Union/A-C Valley football team surging into October
RIMERSBURG — Preseason hopes often wilt by the time a high school football team gets six games deep into a campaign.
Union/A-C Valley coach Brad Dittman's goal for the Falcon Knights is alive and well.
In August, Dittman expressed that the expectation was for his team to improve on its No. 8 seed in last year's District 9 Class A playoffs.
The Falcon Knights face Keystone Friday in Rimersburg in a battle of two 5-1 teams.
Since dropping its season opener to Coudersport, Union/A-C Valley has reeled off five straight wins over Sheffield, Curwensville, Otto-Eldred, Elk County Catholic and Port Allegany.
The Falcon Knights (2-0 in District 9's Small School-South Division) began the season with 22 players and will dress 21 Friday.
“We knew we'd have to stay healthy if we were going to be successful this year,” said Dittman. “Other than a few minor injuries, we've avoided a lot of kids getting hurt and that's really helped.
“If we keep improving, we can compete with anybody.”
The guidance of senior quarterback Luke Bowser has been integral to the success of the team's pistol offense. The two-year starter has passed for 689 yards and seven touchdowns and added 150 rushing yards and six scores.
“He's got a knack for making plays on the run when nothing is there,” said Dittman. “But what we love most about him is his leadership. He's poised this year and doesn't let throwing an interception rattle him.”
Bowser is on pace to blow past his numbers as a junior, when he threw for 792 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games.
“Last year was a growing year,” he said. “The athletes we have on offense are lethal.”
That group includes junior wide receiver Tanner Merwin, who has caught 18 passes for 288 yards and a pair of scores. He's added a touchdown on the ground.
“We're passing the ball a lot more this year and it's made us better,” said Merwin, who has teamed with Caden Rainey (22-313-2) to give the team a formidable pass-catching duo.
The ground game was averaging less than 100 yards per contest through three weeks. Then junior Kylar Culbertson put up 150 yards and a pair of scores in the victory over Otto-Eldred. In their last three games, the Falcon Knights have averaged 204 yards rushing, led by Culbertson's 307 yards. Senior Tony Thompson has been a good complement, gaining 143 yards on 32 carries.
“We have three or four guys who can run the ball,” said Dittman. “We try to go with the guy who has the hot hand. Kylar's doing a great job of making people miss.”Of course, none of the success on offense would be possible if not for solid play up front, where center Layton Stewart and right guard Colby Best are leading the way.“Layton steers the ship for us,” Dittman said. “He plays both ways and is our long-snapper, so he doesn't come off the field.“It's really a combination of all the guys up front. They've really made an effort to improve since the Coudersport game.”During its current winning streak, Union/A-C Valley has held three of its five opponents to seven points or less.“Our defense is making things happen,” said Bowser. “They can stop anyone.”Merwin is a big reason for that, Aside from his exploits on offense, he has four interceptions and 34 tackles as a safety.“His athleticism and football smarts have helped us tremendously,” said Dittman. “He can also throw the ball and is our backup quarterback. We have a lot of guys like that — Rainey, Thompson, Eli Penny (linebacker, team's leading tackler) ... they do a lot of things for us.”This is the fourth year for the football co-op between Union and A-C Valley, which means no current player used to play exclusively for either school.“We don't even think about which school any of the guys are from,” said Dittman. “It's one team.”That mentality has created a strong bond amongst the players.“We've come together as a family,” said Merwin. “We trust each other.”The Falcon Knights have other anticipated matchups on their schedule, including undefeated Redbank Valley and Class 2A power Ridgway.“We've talked about what we are capable of,” said Stewart, “but we're trying to stay focused on each week.”That is the key, according to Dittman.“We'll reflect on the season when it is over, but the most important thing is focusing on the task at hand, going 1-0 each week.”
