CURWENSVILLE – While there may still be an outside chance for the Curwensville Area High School to represent the South Divsion in the Allegheny Mountain League, with two weeks left, the Golden Tide are more focused on getting into the District IX Class A Playoffs. With three South teams standing at 5-2 on the year, two North teams with better records and the KSAC’s automatic bids, the district’s eight spots could get very interesting with the teams who lose this week.
The Tide (5-2) will face Elk County Catholic (5-2) in one of those games that could make the losers nervous about other outcomes. The brackets for the District play-offs may have to wait until the final week of the regular season to fully know who will fill those spots.
“We can’t worry about what other teams are going to do,” said Golden Tide head coach Andy Evanko. “We can only control what we control and everything else will have to take care of itself.”
The Crusaders fell to Brockway (5-2) last week by a score of 42-41 that took two overtimes to decide the final. In the second overtime, Brockway had taken a 42-35 lead on Tom Vervoort’s 9-yard touchdown run and Phil Esposito’s kicked PAT. Quarterback Mitchell Vallone found Hank Cappiello for a 10-yard touchdown pass on ECC’s equalizer attempt. However, the Crusaders looked to end the game by trying to convert the 2-point conversion, and Brock McCullough’s run was thwarted to give the Rovers the win.
Now the three top teams in the South Division share the same record with two weeks left to play. That will undoubtedly change when the Tide and Crusaders meet on the turf at St. Marys High School on Friday night. Brockway, if they win out, would have the advantage having beaten both Curwensville and ECC on the season. The Rovers travel to winless Johnsonburg this week and finish the regular season hosting Kane. Curwensville will end the season with Johnsonburg at home, while the Crusaders invite Ridgway next week.
“Obviously this is a big game – they all are in the AML-South,” said Evanko. “They’re (ECC) looking to play a strong game, and we have to play stronger.”
If the Crusaders are looking for a strong game, it will come from a solid running attack of Cole Gerber and Brock McCullough. Gerber has carried the ball 112 times this season for 679 yards and 10 touchdowns. McCullough has covered 470 yards on 93 carries and six scores.
Quarterback Mitchell Vallone has scampered for three TD’s and 37 yards on 32 hauls. Vallone helps keep defenses honest by throwing the ball 57 times for 390 yards with four scores and two interceptions. Joe McLaughlin has been the top receiver on the squad with seven receptions, two touchdowns and 192 yards.
“We have to find a way to stop two good running backs, a strong armed quarterback and a tall receiver,” pointed out Evanko. “And then we have to find a way to score against a stingy defense.”
The stronger effort needed by the Tide will also rely on the running game. Senior Alex Holland has been the heart of the Tide’s ground game. Holland has tallied 1,728 yards on the season with 21 rushing touchdowns on 223 carries. In doing so, Holland has pushed his career total to 5,147.
Through the air, quarterback Hunter McCracken has completed 38-of-83 passes for 598 yards. McCracken has four passing scores on the year along with seven interceptions. Senior Jesse Zorger has pulled in 20 passes for 386 yards and all four TD’s. Junior Jordan Russell has 13 catches for 177 yards on the year.
Like most AML-South contests, this week’s advantage comes down to running game execution versus defense that stands up the line. Friday’s game will kick-off at 7:00 at the St. Marys High School field.