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SMETHPORT WINS 2001 AML TITLE GAME |
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AML TITLE GAME WEEK NINE |
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Information Courtesy of WDBA Radio in DuBois RIDGWAY – The Smethport Hubbers are the2001 Allegheny Mountain League Champions after defeating defending champion Curwensville 27-14 Saturday night at Ridgway. The Hubbers (9-0) raced out to a 27-0 lead at the end of the third quarter and survived two late Golden Tide (7-2) scores to win their seventh AML Title but their first since 1998. With the win Smethport clinched the No. 1 seed in the District 9 Class A playoffs, which begin next week. According to the playoff handout given D9Sports.Com at the beginning of the year, the Hubbers should host fourth-seeded Curwensville next Friday night at 7 p.m. with Clarion-Limestone, the No. 2 seed hosting Coudersport, the No. 3 seed at 7 p.m. Saturday. But match-ups and game dates and times are still subject to change. Please check D9Sports.Com later in the week for official playoff game match-ups. Smethport got the scoring started early when Jeff Shostak hit Shawn Dunkle with a 7-yard touchdown pass with 6:26 left in the first quarter. Nick Vandermark’s extra point was good, and the Hubbers led 7-0. The Hubbers carried the 7-0 lead into the second quarter when they expanded the lead to 13-0 on a 7-yard run by Chuck Duffy with 7:15 left before halftime. The point after attempt was no good. Curwensville looked like it might get on the scoreboard right before halftime when the Golden Tide had the ball inside the 1-yard line. Quarterback Jim Thompson, however, fumbled the football and when he did pick it up and try to dive in for a score he was stopped short. The first-half clock then ran out before the Golden Tide were able to get another play off leaving Smethport with a 13-0 halftime lead. Smethport then started to put the game away with 5:22 left in the third quarter when Eric Raydo scored on a 10-yard run following a fake handoff to Duffy by Shostak. The two-point conversion failed, and the Hubbers led 19-0. Duffy then scored his second touchdown of the game with 1:34 left in the third quarter on a 15-yard run. Shostak hit Raydo with the two-point pass giving the Hubbers a 27-0 lead going to the fourth quarter. Curwensville was then able to make the score a little closer scoring twice in the final 7:26 of the game. The first Golden Tide touchdown came on a 3-yard run by Keegan Prisk with 7:26 left in the game. Cory Bailor’s extra point cut the Smethport lead to 27-7. Then with 51 seconds left Thompson hit Matt Kalgren with a 12-yard pass that along with Bailor’s extra point made the score 27-14. Curwensville did try an on-side kick following Kalgren’s score, but Andy Rounsville recovered the ball for Smethport effectively ending the game. Shostak threw for 30 yards and a score and ran for 53 yards to lead the Smethport offense, while Duffy had 12 carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns and Raydo had six carries for 35 yards and a score. Thompson was 10-for-16 passing for 138 yards and one interception for the Golden Tide, with Mark Records catching four passes for 67 yards and Kalgren, who came into the game with one catch for 11 yards on the season, grabbed four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Joe Bennett led the Golden Tide running attack with 22 carries for 76 yards while also catching a pass for 22 yards. Ryan Bilger added nine carries for 31 yards, and Brooks Collins had five totes for 26 yards. Prisk carried the ball four times for 5 yards. It was the second time this season Curwensville lost a game on the Ridgway football field. The Golden Tide lost 27-26 in overtime to Ridgway Sept. 7. The Golden Tide have won 18 of their last 21 games with two of the loses coming in Ridgway and the other loss coming 7-0 to Sharpsville Nov. 18, 2000, in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs at Sharon.
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