It was week four when the Curwensville Golden Tide last faced the Cameron County Red Raiders. It was a classic matchup between two very powerful offenses and two very disciplined defenses. At the end of 48 minutes of play, neither team had the win. It took an extra point kick to decide this game in overtime, as Cameron County won 19-18.
At the end of the game, the Tide huddled together, some players in tears while others filled with anger. Head coach Andy Evanko then had his team look at the scoreboard, and told them they had nothing to be ashamed of.
He then said to his team, “We will see them again, mark my words.”
Fast forward six weeks, and his words become reality. This time, the Red Raiders will make the hour-long trip to Riverside Stadium to face off once again against the Golden Tide. For both teams, a win will mean much more than just another statistic, or seeding in the playoffs. This game will be for the Allegany Mountain League championship.
Each of these teams have a superb running game. For Cameron County, you have Andy Lippert, who has 1,223 yards on 159 carries with 16 touchdowns. On the opposing side, Curwensville has Jed Greslick, who has 1,312 yards on 207 carries with 15 touchdowns.
In the first meeting, both backs had near identical stats on the ground, with Lippert having the better of the two with 104 yards and one touchdown. In the victory, Lippert also caught an 85-yard pass from Jason Blose for the game’s opening touchdown.
What could be a wild card in this game could be the quarterback play of both teams. Neither team has been stellar in their passing game, but both teams have been solid. Blose has thrown for 437 yards, going 28 of 66 with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. Curwensville will once again bring Sam Gardner to the forefront as he has gone 31 of 64 for 407 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
The difference in this game is Curwensville’s run game vs. Cameron County’s pass game. Curwensville has a lot of talent behind Greslick that can make some noise. Alex Holland has been a serious threat for the Tide’s opponents this year, rushing for 686 yards and eight touchdowns.
Gardner has also provided a spark out of the backfield, rushing for 274 yards and seven touchdowns.
Cameron County counters the rushing attack with a stellar array of receivers to give Lippert some relief. Both Ryan Grimm and Vince Summers have combined for 317 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
This game is expected to be a ground-and-pound, smash up game. The Red Raiders have won the last two meetings between the teams, both coming in overtime, and Curwensville is looking to end that streak. This is Curwensville’s first AML Title game in three years, while Cameron County is playing in their third straight. Expect this to be low scoring, and down to the wire.
Cameron County has lost it’s last two AML Title games, both to Clarion, while Curwensville has not won the title since 2004. Each team is hungry for victory, and both are well coached. Everything will be left on the field when the clock hits zero at the end of the game.
The winning squad will likely claim the No. 1 seed in the Class A Playoff race, currently held by Cameron County. The loser will take the No. 3 seed, as the winner of the KSAC will claim the No. 2 seed.
It comes down to who wants the title more, the Red Raiders or the Golden Tide. Riverside Stadium will be standing room only as these two will lock horns one more time to decide a champion. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
