NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (D9Sports.com) — Over 1,200 yards later, the Clarion Bobcats won their fifth straight KSAC Small School Division title and 25th straight Small School conference game (25-0) in a hard-fought 58-46 shootout against the Redbank Valley Bulldogs.
Ian Corbett ran for 397 yards on 31 carries, the second most yards ever in District 9 behind Alex Holland’s 417 in 2010 for Curwensville, and scored six touchdowns, five of them on runs of 82, 11, 2, 4 and 94 yards. His 94-yarder sealed the game for the Bobcats (8-1 overall, 5-0 KSAC-Small) and set the final score with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter. Corbett also returned a kick 76 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Corbett’s heroics held off the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1) and Redbank Valley quarterback Jake Dougherty’s record-breaking performance. Dougherty passed for 614 yards, completing 39 of 68 attempts with seven touchdowns and one interception.
Brockway’s Derek Buganza’s 594 yards from 2009 was the state’s single-game record going into the season, so at the very least. He threw four TD passes to Korbin Hornberger covering 26, 23, 6 and 3 yards and one each to Nick Shoemaker for 14 yards, Connor Shoemaker for 16 yards and Wyatt Hetrick for 10 yards.
Hetrick caught 17 passes for 241 yards, which is the second-most receiving yards in a game in district history behind Keystone’s Ben Black’s 272 yards on a district-record 18 catches. Hornberger caught 10 balls for 158 yards and Shoemaker had four catches for 138 yards.
Redbank Valley led 25-14 on Dougherty’s 6-yarder to Hornberger at the 8:06 mark of the second quarter. The teams alternated touchdowns until halftime. In addition to Corbett’s kick return and 11-yarder with 2:22 left before halftime, the Bobcats, who have won 27 conference games in a row overall dating back to 2009 when the KSAC was still one big conference, also scored on Taylor Smith’s 52-yard pass to Adrian Weber. The Bulldogs led the Bobcats, 39-36, at halftime.
Corbett’s 2-yarder was the only score of the third quarter and put the Bobcats up 42-39. Dougherty’s TD pass to Hetrick less than two minutes into the fourth quarter gave the Bulldogs their last lead at 46-42 before Corbett’s final two TD runs, including the back-breaking 94-yarder.
The Bulldogs outgained the Bobcats, 626-611, despite just 12 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Destin Strauser ran for 60 yards on six carries while Thomas Plummer scored on an 11-yard run for the Bobcats in the first quarter. Smith completed 4 of 9 passes for 89 yards.
For more recaps, visit D9sports.com/recaps-week-9/.
