STRATTANVILLE, Pa. – Clarion-Limestone junior Austin Newcomb could rewrite District 9 history this weekend when the Lions play Coudersport in the District 9 Class 1A semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at Varischetti Field in Brockway.
(Photo by Kyle Yates www.facebook.com/YatesPhoto)
Newcomb sits 158 yards shy of tying Curwensville’s Alex Holland for the District 9 single-season rushing record.
Holland ran for 2,600 yards in 2010. Newcomb has 2,442 yards going into action Friday night.
Considering the Lions speedster is averaging 222 yards per game and has rushed for at least 200 yards in three straight games while rushing for at least 158 yards seven times this year.
That being said, Coudersport was one of the more successful defenses against Newcomb this season limiting him to 5.2 yards per carry on 32 totes, his lowest per-carry average of the year. He did run for 167 yards and a touchdown in that 34-22 win Sept. 14.
Newcomb has been held under 100 yards once this year and that has an asterisk by it when he ran for 77 yards on nine carries in the first half in a 26-16 loss to Elk County Catholic Oct. 5. But he missed the second half of that game with a concussion.
His second-lowest total on the year is a 100-yard, two-touchdown effort in C-L’s only other loss of the season, a 28-18 defeat at Smethport Aug. 31.
Newcomb also has a shot at the District 9 touchdown mark, which is believed to be 45 set in 2002 by Clearfield’s Dave Richards. Newcomb has scored 41 total touchdowns this season, including 33 on the ground.
It has been a breakout season for Newcomb, who ran for 327 yards and five touchdowns in six games last year for C-L.
| RANK | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR | YARDS |
| 1 | Alex Holland | Curwensville | 2010 | 2,600 |
| 2 | Nate Sipes | Curwensville | 2004 | 2,511 |
| 3 | Dave Richards | Clearfield | 2002 | 2,506 |
| 4 | Austin Newcomb | Clarion-Limestone | 2018 | 2,442 |
| 5 | Zach Tibbens | Curwensville | 2013 | 2,345 |
| 6 | Alex Holland | Curwensville | 2011 | 2,334 |
| 7 | John Bickford | Cameron County | 1999 | 2,050 |
| 7 | Nick Stewart | Curwensville | 2016 | 2,032 |
| 8 | Justin Marshall | DuBois | 1999 | 2,024 |
| 9 | Aaron Cantafio | Brockway | 2000 | 2,001 |
| 10 | Ian Corbett | Clarion | 2014 | 2,000 |
