This Friday night will be a rematch not just of one game last year, but two as the Curwensville Golden Tide finish out their regular season road schedule against the Elk County Catholic Crusaders.
Last year, these two battled twice on the field at Riverside Stadium. Both games were close, and spectacular encounters.
The first game was on senior night for Curwensville, as senior quarterback David Kalgren had one of his best nights, throwing three touchdown passes, as the Tide rolled to a 22-12 victory.
The teams faced off again in the very first round of the District 9 playoffs. This game became an epic match-up as the game wore on. Despite two early scores, Curwensville fell behind in the fourth quarter. But, on a critical pass down the sidelines, Kalgren connected with Andrew Starr, who spun around right into the end zone. The two-point conversion tied the game, and the two squads battled to overtime.
Finally, in the second overtime period, following a Curwensville field goal, Crusader quarterback Joe Jacob faked a handoff and took the quarterback sweep into the end zone, giving his team the 27-24 victory. One lasting image from that night was David Kalgren sitting on the field, helmet in his hands, seeing such a spectacular season come to an end in devastating fashion.
This year, both squads are still looking for something to prove. Curwensville is 4-2, coming off a 41-8 thrashing of Ridgway last Friday night. The player who had the biggest game that night was running back Jed Greslick. When the skies opened up and the rain began falling, Greslick took the opportunity to have a career night. By game\’s end, Greslick carried the ball 27 times, rushed for 298 yards, 250 in the first half, and scored three touchdowns.
That could be very critical as they go against the 2-4 Crusaders. But do not count out this team. Running back Rick Pearsall is having a spectacular year, and is just 84 yards away from eclipsing the 1000-yard mark for the season. Curwensville at times has let the run game of their opponents get the best of them. With a player such as Pearsall starring them in the face, the Tide defense must be at its best.
The pass game could possibly become a factor depending on the weather. Jacob returns with a very good passing game, going 34 of 63 for the season for 479 yards. On the opposing side of the ball, Sam Gardner has also provided a solid game for the Tide. He’s completed 51% of his passes and thrown for 306 yards. However, his three interceptions came as a result of making some questionable decisions as he was scrambling out of the pocket.
This looks to be a very evenly-matched game between these two teams. It will be a test of who wants victory more. With this year’s playoff race extremely close, every victory is becoming crucial for everyone.
Kickoff between the Golden Tide and the Crusaders is set for 7 p.m. The game will be played at the St. Mary’s High School.