WEEK ONE DISTRICT 9 FOOTBALL WRAP-UP

SEPT. 3-4

ST. MARYS – Anthony Tettis ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries as Elk County Catholic got off to a bang with a 41-7 win over visiting Cameron County Saturday night.

ECC led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter and then blew the game open with two second-quarter touchdowns to go ahead 27-7 at halftime before adding on a score in each of the final two quarters.

ECC outgained Cameron County 363-200 with 64 of Cameron County’s yards coming on a first-quarter touchdown run by Cash Grimone, who finished the night with 14 carries for 137 yards.

Anthony Mastrogiacomo added 11 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown for ECC, while Mike Moore had five totes for 42 yards. Tettis added one catch for 26 yards.

DUBOIS 35, CENTRAL MOUNTAIN 0

DUBOIS – DuBois took out two-plus years of football frustration on Central Mountain Friday night running all over the visitors from Lock Haven for a 35-0 win in the season opener at E.J. Mansell Stadium.

The Beavers rushed for 333 yards while totaling 370 yards. Central Mountain, on the other hand, managed just 66 rushing yards and 145 total yards.

Mike Stewart and Jon Wanson led the DuBois attack with Stewart rushing 24 times for 144 yards and one touchdown and Wanson going 4-for-6 passing for 37 yards and a touchdown while running seven times for 34 yards and two more touchdowns.

DuBois scored 13 points in the second quarter on two Wanson runs then added a Stewart run in the third quarter to take a 21-0 lead and a 14-yard pass from Wanson to Kyle Bundy and a 2-yard run by Ryan Liddle in the fourth quarter.

Blake Barth was 4-for-10 passing for 79 yards for Central Mountain, while John Kalunzy rushed four times for 46 yards. Frank Probst had three catches for 71 yards.

The 35 points for DuBois were the most for the Beavers since they beat Brookville 40-7 Sept. 15, 2001.

BROCKWAY – New season, new players, same old result for the Brockway football team.

The Rovers, the two-time defending District 9 Class AA champions, used a powerful running attack and a strong defense to defeat Sheffield 23-6 in the season opener for both teams.

The loss ruined the District 9 debut of Sheffield, which while playing in the AML had always been a District 10 team until this season.

Brockway ran 64 players, 58 of them runs, for 445 yards while holding Sheffield to just 115 yards of offense including 31 yards rushing on 18 attempts. Brockway ran for 351 yards. Brockway had 20 first downs to Sheffield’s three.

The Rovers scored 10 points in the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Matt Foradora and a 24-yard run by Lenny Calhoun.

A 5-yard run by Ben Donlin in the third quarter made it 16-0, and a 29-yard pass from Foradora to Jordan Hoover made it 23-0.

Sheffield’s lone score came on a 51-yard pass from Jeremy Borst to Walter Elmquist.

Bobby Liddle led Brockway with 18 carries for 176 yards, while Calhoun added 12 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Foradora chipped in with seven carries for 36 yards while going 6-for-8 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown.

JOHNSONBURG – Coudersport scored 29 straight unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters to turn a 7-0 deficit into a 29-13 win over Johnsonburg in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Johnsonburg.

The game was a costly one for Johnsonburg, who lost starting quarterback and last year’s D9Sports.Com Rookie of the Year Anthony Imbrogno to what was reported by the DuBois Courier-Express’s Jim Bailey as a broken collarbone.

Johnsonburg led 7-0 at halftime thanks to a 10-yard run by Calvin Grumley with 53 seconds left in the first half.

Coudersport came out throwing in the third quarter and the results were three touchdown passes from John Gerhart in the final 4:45 of the quarter.

Gerhart first hit David Babcock with a 29-yard scoring strike at 4:45 then hooked up wit Rob Cavallari for a 46-yard strike at 2:49. The third scoring pass was a 25-yard toss to Jeremiah Wagner with 15 seconds left in the quarter.

Coudersport made the score 29-7 on a 2-yard run by Babcock with 7:37 left in the game before T.S. Launer ended the scoring for the Rams with a 6-yard run with 2:44 remaining.

Gerhart was 8-for-18 passing for 147 yards and the three touchdowns. He added an interception on defense

Cavallari had four catches for 79 yards while adding four carries for 34 yards, while Babcock had 18 carries for 52 yards and one catch for 29 yards.

Launder led Johnsonburg with 25 carries for 99 yards and two catches for 26 yards, while Grumley added four carries for 31 yards and two catches for 44.

Imbrogno was 0-for-3 before the injury. Jesse Dennis who went 4-for-15 passing for 77 yards while throwing three interceptions replaced him.

CURWENSVILLE – Curwensville scored 68 unanswered points to defeat Smethport 68-7 in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Curwensville.

Smethport took a 7-0 lead 56 seconds into the game on a 75-yard run from Mike Mitchell, but it was all Curwensville after that.

The Golden Tide led 20-7 at the end of the first quarter, 36-7 at halftime and 52-7 at the end of three quarters.

Nate Sipes scored four touchdowns for Curwensville, while Nick Sipes added two.

Nate Sipes scored on runs of 15, 8 and 31 and on a 95-yard kickoff return to start the second half, while Nick Sipes hit pay dirt with runs of 22 and 15 yards.

Doug Swatsworth added a 32-yard fumble return for a touchdown, Brandon Hess had a 47-yard interception return for a score, Adam Pennington had a 1-yard run and the Golden Tide also scored on a safety.

Curwensville racked up 387 yards including 309 on the ground to 134 for Smethport.

Nate Sipes ended up rushing for 151 yards on 13 carries, while Nick Sipes had six for 54 yards. Dean Swatsworth added five carries for 46 yards and one catch for 21 yards. Shawn Sopic was 3-for-3 passing for 78 yards.

Mitchell led Smethport with 15 carries for 111 yards.

Going back to the final four games of last season, Curwensville has now scored 217 points (43.4 ppg) in its last five games while winning four straight.

Smethport lost for the 15^th times in its past 20 games since beating Curwensville 27-14 in the AML Title game Oct. 27, 2001. The Golden Tide got revenge the next week beating Smethport 7-6 in the D9 Class A playoffs, and it has been all down hill for Smethport since.

PUNXSUTAWNEY 28, BELLEFONTE 20

BELLEFONTE – Visiting Punxsutawney outscored Bellefonte 14-6 in the fourth quarter to break a 14-14 tie and get a 28-20 win in the first-ever Mountain Athletic Conference – Seven Mountain Division game Friday night.

Bellefonte led 14-7 at halftime thanks to a 49-yard pass from Josh Mundy to Nate Carson and a 29-yard punt return for a score by Carson. Punxsutawney’s lone score in the half came on a 20-yard halfback option pass from Devin Mesoraco to Cody Meenan.

Punxsutawney tied the game on a lucky bounce in the third quarter when Mesoraco caught a pass from quarterback Dustin Dubensky but fumbled the ball at the 2-yard line. David Dunkin picked his teammate up by recovering the fumble in the end zone for a Chucks touchdown.

The Chucks took control in the fourth quarter scoring twice to go up 28-14.

A 4-yard run by Mesoraco but Punxsy up 20-14, and a 12-yard run by Adam McCully made it 28-14 with a little less than seven minutes to play.

A 73-yard pass from Mike Putnum to Chris Snare closed out the scoring for Bellefonte.

Punxsutawney dominated the line of scrimmage running nearly two-times the number of plays of Bellefonte (61 to 37) while outgaining the Red Raiders 350 yard to 274 and controlling the ball for nine straight minutes in the third quarter.

Bellefonte had one last hope after recovering a Punxsutawney fumble at its own 16.

Mesoraco led all rushers with 23 carries for 171 yards and a touchdown while also picking off a pass on defense and throwing a scoring pass. McCully added 63 yards on nine carries, while Dubensky was 5-for-11 passing for 59 yards.

Josh Jones paced Bellefonte with nine carries for 88 yards and Snare had two catches for 81 yards.

KANE – Otto-Eldred showed that last year’s 6-3 record was no fluke, starting the 2004 season with a 31-14 whitewashing of homestanding Kane Friday night.

The game wasn’t even as close as the score indicated, as Otto-Eldred led 18-6 at halftime and 31-6 at the end of the third quarter.

Turnovers played a big role in the Terrors win, as Kane fumbled the ball six times losing two of them while also throwing two interceptions. Otto-Eldred, meanwhile, fumbled four times but didn’t lose any of them and threw one interception.

Kane struck first scoring on a 14-yard pass from Mike Giordano to Paul Eastman to take a 6-0 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

But Otto-Eldred behind Virgil Graham answered in the second 12 minutes scoring 18 unanswered points on runs of 42 and 3 yards by Graham and an 11-yard pass from Dan Terrette to Tyler Ferguson.

Turnovers played a big role in the 18 points, as a fumble set Otto-Eldred up for its second score at the Kane 48 and an interception at the Kane 38 set up the third score.

Fumble at the Kane 17

In the third quarter Otto-Eldred broke the game wide open when Eric Freer returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown, and Terrette hit Andrew Marron with a 14-yard scoring pass to make it 31-6.

Kane close out the scoring on a 19-yard pass from Giordano to Colton Johnson in the fourth quarter.

Graham led Otto-Eldred rushing 21 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while Terrette was 8-for-12 passing for 114 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Josh Good led Kane with 13 carries for 101 yards, while Giordano was 7-for-23 passing for 71 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Eastman had three catches for 45 yards and a score.

STRATTANVILLE – Hayden Johnston wasted little time picking up this season where he left off last year throwing for four touchdowns while also returning a kickoff for a touchdown to lead Clarion-Limestone to a 42-8 season-opening win over A-C Valley Friday night at C-L.

It was the 27^th straight regular-season win for the two-time defending District 9 champion Lions, who will see that streak put to the test next week at Karns City.

Johnston, as he has been so many times over the last four years, was the catalyst to the Lions win going 10-for-18 passing for 250 yards and four touchdowns while also returning the second-half kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown and rushing seven times for 85 yards.

Johnston had some help, as Scott Davis caught two touchdown passes and Erik White and Kaleb Klosky one each.

A-C Valley’s lone score came on an 85-yard kick off return by Rocco Carpis, who added a blocked PAT.

C-L’s night wasn’t all fun and games as penalties, a problem that haunted the Lions all last season resurfaced. C-L was whistled 12 times for 104 yards on the night.

RIMERSBURG – Redbank Valley ruined the Union coaching debut of Tom Kidder knocking off the Golden Knights 47-0 in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Union.

Redbank Valley scored 40 first-quarter points against a young Union squad with Skyler Smith and Bryce Miller each scoring twice in the quarter.

Smith, who finished with 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns, scored on runs of 10 and 11 yards in the opening 12 minutes, while Miller added scoring runs of 3 and 15 yards.

Nick Johnston scored on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jason Smith in the opening frame, and Zach Wanninger returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown.

Turnovers were a big factor in the loss for Union with the Golden Knights turning the ball over five times (four fumbles, one interception).

Colton Davis paced Union with 13 carries for 70 yards.

Redbank Valley is at Sharpsville next week, while Union is at Keystone.

WEST SUNBURY – Moniteau outscored Brookville 35-6 in the second half to turn a three-point halftime lead into a 52-20 win over the short-handed Raiders, who were missing several seniors because of disciplinary action.

Moniteau led 17-14 at halftime and 24-20 with 5:50 left in the third quarter, but an 87-yard kickoff return following Brookville's final touchdown by Eric Hilliard started a 21-0 quarter-ending run for Moniteau which then added a fourth unanswered score at the start of the fourth quarter. 

Each team scored once in the first quarter with Matt Schandelmeier scoring on a 10-yard run, while Levi Singleton scampered in on an 8-yard run for Brookville.

The Raiders then took a 14-7 lead on an 18-yard run by Nick Heschke, but a 22-yard run by Schandelmeier a 1:46 later tied the game at 14. Adam Cousins then gave Moniteau a 17-14 halftime lead with a 22-yard field goal with 4:15 left in the half. 

A 7-yard pass from Garth Kohlmeyer to Hilliard with 7:34 left in the third quarter made it 24-14 Moniteau, but a 1-yard run by Matt Berfield with 5:50 left in the quarter cut the lead to 24-20.

Hilliard's 87-yard return made it 32-20, and a 10-yard run by Schandelmeier made it 39-20. Brent Spawn's 1-yard run late in the third quarter made it 46-20.

An 18-yard pass from Kohlmeyer to Ryan Protzman early in fourth quarter closed out the scoring.

Quarterback Garth Kohlmeyer had a nice debut for the Warriors going 11-for-18 passing for 240 yards and two touchdowns, while Matt Schandelmeier added 115 yards rushing and three scores.

Eric Hilliard also scored twice for the Warriors with a touchdown reception and an 87-yard kickoff return.

Nick Heschke rushed 16 times 122 yards and a touchdown to lead Brookville while adding a 91 yards passing.

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS – Karns City got its 2004 campaign started right with a 37-0 win at Cambridge Springs behind the legs of running back Josh Fiscus and the arm of quarterback Stephen Black.

Fiscus rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns, while Black was 11-for-16 passing for 139 yards and two scores. David Black had seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Karns City scored 15 points in the first quarter and 15 more in the second quarter to take a 30-0 halftime lead before adding seven more in the third quarter. Overall, the Gremlins outgained Cambridge Springs 452-44.

Fiscus scored on a 15-yard run in the first quarter before Stephen Black hit Justin Switzer with a 13-yard pass making it 15-0.

In the second quarter, Stephen Black hit David Black with a 6-yard pass, and Fiscus scored on a 1-yard run. Then in the third quarter, Fiscus finished the scoring with a 13-yard run.

Josh Hobson led Cambridge Springs with 30 yards rushing.

CLEARFIELD – Last season Clearfield lost twice to Bradford including in the District 9 Class AAA title game.

This season the Bisons got some early revenge with a 28-7 season-opening win at Clearfield behind two touchdown runs from Josh Harbold and solid play from quarterback Tanner Kelly.

Harbold scored on runs of 21 and 35 yards, and Kelly hooked up with Mike Scoggins for a 17-yard scoring pass to help Clearfield build a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Bradford got some life in the second quarter when Nate Westlake returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7 at halftime, but that was the only score the Owls managed.

Bradford, known for its powerful running game, was limited to 39 yards on the night by the Clearfield defense.

Harbold ran 17 times for 130 yards and the two scores for Clearfield and caught one pass for 59 yards, while Kelly was 5-for-12 passing for 117 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 42 yards rushing on 13 carries. Scoggins had four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Josh Holleran led Bradford with 18 yards rushing, while Dave Snyder added 15.