The Curwensville football team has changed a lot since week three. The team was coming off of a decisive victory over Otto-Eldred and ready to return home to Riverside Stadium. What they got was a rude awakening that there was still a lot of work to be done.
On that night, the Tide lost 23-6 to the Falcons. Had it not been for a 54-yard touchdown run by Jed Greslick on the final play of the game, Curwensville would have been shutout on the evening. The following week, they traveled to Cameron County where they lost in overtime, 19-18, to the Red Raiders.
It was following that game that head coach Andy Evanko gathered his team on the field. Many players were angry, some were in tears, and everyone was devastated. Evanko looked every player in the eye and said, “We aren’t losing any more games.”
Those players took that to heart as they finished the remaining schedule with five consecutive victories to earn the AML South title. That gave them the opportunity to face off against Cameron County one more time, with the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and the AML Championship on the line. Curwensville shut down the Red Raiders and took advantage of mistakes to earn a 6-0 victory, giving them the championship.
After a dominating 30-8 win last week against the Redbank Valley Bulldogs, Curwensville now has a chance to avenge their other blemish on their record. It will once again be Curwensville squaring off against Coudersport, this time with a spot in the District 9 Class A finals.
If you want a matchup where one team wants revenge, this certainly will be it. The Falcons have faced the Tide six times since 2006. Of those games, Curwensville has lost five of them.
In 2006, Curwensville faced Coudersport three times. In the season opener for both teams, the Falcons scored all their points in the first half. They then held off Curwensville’s second-half comeback to win 20-12.
The Tide won the next eight games to face Coudersport once again for the AML Title. But, it was a case of deja vu as the Falcons used a strong second quarter to get out front, then again keep the Tide at bay in route to the 14-6 victory.
Curwensville got one last opportunity to get a victory over the Falcons that year as the two would go at it once again, this time for the District 9 Class A championship. Unfortunately, Coudersport went on a scoring frenzy, putting up 22 points in the third quarter alone as the Falcons cruised to a 48-21 win and the championship.
The following year, the two foes faced off again in their respective season openers. It would be a no-contest as Coudersport shut out the Tide for the dominant 48-0 victory.
Last season, Curwensville finally broke through as Ben McGary scored Curwensville’s final touchdown, while Sam Gardner intercepted Coudersport on their final drive to secure the 28-21 victory.
This season, the Tide and Falcons have faced six common opponents. Coudersport holds two losses to those opponents, losing to Cameron County and the Brockway Rovers. Curwensville only lost to Cameron County. In week five, Curwensville shut down the high powered offense of Brockway, winning 32-19 on a rain soaked Friday night.
Both teams will have a strong run game. First, for the No. 4 seed Falcons, they have an entire roster full of players who can run the ball. No player has above 500 yards on the ground, but with many rushers it creates issues for the defense. Leading the way is quarterback Tim McCusker, who has 431 yards on 83 carries and five touchdowns. Mitch Freeman leads Coudersport in rushing touchdowns with seven, while both Creighton Hayes and Dirk Cowburn each have four. This kind of run game will be big for Coudersport if they want to win this game.
McCusker can also do wonders through the air, as he has completed 35 of 62 passes for 558 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. A strong run game can open up the pass and make for a tough night for Curwensville.
But, do not count out the Golden Tide. This is a completely different team that the Falcons will be facing. This is a team that has been rejuvenated and is stronger after their early season losses. Look for this team to be all over the field as they face the Falcons.
Their backbone is the run game, specifically the run game of Greslick. He has 1537 yards this season and 17 touchdowns. The senior running back has put an incredible effort in his final year, and he wants to help bring the Class A title back to Curwensville. His partner in the run game, Alex Holland, has provided Curwensville with a dual-threat run game that has worked wonders this year. Holland himself has 807 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns. This duo is the key for Curwensville’s success.
One thing to keep in mind is that Curwensville does have a good passing game as well. Quarterback Sam Gardner has thrown the ball well in a limited effort, going 36 of 77 for 554 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. Two of those scores came last week against the Bulldogs as he used play action to break his receivers open and put the ball in the perfect spot. Gardner could be the wild card in this game, so watch out for him to come up big.
By the time this game kicks off, both squads will know who their opponent would be for the championship. The winner will face off next week against the winner of the Cameron County-Clarion game which will precede their matchup.
Everything is up for grabs in this game. It’s more than just a chance at a championship and bragging rights. It is about pride.
Kickoff for this semi-final game will be 6 p.m. Saturday night in Brockway.