FOXBURG — There have been times over the last decade when it was hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel for the Allegheny-Clarion Valley football team.

Now, 12 years after the program's last District 9 playoff appearance and nearly six years since the Falcons' most recent conference win, there's reason for hope in Foxburg.

The Falcons have 29 players on their 2011 roster, including a bolstered group of 12 sophomores.

This year's 10th-graders helped A-C Valley's freshman team go 3-3 last year.

The youth movement also brings a downside with it — a lot of inexperience. Even the vast majority of this year's juniors have seen little varsity playing time.

But A-C Valley has battled low numbers so often in recent years, a slew of inexperienced players is a welcome change.

“Our numbers are up, but we have only one starter set in stone and that's junior Jimmy Holton, who will be our center, middle linebacker and long snapper,” said McNany. “There's a battle at every other position.”

The Falcons' I-formation offense has been condensed so that every player can get on the same page.

“We just had a scrimmage against Union and we ran just five offensive plays,” said McNany.

The starting quarterback spot is between sophomore Colton Cunningham and junior Kevin Kaufman.

Kaufman started one game at signal caller last year and Cunningham was the ninth-grade quarterback.

McNany has five players who he believes are interchangeable between tailback and fullback. They include senior Kodie Rose, junior Kyle Edwards and sophomores Dallas Wingard, Andrew Strauser and Mike Suto.

Clint Van Wormer is a potential starter at wide receiver while Jeff Eaton and Brian Jackson are vying for the tight end spot.

Aside from Holton, no offensive line job is secure, but McNany said of the candidates, “They've got good size and ability.”

Holton is a good keystone to build around on defense, too. He led the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference in tackles as a sophomore.

“If I could just clone him about 10 times...,” McNany said with a smile.

Mike Amsler, a 6-2, 235-pound senior, will be counted on to plug up the middle from his nose tackle position.

“Unlike last year, there won't be a big dropoff between our starters and backups on defense this season,” said McNany. “We do have depth.”

The Falcons snapped a streak of four straight winless seasons last year with a 13-8 win over Hancock (Md.). They hope to take another step forward this year.

“We want to be competitive with teams like Punxsutawney and Brookville,” McNany said. “And against schools the same size as us, we feel we've got a shot to win those games.”

A-C Valley will begin the 2011 campaign Friday when it travels to rival Clarion-Limestone.

The Falcons travel to Maryland Oct. 22 for a rematch with Hancock.