Kittanning Alumni Also Win Final Football Game
Before their alumni football game last week, Ford City and Kittanning captains (including (left) No. 5 2011 Ford City Graduate Cody Gispanski and (right) 2004 Kittanning Graduate Bill Yanicko shook hands at mid-field in Kittanning’s David “Red” Ullom Field. Kittanning won the game due to a tough defensive effort, 18-14.
By Jonathan Weaver
The final regular season Kittanning vs. Ford City high school football game might have ended in a lopsided score in late-October, but the Ford City alumni nearly settled the score last week.
Kittanning won against Ford City 43-6 a week before Halloween to end the storied rivalry forever tied (37-37-1), and alumni football players had to make a few key goal-line stands to hold onto an 18-14 victory at David “Red” Ullom Field November 26 in what may really be the last edition of the “Backyard Brawl.”
At the three-yard line with less than a minute to play and no timeouts, Ford City tried to run the ball multiple times for the game-winning score but was denied.
Ford City actually scored the first points of the game on a questionable touchdown pass from Quarterback Cody Gispanski (a 2011 graduate).
Wildcats’ Logan Atwood (another 2011 graduate) responded with a long catch-and-run into the end zone from 2013 graduate Sterling Henry to shorten the lead 7-6 with less than 2:30 in the first quarter.
Kittanning 2011 graduate Garrett Brumbaugh nearly picked off Gispanski on Ford City’s next possession and it might have cost the Wildcats a chance to take control of the game early.
Fellow 2011 graduate and Quarterback Tim Crytzer for Kittanning was intercepted on his first pass attempt by 2008 Saber graduate Eric Cunningham as Henry lined up as wide-receiver.
The Kittanning alumni also faced another goal-line stand in the second quarter, but gave up a touchdown to Ford City 2000 graduate Running Back Nathan Serene.
Atwood responded for the Wildcats again with a 99-yard catch-and-run from Henry with six minutes left in the half to make the score 14-12.
Gispanski had the ball within the Kittanning red zone after a successful fourth-down conversion before the half, but Atwood stepped up again – this time on defense – with an end-zone to end-zone interception in the final score of the game.
Besides the eventual-game winning goal line stand, Kittanning also had to survive a red zone scare when Ford City had the ball at the 15-yard line with seven minutes to play. (During that drive, the ball sailed over Gispanski’s head on third down and he was picked off by Atwood on fourth-down.)
Ford City 2002 graduate Jamal Johnson organized his team to make the game happen.
“We only had one more ride together – I wanted to wear that purple and gold one more time,” Johnson said. “I know we’re closing a chapter and everything but we wanted to play Kittanning as an end of an era.
“We all shake hands after this – win or lose.”
The five alumni football games were redemption for Kittanning’s John Hill.
Hill, a 1993 graduate, played in three high school seasons before tearing his rotator cuff. He along with 1994 graduates Shawn Shaner, Jr. and John Arbuckle came together to establish the alumni team.
Even though both teams fought with each other on-and-off the field when he was in high school, Hill (who said he knew many of the athletes since he is also a coach for the 11-12 year old Armstrong Indians) said all the ticket proceeds from last week’s game will go to the new Armstrong Riverhawks team.
Now a corrections officer at the Armstrong County Jail in Rayburn Township, Hill was joined on the team by son, Wyatt (a 2014 graduate who now plays at Allegheny College in Meadville). He wore the jersey of his youngest son, junior-high athlete Jonathan Hill.
Kittanning 1996 graduate Shawn Farester has played in each of the last four alumni football games. He was on the Wildcats Class AAA team that played against eventual-Class AAA Champion Belle Vernon in the 1995 playoffs (Kittanning lost in the first round 21-9).
Now employed at PennDOT, Farester coached several Wildcats as well that are now at the collegiate level.
“I really think when it becomes (the Armstrong Riverhawks) maybe we should do a orange-blue game in the Spring – it would help bring everyone back, just for a pick-up game, and be interesting,” Farester said.
Ford City 1995 graduate Jason Smith also noted the rivalry when he was in school (as evident by personal foul calls on both teams in the first half).
“This is the only time of year you get to spark it back up,” Smith said. “It’s sad to see the two schools go down, but when they come together, they can have a great program.”
2012 Kittanning graduate Andrew Scholl played every position in high school and started as running back Wednesday night. Currently a physical education student in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
“This is my third year playing alumni – I figured ‘this is the last one, might as well go out and do it,’” Scholl said. “I love it – its fun. It’s another chance to hit people – that’s all I care about is hitting people.”
Ford City 2008 graduate Clark Cribbs now lives in Vandergrift and is one of several athletes that was on the field Wednesday to play semi-pro football with the Butler County Bears
After the game, Alumni Football USA Regional Manager Richard Bishop announced Atwood and Gispanski as MVP’s.
“It felt good – like it was high school again,” Atwood said. “Doesn’t feel like any of us graduated the way this rivalry is still alive. It was a fun time.”
Bishop told both teams it was a great way to end the series, and also hoped for another game next season.
It was the second year Kittanning Assistant Coach Brad Bowers announced the game after playing once. In the Kittanning alumni games, it was also their first win.
Local Sports | jweaver December 1, 2014
By tyler1187, December 3, 2014 @ 5:16 AM
There were only 3 bears that played in that game karns, gispanski, brumbaugh.