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Cooney, Lent top defensive, offensive Big 30 players Smethport’s Travis Cooney and Noah Lent were among the top Big 30 football selections for the 2021 season. Cooney’s talent was clear to Smethport’s coaching staff from the time he arrived as a freshman. Cooney didn’t just get a taste of varsity football as a 9th-grader in 2018 — he was the starting middle linebacker on a team that enjoyed an undefeated regular season and won two playoff games. Since then, he’s grown into one of the Big 30’s premier defensive talents. Now a senior, Cooney’s breakout 2021 season earned him a spot on this year’s Big 30 All-Star team, plus the honor of Big 30 Defensive Player of the Year. It had been 25 years since a Smethport player was selected for the award. The last Hubber to do so, however, became one of Cooney’s closest mentors. “(Cooney) spent a lot of time in the off-season getting bigger and faster,” said Smethport defensive coordinator Jim Berlin, who was the Big 30 DPOY while playing for Smethport in 1996. “The kid’s got a motor. He doesn’t really say anything to anybody, but he’s there to compete. He has an appetite to succeed that pushed him to a place he hadn’t been yet, and it showed on the field this year.”
File photos Noah Lent (left) and Travis Cooney (right)
completing 57-of-107 attempts (53%) for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added another 1,574 yards and 24 TDs on the ground. “You could see him elevate his game each year, and this year, he just had a calmness and command of the offense that he hadn’t before,” Smethport coach Adam Jack said. “That comes with experience and playing in the system. Being able to see things on the field that you don’t see as a sophomore or a junior, the game slows down for you.” Lent compiled 952 Lent matured as he grew passing yards this season, into an upperclassman in
the Hubber system. In 36 career games at QB, he threw for 2,413 yards, 45 touchdowns and 15 INTs, and ran for 3,333 yards and 43 touchdowns. “I learned to control the game,” Lent said. “Knowing the clock, checking out of plays and audibling, stuff like that. Knowing the game; reading the defense.” Lent credited his father, Joel, who serves as Smethport’s offensive coordinator, with helping him grow and succeed as a player. “On the field, he wasn’t my dad; he was my coach,” Lent said. “I didn’t look
Festival of Lights illuminates McKean County Fairgrounds SMETHPORT — For the second year in a row, adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic atmosphere, the McKean County Fair Association is currently hosting the Festival of Lights. The Festival continues through Dec. 23, from 5 to 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday, and 5 to 8 p.m. on Sundays. On Wednesday, Dec. 22, the display will be lit up from 5 to 9 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 23, the final day of the festival, will run from 5 to 9 p.m. A woman who took a ride through the festival last week stated, “The Festival of Lights makes me think of a winter wonderland.” She continued with the suggestion that “every family needs to make their way to Smethport to drive through and experience the magic of the season. Festival of Lights is a great way to jump-start the festive feeling of this holiday season.” The Festival of Lights is once again a drive-through event due to the pandemic. Christy Graham of the fair association has been working on plans to possibly add a walking area and display contest during future events. Any family or group interested in building, or putting together a Christmas-themed display for next year’s festival may contact Graham or Chuck Kohler at mckeanfol@ gmail.com. Although the name, Festival of Lights, implies the event is solely pertaining to lights and lighting decorations, according to Graham there will also be Christmas-themed wooden
cut outs, live animals (on most evenings), a special mailbox for letters to Santa Claus — or letters can be directly given to Santa at the festival. The holiday displays at the Festival of Lights were created and built by local community members and businesses. “My favorite thing is seeing how happy the Festival of Lights makes people feel, and how happy the community is that the
Festival of Lights is happening again,” Nancy Dart said. This event is a drivethru only event. The cost per vehicle is $10, and $25 for a bus. For more information call or text Kohler at (814) 367-9591. Kohler stated that the Festival Lights is always looking for additional committee members, and any additional display suggestions for future events.
at him that way. We had our ups and downs, but we worked well together and came up with some great schemes. We’ve had a bunch of big (receiving) targets and big threats. They put this offense in a few years back and it fit my personnel well, so it was a great time.” Cooney was joined by fellow All-Star linebackers Hunter Wall (Ridgway), Jake Costanzo (Kane), Zander Keim (Portville),
Logan Ellis (Pioneer) and Jaiden Huntington (Randolph). Wall was one of three Ridgway Elkers selected to the defense, which also included defensive end Dan Park and defensive back Domenic Allegretto. The trio helped lead the Elkers to their fifth District 9 championship game appearance in six years, allowing 18 points per game while holding six of their 12 opponents to two scores or less. Joining Park on the
Big 30 defensive line were Pioneer’s Jasiah Jarocinski, Salamanca’s Kody Shinners and Bolivar-Richburg’s Trent Sibble. Other defensive backs included Railey Silvis (Olean), Logan Grinols (FranklinvilleEllicottville), Luke Pagett (Randolph) and Jack Buncy (Pioneer). Other Big 30 offensive selections were St. Marys’ Christian Coudriet, senior center Connor Bullers and junior wide receiver Logan Mosier. Franklinville/ Ellicottville’s Lucas Marsh was the only other QB selected to the Big 30 offense, while Port Allegany junior Blaine Moses and Ridgway senior Camron Marciniak were among the group of selected running backs. Randolph RB Xander Hind, a junior, was selected as the Big 30 Player of the Year after rushing for 1,745 yards and 24 touchdowns. Other selected RBs included Olean’s Jamison Pittman and Salamanca’s Jesse Stahlman. Other selections were wide receivers, Bradford’s Dalton Dixon and Noah Archer, who totaled 1,390 all-purpose yards for Port Allegany, center Lloyd Kinnicutt (BolivarRichburg), as well as offensive linemen Ryan Carpenter (Randolph), Alex Coder (Pioneer) and Camdyn MacDonell (Bolivar-Richburg).
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