Photo by
Paul Burdick
CLEARFIELD 27, CENTRAL-MARTINSBURG 13
ROARING SPRING – For the second straight season, Clearfield ended any hopes of a Central-Martinsburg undefeated regular season knocking off the previously unbeaten Scarlet Dragons 27-13 to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Clearfield’s defense and special teams scored twice, and the Bisons also scored on a trick play to improve to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the MAC-Nittany Division.
The Bisons, who led 14-13 at halftime, scored on an Andrew Redden blocked punt that he recovered in the end zone, on a Curtis Frye 3-yard run, on a 17-yard option pass from Trey Campman to Derek Danver and on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Andrew Buck.
The Bisons defense was the star of the game limiting Central-Martinsburg (7-1, 5-1) to 198 yards of offense while sacking Runk eight times and forcing five turnovers including three interceptions. Redden had three sacks for Clearfield, while Chad Zurat had two interceptions and Campman one.
Frye led the offense rushing 18 times for 53 yards while going 9 of 16 passing for 101 yards and an interception. Derek Morgan added 52 yards rushing and Campman 20 on five carries. Campman also caught one pass for 12 yards and was 1 of 1 passing for 17 yards and the touchdown.
Current, unofficial, Class AAA playoff power points show Bradford leading with either 720 or 730 points (depending on the outcome of Olean’s game Saturday vs. Medina), St. Marys with 620 and Punxsutawney and Clearfield with 570 each. The top two teams make the playoffs.
PITTSBURGH – Greg McGhee’s 4-yard touchdown run with three seconds left lifted Perry to a 32-27 win over DuBois on Pittsburgh’s South Side Saturday afternoon.
The Beavers (4-4), who have lost three of four, appeared to be in position to win the game following an 8-yard Cam Kelly touchdown run with 1:26 left, but the Commodores drove right back down the field for the win.
Perry looked in complete control of the game at halftime leading 20-7, but DuBois roared back in the third quarter to take a 21-20 lead on a 4-yard Kelly run and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Josh Means to Dew Spicher. The Commodores went back ahead 26-21 on a 1-yard McGhee run with 7:30 to play.
DuBois was helped by a defense that recovered four Perry fumbles allowing the Beavers to stay competitive despite being outgained 266 to 184.
Means led DuBois going 7 of 13 passing for 127 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Spicher had four grabs for 59 yards and the score, while Kelly ran for 37 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and caught two passes for 67 yards including a 58-yard touchdown. Means added 16 yards rushing on nine carries.
McGhee led Perry going 9 of 11 passing for 80 yards and rushing 34 times for 13 yards and three touchdowns. Richard Lowery added 32 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown.
SMETHPORT – Smethport broke an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season with a 14-7 win over visiting Otto-Eldred Friday night.
No other details were reported on this game.
BROCKWAY – Brockway scored 17 unanswered second-half points to lift Brockway to a key 24-7 AML South win over Kane Friday night in Brockway.
With the win, the Rovers (6-2 overall, 6-2 AML South) still have a shot to win the AML South but they need Kane (5-3, 5-3) to beat Curwensville (6-2, 6-2) Friday night while Brockway beats Ridgway. If Curwensville wins, the Golden Tide are the AML South champs.
Brockway won despite not getting a touchdown pass from Derek Buganza. It is the first time this season Buganza has failed to throw a touchdown pass and only the third time in 18 career games. The last time the junior, who has 19 touchdown passes this year and 47 in his career, was Oct. 17, 2008, at Kane.
Buganza did score on a 1-yard run in the first quarter giving Kane a 7-0 lead before Kane tied the game on a 23-yard Alex Anderson touchdown pass to Bruce Walters also in the first quarter.
The game remained tied at seven until Tom Vervoort’s 1-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, and Phil Esposito made it a 10-point game with an 18-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Vervoort then capped off the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Buganza did throw for 273 yards going 23 of 38 with an interception. Mike Vervoort had 11 catches for 149 yards and Jake Shaffer seven for 91. Tom Vervoort ran eight times for 18 yards and caught three passes for 25 yards.
Anderson was 9 of 21 for 91 yards and the score for Kane with Arie Paup catching three passes for 58 yards and also ran 14 times for 40 yards.
Brockway has clinched a District 9 Class AA playoff spot. Kane can clinch one with a win over Curwensville or a Brookville loss to Clarion, although the scenario is still unofficial.
COUDERSPORT 24, PORT ALLEGANY 0
COUDERSPORT – Behind 141 yards rushing on 14 carries by Skyler Blumer, Coudersport rushed for 277 yards and beat Port Allegany 24-0 in a key AML-North showdown between two teams jockeying for District 9 Class A playoff positioning.
Coudersport got scoring runs of one yards apiece from Tim McCusker (2 carries, 24 yards), Mitch Freeman (6 carries, 17 yards) and Creighton Hayes (2 carries, 5 yards). Cooper Bonczar added a 20-yard field goal for the Falcons (6-2), while Dirk Cowburn chipped in 55 yards rushing on six carries. Blumer chipped in two tackles and one sack and Cowburn had five tackles, a sack and an interception.
ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 18, RIDGWAY 12,
2 OVERTIMES
RIDGWAY – Kyle Schneider’s 1-yard touchdown run in the second overtime lifted Elk County Catholic to an 18-12 win at Ridgway in a key game in regards to the District 9 Class A playoffs Friday night.
Both teams entered the contest at 2-5 overall and needing a win to stay alive in the District 9 Class A playoff race, and it was a defensive struggled that saw regulation end in a 6-all tie that ensued.
Then in the first overtime, ECC grabbed 12-6 lead on a 10-yard Ricky Pearsall touchdown run before Ridgway answered with a 9-yard scoring run from Zack Zelcs. The Elkers extra point attempt that would have won the game, however, was no good.
ECC’s defense then stopped Ridgway in the second overtime before Schneider won the game.
Joe Chittester gave Ridgway a 6-0 lead on a 1-yard run in the first quarter before Pearsall returned a fumble 92 yards in the second quarter to tie the game.
Neither team had much offense with Ridgway gaining 145 yards and ECC 115.
Pearsall led the Crusaders with 65 yards on 22 carries. Sam Schneider intercepted a pair of passes for ECC.
Jordan Lundin paced Ridgway going 8 of 17 passing for 83 yards and two picks.
CURWENSVILLE 41, JOHNSONBURG 6
CURWENSVILLE – Jed Greslick and Alex Holland combined to rush for 304 yards and five touchdowns to lead Curwensville to a 41-6 win over visiting Johnsonburg Friday night.
Greslick led the way with 18 carries for 196 yards and three scores, while Holland chipped in with 11 totes for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Tide, who improved to 6-2 win the win.
All three of Greslick’s touchdown runs came in the first quarter helping Curwensville build a 22-0 lead at the end of the first 12 minutes. Holland then scored once in the second quarter and once in the third before Richie Michael finished off the Golden Tide scoring early in the fourth quarter.
Johnsonburg’s lone touchdown came on a 29-yard pass from Andy Nortum to Joe Holmberg with 5:10 left to play. Nortum finished the nigh 6 of 12 passing for 98 yards with Holmberg catching three passes for 54 yards. Curwensville limited Johnsonburg to 10 yards rushing on the night and outgained the Rams (3-5) 370-108.
REDBANK VALLEY 41, A-C VALLEY 0
NEW BETHLEHEM - Pat Goheen ran for 218 yards and five touchdowns as Redbank Valley snapped a four-game losing streak and kept their playoff hopes alive with a 41-0 win over A-C Valley Friday.
Goheen scored on runs of 4, 16, 3, 6, and 65 yards, while also returning an interception 36 yards for a score.
Brandon Bailey added 95 yards on nine carries for Redbank Valley. In all, the Bulldogs amassed 350 yards on the ground. Neither team completed a pass during the game in the wet, muddy conditions.
Justin Loll led A-C Valley with 49 yards on 15 carries.
RIMERSBURG - Punxsutawney moved to within a half game of league leading Karns City with a 20-6 win at Union Friday.
The win moves the Chucks to 6-1 in the KSAC, while Moniteau's 22-21 win over Karns City dropped the Gremlins' league mark to 7-1.
A Brennan Niver interception, his second of the game, and 30 yard return set up Punxsutawney's first score of the game in the third quarter to break a scoreless tie at the half. Logan Weaver hit Zack Dickey on a fourth down tocuhdown pass to give the Chucks a 7-0 lead.
Union made things interesting in the final quarter, finishing off a 67-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Zach Traister to Taylor Smith early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 7-6. Traister took over the quarterback duties after Union's Trent Corle was ejected late in the second quarter.
The Chucks took control of the game with two scores in the final five minutes.
NORTH EAST - After starting the year 6-0, Bradford dropped its second game in as many weeks, as North East rolled to a 40-6 win over the visiting Owls Friday in non-conference play.
Jimmy Bailey scored three times for the Grapepickers as North East rolled to a 40-0 lead late in the third quarter.
Ryan Breznik scored on a 35-yard touchdown run with 4:17 remaining in the game for the Owls' lone score.
Bradford's offense was limited to two first downs in the first three quarters.
