With the PIAA playoffs starting Friday, we take a look at our top five favorite moments during the D9Sports.com Era (2001-present) of District 9 teams in the PIAA playoffs.
5. Smethport stuns Tyler Boyd and Clairton
March 12, 2013 – Trailing by two in the fourth quarter, Smethport, which finished fourth in District 9, used a 9-2 run to take a five-point lead on its way to beating Clairton 37-35 in the PIAA second round. The little team from Route 6 beat Clairton, which featured soon-to-be NFL draft pick Tyler Boyd as well as other talented players. Zach Smith, who played two great seasons at Pitt-Bradford before transferring to main campus this season (he was forced to sit out by NCAA rules) led the Hubbers with 19 points.
4. Elk County Catholic wins the state title
March 24, 2006 – Elk County Catholic completed one of the greatest seasons in District 9 history ending a perfect 33-0 campaign with a 71-61 win over Bishop Hannan in the PIAA championship game. It was the first PIAA hoops title for a D9 boys teams 26 years. Jesse Bosnik had a fantastic game with 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while Kevin Genevro scored 20 points and Josh Salter 17 for the Crusaders.