The Elk County Catholic Crusaders football team will open play in the District 9 Class A playoffs Friday night by playing host to the Port Allegany Gators.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Dutch Country Stadium.
The Crusaders of coach Travis Skrzypek enter the playoffs as the second-ranked team out of the Allegheny Mountain Football League (AML) with a 7-2 record.
The Crusaders opened the season with a six-game winning streak, having defeated Cameron County 34-12, Otto-Eldred 56-16, Coudersport 26-21, Port Allegany 27-20, Johnsonburg 34-8 and Kane 27-13.
Elk then lost two straight, 35-14 to Brockway and 28-6 to Curwensville, before closing out their regular season with a 41-0 victory over the Ridgway Elkers.
The Gators enter Friday’s contest as the fourth-ranked team out of the AML, with a 5-4 record.
Port opened the season with a 55-14 victory over the Ridgway Elkers. They then lost to Brockway, 49-34, Curwensville 35-6 and Elk Catholic 27-20.
The Gators went on a three-game winning streak by defeating Otto-Eldred 44-6, Smethport 20-12 and Sheffield 50-6. They lost a 27-21 overtime decision to Cameron County before closing out the regular season with a 39-8 win over Coudersport.
Admission to all District 9 football playoff games is $5 for adults and $2 for students.
For more on this story see the Nov. 11 edition of The Daily Press.
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