Photo courtesy of Dan Walk,
Punxsutawney Spirit
ERIE – Bradford built a 14-0 lead and then answered two possible momentum-changing scores by Erie East with scores of its own to down the Warriors 31-22 Saturday at Veterans Stadium in Erie.
The unbeaten Owls (6-0 overall, 2-0 D10 Region 6) got touchdown runs from Richie Buterbaugh and Cody Coats to take the 14-0 lead before Erie East seemed to grab momentum when Gary Brown picked off a Coats pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown cutting the lead to 14-8.
But Pat Pascarella stomped out that momentum when he returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown giving the Owls a 21-8 halftime advantage.
Erie East (3-3, 1-2) responded with strong defense that led to a 12-yard Alondre Hamilton touchdown run in the third quarter to cut the Bradford advantage to 21-16, and the Warriors then moved the ball to midfield early in the fourth quarter.
But Bradford once again came up with a big play, as Jimmy Groves returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown to put the Owls ahead 28-16.
Bradford’s final score came on a 41-yard Cody Nuzzo field goal. Nuzzo once again had a solid day kicking going 4-for-4 on extra points, hitting the field goal and delivering four touchbacks on kickoffs while having another kickoff bounce off an Erie East player and go out of bounds at the Erie East 2-yard line.
Pascarella led the Owls offense rushing 19 times for 76 yards, while Mark Havers carried 12 times for 53 yards.
Brown paced Erie East with 14 carries for 51 yards while going 8 of 20 passing for 55 yards with a pair of interceptions.
PORT ALLEGANY 42, SHEFFIELD 27
PORT ALLEGANY – Port Allegany jumped out to three two-touchdown leads during the first half and then held off a Sheffield comeback to get a 42-27 win over the visiting Wolverines Saturday afternoon.
The Gators (5-1 overall, 5-1 AML North) led 14-0, 21-6 and 28-14 in the first half with the latter score being the halftime tally before Sheffield (1-5, 1-5) scored the first two touchdowns of the second half to get within a point at 28-27.
But the Wolverines decided to go for the lead instead of the tie following an 88-yard touchdown pass from Craig Fitch to Jasper Rentas in the fourth quarter, and the Gator defense held.
Port Allegany then put the game away on a 3-yard touchdown run by Matt Bodamer and an 18-yard scoring pass from Matt Bodamer to Lucas Kline. It was Kline’s third scoring catch of the day to go along with a touchdown pass. He started the scoring for the Gators when he threw a 27-yard scoring pass to Ryan Bodamer and then he caught a 66-yard scoring toss from Matt Bodamer to stake Port to the 14-0 lead. He then caught a 55-yard pass from Matt Bodamer to give the Gators the 28-14 halftime advantage. Ryan Bodamer also ran for an 8-yard score in the second quarter for Port Allegany.
Khalil Slaughter added a 41-yard scoring run and caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Fitch for Sheffield, while Jimmy Hahn threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Nick Bonavita.
Matt Bodamer ended the game 8 of 12 passing for 171 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown. Ryan Bodamer ran 30 times for 160 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 32 yards. Kline had four catches for 166 yards and three threw touchdowns and was 1-for-1 for 27 yards and the touchdown pass as well.
Fitch was 8 of 24 passing for 250 yards and two scores for Sheffield.
SMETHPORT – Coudersport overcame a 6-3 second-half deficit and sloppy field conditions to beat Smethport 15-6 in an AML North rivalry game Friday night in Smethport.
The Falcons (4-2 overall, 4-2 AML North) needed a pair of second-half touchdowns to claim their ninth straight victory over the rival Hubbers (0-6, 0-6). It is the longest win streak by the Falcons in the series, which has now been played 102 times since 1916, and the second longest in the series by either team. Smethport won 10 straight from 1966-75 and still lead the overall series 57-41-4.
Tim McCusker’s 39-yard scoring toss to Jordan Barnett in the third quarter gave Coudersport the lead for good at 9-6, and Skyler Blumer put the finishing touches on the victory with a 4-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. Cooper Bonczar gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead at halftime with a 21-yard field goal in the opening quarter.
McCusker finished the night 7 of 13 passing for 113 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Blumer ran for a career-high 54 yards on 14 carries and the touchdown, and Barnett had five catches for 88 yards and the score.
Smethport stats were not available.
DuBOIS – Shawn Newpher rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns to lead the DuBois Beavers to a 20-6 win over visiting Bellefonte.
Newpher scored on a 43-yard run to put the Beavers (4-2) up 13-0 late in the first half, then his 1-yard run secured things to complete the scoring with 3:53 left in regulation. Cam Kelly rushed for 87 yards on eight carries and scored the Beavers’ other touchdown on a 1-yard run to start the game’s scoring.
Beavers quarterback Josh Means completed 5 of 8 passes for 63 yards and rushed for 47 yards.
Bellefonte dropped to 1-5.
BROCKWAY 41, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 12
BROCKWAY – Brockway quarterback Derek Buganza threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Rovers also outrushed visiting Elk County Catholic in a 41-12 rout of the Crusaders.
Buganza completed 14 of 20 passes for 188 yards. He threw a 24-yard TD pass to Mike Vervoort in the fourth quarter and ran one in from 4 yards out in the second quarter. The Rovers (4-2) outrushed the Crusaders, 147-104, as Ryan Terwilliger gained 96 yards on 14 carries, scoring on runs of 1 and 2 yards.
Tom Vervoort started the scoring for the Rovers on a 4-yard run. The Rovers’ final score came on backup QB Kyle Bran’s 17-yard pass to Zack Siple.
For ECC (2-4) Ricky Pearsall rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries and scored on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Joe Jacob. Jacob also tossed a 54-yard TD pass to Robby Wortman.
The Rovers led 28-12 at halftime.
KARNS CITY 35, REDBANK VALLEY 20
NEW BETHLEHEM – Aaron Markle led a powerful Karns City running attack in its 25-20 win at Redbank Valley, rushing for 178 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Gremlins’ 325-yard effort on the ground.
Markle scored on runs of 30, 21 and 7 yards as the Gremlins pulled away. Unbeaten Karns City (6-0) led 21-12 at halftime, then scored two touchdowns within a span of about 2 ½ minutes at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters when Craig Slomers scored on a 6-yard run and Markle finished it off with his 7-yarder. The Gremlins’ other score came on quarterback Dylan Hipple’s 24-yard pass to Joe Fallecker.
Redbank Valley (2-4) scored all three touchdowns on passes by Brandon Bain, including a 90-yarder to Nolan Sovik. He also tossed TD passes of 23 and 25 to Keaton Truitt and completed just 7 of 22 passes for 245 yards. He was also intercepted three times. The Bulldogs, thanks to Karns City sacks, were held to minus-54 yards rushing on 22 attempts.
JOHNSONBURG –Arie Paup led a strong Kane running game and scored all four touchdowns in the Wolves’ 29-6 win over Johnsonburg.
Paup rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries and scored on runs of 11, 2, 2 and 1 yards as the Wolves improved to 4-2. Dylan Eckstrom also rushed for 93 yards and 21 attempts.
Johnsonburg (3-3) scored its only touchdown on a 76-yard connection between quarterback Andrew Nortum and Mitchell Holmberg.
PUNXSUTAWNEY 26, CLARION-LIMESTONE 20, OT
STRATTANVILLE – Corban Cressley’s 10-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted visiting Punxsutawney to a 26-20 win over Clarion-Limestone Friday night.
It is the second straight year the Chucks (4-2 overall, 4-1 KSAC) have beaten C-L (1-5, 1-5) on the last play of the game. Last season, Logan Weaver hit Zak Dickey with a 30-yard Hail Mary pass to beat the Lions 25-20.
This year, Weaver wasn’t around in the end having been hurt earlier in the game. But Cressley, who replaced Weaver in the second quarter, ran for a pair of touchdowns including a 48-yard score early in the third quarter to give the Chucks a 20-14 lead.
C-L tied the game with 59 seconds left when Zac Roller scored on a 9-yard run that ended a 78-yard drive that started with 4:03 left to play. But the snap on the extra point was bad, and the game remained tied.
In the sequence of plays just before C-L’s game-tying drive, both teams had a touchdowns called back.
First, C-L looked as if it had tied the game on an 80-yard interception return for a score by Zach Kemmer. But the play was called back on a pass interference call against the Lions. Then, Brennan Niver appeared to ice the game for Punxsutawney with a 17-yard touchdown run, but that too was called back because of an infraction on the Chucks.
Cressley was 6 of 16 passing for 71 yards while also rushing five times for 60 yards in replace of Weaver, who was 3 of 3 for 80 yards and a touchdowns while also rushing for 25 yards before the injury forced him to the sideline. Ben Blazavich added four catches for 88 yards and a score for Punxsutawney, while Dickey had four grabs for 72 yards. Niver ran 18 times for 39 yards.
Dan Miller bounced back from an awful week last week that saw him throw for just 16 yards while turning the ball over five times against Brookville to go 18 of 38 passing for 206 yards and a touchdown. He did throw a couple of picks. Jace Rhoads had six catches for 94 yards and was also 2 of 2 passing for 34 yards. Sean Kennedy added four grabs for 51 yards and Kemmer five catches for 48 yards. Roller had 12 carries for 49 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
BALD EAGLE AREA 34, CLEARFIELD 21
CLEARFIELD – Previously winless Bald Eagle Area stunned Clearfield while giving the Bisons playoff hopes a serious blow with a 34-21 road win at the Bisons Sports Complex Friday night.
Bald Eagle (1-5 overall, 1-4 MAC-Nittany) had been outscored 76-26 in its previous two games but erased a 14-6 second-quarter deficit by scoring 22 unanswered points before halftime to take a 28-14 halftime lead.
Clearfield (3-3, 2-2) got back within a touchdown when Trey Campman returned the opening kickoff of the second half 81 yards for a touchdown, but the Bisons high-powered offense, which was averaging 30.6 points per game heading into the contest, was shutout by BEA in the second half.
The turning point in the game came with 1:05 to play in the first half and Bald Eagle holding a 15-14 lead. Clearfield was driving when Brock Bathurst picked off a Curtis Frye pass and returned it 91 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 BEA lead. Then a bad snap on a punt attempt set up Bald Eagle Area at the Clearfield 43, which led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Justin Taylor with just seven seconds left in the half.
Mistakes cost Clearfield the entire game. The Bisons turned the ball over four times, including three picks thrown by Frye, and turned the ball over on downs five times inside the Bald Eagle 30-yard line.
Frye was 15 of 35 for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns to go with the three picks. He also ran 12 times 12 yards. Campman caught nine passes for 149 yards and a touchdown while also scoring on the kickoff return. Chad Zurat added a 46-yard scoring catch from Frye.
Taylor was 9 of 16 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns for Bald Eagle, while Bathurst has two grabs for 89 yards and a touchdown and ran three times for 34 yards and a score.
The loss drops Clearfield into fourth place in the race for the two District 9 Class AAA playoff spots.
RIDGWAY – Jed Greslick rushed for 298 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries to lead Curwensville to a 41-8 win at Ridgway Friday night.
Greslick scored on runs of 1, 39 and 1 yard while helping the Golden Tide (4-2 overall, 4-2 AML South) rush for 409 yards in the game. Curwensville, which led 34-0 at halftime, threw just one pass, an incompletion, in the contest.
Sam Gardner added 15 yards rushing and a pair of short scoring runs, while Alex Holland ran for 40 yards and a score.
Ridgway, which gained 176 yards on the night including 151 on the ground, was paced by Cory Eshbach’s 105 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
