a 15-yard run that followed Andy Lippert's kickoff return to the Bulldogs' 42. That 6-0 lead held up as Cameron County squandered a couple of opportunities inside Redbank Valley territory.

Stymied by the Raider defense, the Bulldogs used a quick kick to give Cameron County possession at the Redbank 40.

Soon, Zoschg embarked on a 20-yard touchdown gallop and quarterback Jordan Crane scored the conversion on a keeper, making it 14-0.

Redbank wasn't yielding ground willingly. The Bulldogs snuffed a drive at their own ten on a costly fourth-down stop. Jake Smith, RV's standout quarterback, was injured on a helmet-to-helmet collision.

When his back-up, Shiloh Buchleitner, tried to fool the Raiders with a screen pass, defensive stalwart Mike Malizia sniffed it out and came up with the interception. Crane then hit Zoschg with a ten-yard touchdown pass and Zoschg tacked on the conversion, boosting the halftime lead to 22-0.

With or without Smith, the Bulldogs were in trouble. They had managed only 51 total yards in the first half and had not entered Raider territory.

Crane scored on a 16-yard run about four minutes into the third quarter to put the game away. Zoschg scored another TD from eight yards out midway through the final stanza.

Field position was an important factor. Punter Crane stitched the Bulldogs inside their 20-yard line on three occasions.

Cameron County finished with a whopping 296-109 advantage in total yards and limited RV to eight first downs.