OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Bryce Posker collides with Gowanda/Pine Valley's Winter Mentley-Peters on a run during Saturday's Class D football game at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama.

PANAMA — Franklinville/Ellicottville and Clymer/Sherman/Panama have seemed like the best two football teams in Class D all season long.

Now everybody will get a chance to see which one is better — with a league title on the line.

The Wolfpack improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the league with a 56-12 defeat of Gowanda/Pine Valley on Saturday afternoon at Jack Keeney Community Field.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama dominated from start to finish. Well, more like three plays after the start to finish.

Wolfpack quarterback Tate Catanese threw an interception on his team’s second play from scrimmage, but after that the Clymer/Sherman/Panama offense was nearly perfect, scoring on its next six drives to go up 43-0 before the Panthers (4-3, 1-3) scored just before halftime.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Jayden Malecki tackles Gowanda/Pine Valley's Connor Elliott after Elliott intercepted a pass during Saturday's Class D football game at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama.

“Tate is really good at compartmentalizing when he does make a mistake. He doesn’t make a lot of them, but he knew what he had done when he came off the field,” Clymer/Sherman/Panama head coach Ty Harper said. “I knew that we’d be able to go right back to him and he’d be unfazed by it.”

After the break, with a running clock for the second half, the Wolfpack’s Collin Ryan returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown on Gowanda/Pine Valley’s first play of the third quarter and Carson Pinzok added the final score.

All told, Clymer/Sherman/Panama outgained the Panthers 273 to minus-16 on the ground although Gowanda/Pine Valley did pick up 208 yards through the air, mostly in the second half in addition to a Carter Capozzi-to-Quentin Centner 79-yard touchdown connection on the Panthers’ final play of the second quarter.

“A big point of emphasis this week was just to be physical at the line of scrimmage,” Harper said. “They did a good job of getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hand quickly. I don’t know if we actually got to him at all, but I think we got good pressure and forced him to get the ball out quick.”

Bryce Posker led Clymer/Sherman/Panama with 13 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown while Travis Owens, Pinzok and Catanese also ran for touchdowns.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Bryce Hinsdale runs away from Gowanda/Pine Valley's Brayden Smith after making a catch during Saturday's Class D football game at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama.

Catanese completed 9 of 14 passes for 87 yards and three touchdowns with a pair of them going to Bryce Hinsdale and the other to Devin Johnson.

“We tried to spread it out a little bit,” Harper said. “That’s the nice thing about this team, we have a lot of guys who can make plays. They all stepped up at different times.”

Next up for the Wolfpack, Class D’s No. 2 team according to the New York State Sportswriters Association, is a de facto league title game Friday night in Ellicottville against the Titans (7-0, 4-0), the state’s fourth-ranked team. Clymer/Sherman/Panama won last year’s Week 7 matchup 22-20, but did not get a second chance to play Franklinville/Ellicottville, which lost to Randolph in the Section VI championship game at Highmark Stadium.

“Going into next week’s game, we’ve tried to not think about F/E the whole season. We’ve talked about taking it one week at a time. We knew they were waiting for us in this Week 8 game,” Harper said. “They are a great team. We think we’ve got a pretty good team. It should be a great game on Friday.”

Whichever team wins Friday will earn the No. 1 seed for the postseason with the loser falling to No. 2. Both will likely have quarterfinal byes and a week off before hosting semifinal playoff games.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Travis Owens attempts to get away from Gowanda/Pine Valley's Cameron Slade during Saturday's Class D football game at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama.

“We have to be balanced going forward,” Harper said. “We have to be able to do a lot of different things going into the playoffs.”

NOTES: Capozzi finished 13 of 29 for 208 yards and two touchdowns to go along with three interception. … Jon Sheldon caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown while Centner caught four passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. … Owens was in on five tackles, including two for a loss; Johnson and Anthony Cipolla were each in on four tackles, including one for a loss. … Pinzok and Kaden Beckerink had interceptions.

Gowanda/Pine Valley 0 6 6 0 — 12

Clymer/Sherman/Panama 21 22 7 6 — 56

C/S/P–Catanese 21 run (kick failed)

C/S/P–Posker 1 run (Barmore pass from Catanese)

C/S/P–Hinsdale 20 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P–Johnson 19 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P–Hinsdale 10 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P–Owens 1 run (Keefe pass from Catanese)

G/PV–Centner 79 pass from Capozzi (pass failed)

C/S/P–Ryan 40 interception return (Hinsdale kick)

G/PV–Sheldon 13 pass from Capozzi (pass failed)

C/S/P–Pinzok 4 run (kick blocked)