COUDERSPORT 48, KENNEDY CATH. 42, 2 OT'S

Nov. 25, 2005 - PIAA Class A Quarterfinals

Information for this story is courtesy of Greg Clark of the Bradford Era

SLIPPERY ROCK – David Babcock’s 3-yard touchdown run in double overtime lifted Coudersport to a thrilling 48-42 victory over Kennedy Catholic in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals Friday night at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

Babcock bobbled the handoff but blasted through a huge hole into the end zone for the game winner.

"That was a great run," Coudersport head coach Paul Simcoe said. "I told him not to bounce it outside, because if he got tackled we wanted it right in from of the goal post (for a field goal try)."

It was the first-ever state playoff win for the Falcons (13-0), who will now face WPIAL champion Duquesne (13-0), an 18-0 winner over Windber Friday, in the PIAA semifinals at a site and time to be announced for the right to go to Hershey and the state title game.

"We will remember this for a long time," Coudy head coach Paul Simcoe said. "I told the kids afterward that they didn’t quit. We have them a couple of easy scores on mistakes, and you can’t do that in a big game."

The game nearly turned into one that was remembered for the wrong reasons for the Falcons, who blew a 35-21 lead in the final 11 minutes.

Kennedy Catholic (9-3) tied the game at 35 in dramatic fashion when Ross Gargano scored on a 4-yard run with 29 seconds to play and also carried in the game-tying 2-point conversion to force overtime.

The Golden Eagle touchdown was set up with a blocked Caleb Morris punt that put Kennedy Catholic at the Coudy 13 with 1:01 to play. The Falcons had moved the ball to the Kennedy 39 while forcing the Eagles to use all their time outs before being forced to punt. George Kovack sneaked through the line and blocked Morris’ punt before the ball was knocked around all the way back to the Coudy 13.

"There was no excuse for the blocked punt," Simcoe said. "When you look back at it, we should’ve gone for it with a running play. I’m not sure where the guy (Kovack) came through. We had the game won it we get the punt off."

Kennedy Catholic had gotten to within eight points with a 10-play, 69-yard drive after a 3-yard Babcock scoring run had given the Falcons a 35-21 lead with 11 minutes left.

Lee Plotts scored the touchdown on a 1-yard plunge, but Mike Muckian’s extra point doinked off the left goal past leaving Coudy ahead 35-27 with 5:55 to play.

Coudersport got the ball first in overtime (in high school each team gets a possession starting at the other’s 10-yard line), and Boomer Wetzel hit Logan Hathaway on a 10-yard slant on the first play to make it 42-35 Coudersport thanks to Morris’ extra point.

Kennedy needed all four of its plays to answer back but did so on a 3-yard touchdown run by Gargano off left tackle that coupled with Muckian’s kick made it 42-all.

The Coudersport defense rose to the challenge in the second overtime stopping Plotts just shot of the goal line with a host of defenders on a fourth-and-goal play from the 3.

Needing a score to win he game, Babcock carried to the two on first down before losing a yard on second down setting up his game-winning run.

"Who would’ve thought we would score 48 points against Kennedy Catholic," Simcoe said. "They are big, and they are fast. They come right at you. But we thought we had the better athletes."

Coudy never trailed in the contest and used an early mistake by the Golden Eagles to jump in front 7-0.

Coudy never trailed in the contest and used an early mistake by the Golden Eagles (9-3) to jump in front 7-0.

After Ike Carey recovered a fumble at the Kennedy Catholic 35, it took the Falcons four plays to score when Sam Decker ran it in from two yards out. Morris’ extra point made it 7-0 with 7:49 left in the opening quarter.

Kennedy tied the game on its next possession with a 10-minute, 18-play ground attack that culminated with a 7-yard touchdown run by Gargano. Muckian added the PAT with 10:07 left in the first half.

Fifteen seconds later, Chris Cavallari made that long drive basically meaningless when he fielded the ensuing kickoff at his own 16, broke a tackle at the 27 and raced the down the right sideline for an 84-yard touchdown. Morris boomed the PAT halfway to Interstate 79 making it 14-7 Falcons with 9:52 left in the half.

"Chris is unbelievable at picking his way," Simcoe said. "He is very patient and finally broke out of the pack. They weren’t going to catch him, because he run a 4.7 (40)."

Kennedy tied the game with a big play of its own. Lee Shimschock intercepted a Wetzel pass and returned it 54 yards to the Coudy 11. That set up an 11-yard scoring run by Gargano that coupled with Muckian’s kick tied the game with 2:52 to play before halftime.

Coudy, though, took a 21-14 halftime lead thanks to a 15-yard scoring pass from Wetzel to Hathaway in the back of the end zone with 59 seconds left in the half.

Runs of 14 yards by Decker and 28 by Babcock set up the score.

"We had an alternate pattern we could've run," Simcoe said of the TD pass. "Not only was it a great pass by Wetzel, Hathaway ran a post pattern and got vertical so his defender didn't have a chance to recover."

Coudy had a chance to expand its lead on the first drive of the second half but couldn’t move the chains giving Kennedy the ball at the Falcon 46.

That led to a 42-yard Plotts touchdown run that made it 21-21 with 8:41 left in the third quarter.

Late in the quarter, Coudersport retook the lead on a 38-yard screen pass from Wetzel to Babcock making it 28-21 with 52 seconds left in the quarter.

Coudersport’s special teams then came up with another big play when Hathaway pounced on the icy, fumbled pigskin at the Kennedy 27.

The Falcons then dipped into their bag of tricks after losing three yards on first down when Babcock took a handoff, pulled up and threw a 25-yard halfback pass to Blair Heimel, who made a leaping grab between two defenders at the Kennedy 5. That set up Babcock’s score that made it 35-21.

"He (Heimel) went up and caught it with both hands," Simcoe said. "That was a key catch that led to a touchdown."

NOTES – It was the fourth straight season that the District 9 Class A champion has beaten the District 10 Class A champion in the opening round of the PIAA Playoffs … C-L beat West Middlesex in both 2002 and 2003 while Curwensville toppled Sharpsville last year … It was the first time the D10 champion had been within two touchdowns … D9’s Class A champion has now won six of the past eight postseason games with D10 since 1998 with only Curwensville in 2000 and Coudy in 2001 losing … Coudersport is trying to become the first District 9 team in any class to reach the state championship game since Smethport lost to the Scotland School 24-7 in 1992 and only the third District 9 team to reach the state championship game (Keystone fell to Dunmore 57-18 in Class A in 1989) since the PIAA began a football playoffs in 1988 … The win avenged a Coudy loss to Kennedy Catholic (21-14) in the opening round of the 1994 state playoffs … Kennedy finished the year 1-1 vs. District 9 having beaten Clarion 14-12 in Week 8 at Clarion when the Bobcats 2-point conversion failed with under a minute to play.

COUDERSPORT STATS

Rushing – David Babcock 17-75 2 touchdowns, Chris Cavallari 4-5, Sam Decker 12-48 1 touchdown, Boomer Wetzel 4-(-33). Totals 37-95.

Passing – Boomer Wetzel 9 of 11, 119 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception; David Babcock 1 of 1, 25 yards. Totals 10 of 12, 144 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception.

Receiving – David Babcock 3-65, 1 touchdown, Chris Cavallari 2-20, Sam Decker 2-9, Logan Hathaway 2-25 2 touchdowns, Blair Heimel 1-25. Totals 10-144, 3 touchdowns.