Run-first offense spurs expansion Bedford County Buffaloes to GEFA playoffs

Jake Oswalt, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·4 min read

May 31—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — In their short history, the Bedford County Buffaloes have made it quite clear they are not afraid to go against the grain in the Great Eastern Football Association, an eight-man semipro league across Pennsylvania.

The Buffaloes surprised many across the league in their debut season by compiling a 7-3 record fueled by area graduates providing a spark.

"The only other expansion team to make the playoffs in their first year was the (Monroe County) Diamondbacks," Bedford County coach and defensive coordinator Scott Cook said. "Even at the beginning of the year, everyone predicted us to be 0-10. We were able to navigate our way through all this."

Area graduates Josh Baker and Aaron Zembower (Bedford); Anthony Cacciotti and Levi Cook (Bishop McCort Catholic); Dominick Claar and Seth Holderbaum (Chestnut Ridge); Cory Myers and Dontae Myers (Conemaugh Township); Nick Hite (Penn Cambria); Collin Instone (Richland); George Coyle, Josh Glessner, Brock Leazier and Jaden Witosky (Somerset); Mathew Rodacay, Ian Valente and Mike Weinzierl (Westmont Hilltop); and Cody Simanski (Windber) make up Bedford County's roster. Many of the players competed in the Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic.

Rick Flyte, Jeff Urban and Sam Zambanini are assistants on the coaching staff.

Bedford County, the No. 3 seed in the Mountain Division, will play its first playoff game at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Moshannon Valley Vikings, the No. 2 seed coming off a 76-0 victory over the Flood City Thunder on May 21. The Vikings defeated the Buffaloes 36-18 earlier this season on the road. Bedford County has gone 5-0 on the road and 2-3 at home, with games played at Everett and Somerset.

An unconventional offensive system has helped the Buffaloes surge as they ride a five-game winning streak. While the GEFA is dominated by wide-open offenses, Bedford County thrives by using the triple option and testing opposing defenses' restraint.

"Our offense is a little bit different than the rest of the GEFA, where everything is based on the pass," Scott Cook said. "We run the ball. We run the old-fashioned triple-option offense. If you ever watch Navy or Army play, it's like that.

"Our quarterback, Levi Cook, this is what he ran in college (at Geneva). He basically went after players that he could rely on that would actually buy into our run-first, pass-second offense. When we play, we line up and just play smash-mouth football. We bully people around."

Levi Cook leads the GEFA with 590 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground. He has also completed 65 of 117 passes for 584 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Valente has racked up 433 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 73 careers, while adding 27 receptions for 354 yards and six scores.

Other offensive contributors include Cory Myers (218 rushing yards, five touchdowns), Simanski (120 yards on the ground, two touchdowns) and Coyle (76 rushing yards and three scores).

Discipline and physicality are the team's hallmarks on defense.

"We kind of push them around (on defense)," Scott Cook said. "We play really good defense and we come up and hit people. We play a disciplined type of football compared to other teams in the league. Other teams' discipline breaks down after a while. We still stay with what got us here."

Cory Myers has totaled 33 tackles, six for loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one intercpetion. Rodacay has 45 tackles and three picks. Coyle picked off four passes and has 43 tackles and two forced and recovered fumbles each.

Weinzierl has three sacks, Dontae Myers has 14 stops and two picks and Cacciotti has 26 tackles and an interception.

Former members of the Flood City Thunder left to help start the Buffaloes squad in 2022.

"Anthony Cacciotti and Levi Cook both played for the Thunder last year," Scott Cook said.

"They really didn't like how things were going on the Thunder, so they decided along with two others, Rodacay and Zembower, on a limb, 'Hey, let's see if we can put a team together.' These guys wanted to prove a point that they could actually come into this league and win."

The answer to that thought was answered over the first 10 weeks of the season. This weekend, the Buffaloes seek a playoff victory to continue their eye-opening campaign.

"They gained the respect of the league," Scott Cook said. "I don't know whether we caught the league by surprise or they were sleeping on us. We simply did our business and just played football."