CURWENSVILLE – The Curwensville Golden Tide high school football team closed out its 2014 Allegheny Mountain League season on Friday night at home, entertaining the Elkers of Ridgway/Johnsonburg.
Ridgway scored the last three touchdowns in a back and forth battle to pick up its eight win of the season, 40-28. The Elkers are now 8-1 while the Tide dropped to 6-3.
The win for Ridgway broke an 11 game, ten year losing streak to Curwensville. The last time the Elkers beat the Tide was in 2003, 37-36, in Ridgway.
Cole Myers scored the game’s first touchdown on a 20 yard run with 9:40 remaining in the opening quarter and with the extra point by Justin Kinkead the Elkers took an early 7-0 lead.
The Tide tied the game at 7-7 with a three yard TD run by Nick Stewart and Heather Thorp’s PAT with 3:12 left on the clock in the first quarter.
Travis Lansberry put Curwensville in front, 14-7, at the 9:40 mark of the second quarter on 5 yard run and Thorp’s extra point.
Back came Ridgway with a 22 yard trip to the end zone by quarterback Ben MacDonald. Kinkead’s extra point made the score 14-14 with 7:05 left before the half.
Each team would score one more touchdown before the break as Hunter Johnson of the Tide went in from two yards out and Myers again went 20 yards for the Elkers. Both squads were successful on the PAT’s.
At the half it was 21-21.
Curwensville took the second half kick-off and marched 91 yards, highlighted by a 75 yard touchdown run by Nick Stewart, to go ahead 28-21. Thorp’s extra point was again good.
Unfortunately it would be the last score of the night for Curwensville.
Ridgway tied the game at 28 with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter on a three yard run by MacDonald and Kinkead’s extra point.
With 8:17 left in the fourth quarter Ridgway would score what proved to be the game winner on a 30 yard touchdown pass from MacDonald to John Cerroni to take the lead at 34-28. The extra point attempt failed.
The Elkers found the end zone one more time as MacDonald scored on a 15 yard scamper with just 1:20 left in the battle. Ridgway again botched the extra point attempt.
The Golden Tide have added West Shamokin to its schedule and will be at home next Friday to take on the Wolves. Game time is 7 pm at Riverside Stadium.
Listen to Curwensville football on WOKW-FM, 102.9, with the pre-game show starting at 6:45 pm.
SCORING SUMMARY
RIDGWAY 7 14 7 12 40
CURWENSVILLE 7 14 7 0 28
1st QUARTER
RIDG 9:40 20 yard by Cole Myers
Justin Kinkead PAT 0 7
CURW 3:12 3 yard run by Nick Stewart
Heather Thorp PAT 7 7
2nd QUARTER
CURW 9:40 5 yard run by Travis Lansberry
Thorp PAT 14 7
RIDG 7:05 22 yard run by Ben MacDonald
Kinkead PAT 14 14
CURW 5:10 2 yard run by Hunter Johnson
Thorp PAT 21 14
RIDG 2:25 20 yard run by Myers
Kinkead PAT 21 21
3rd QUARTER
CURW 10:00 75 yard run by Stewart
Thorp PAT 28 21
RIDG 7:33 3 yard run MacDonald
Kinkead PAT 28 28
4th QUARTER
RIDG 8:17 30 yard pass MacDonald to John Cerroni
PAT failed 28 34
RIDG 1:20 15 yard run by MacDonald
PAT failed 28 40