CURWENSVILLE – Head football coach Andy Evanko of Curwensville Area High School welcomed 31 players to the fold for his 16th season at the helm of the Golden Tide.
The Tide are coming off another successful year, going 6-5 in 2014, losing in the District 9 “A” playoffs to Clarion, 34-13, that ended the year for Curwensville.
The Golden Tide offense in 2015 will once again be fueled by sophomore running back Nick Stewart who led all Pennsylvania freshmen in 2014 with 1,630 rushing yards, good for a 7.2 yards per carry average. Stewart found the end zone 20 times for Curwensville last season with 19 coming on the ground and one through the air.
Senior Hunter Johnson also returns to the backfield after a very solid 2014 season were he rushed for 722 yards and found the end zone a total of 12 times. Johnson averaged a healthy 5.6 yards per carry.
Quarterback duties will once again belong to Jake Terry, now a senior, after completing 43 of 99 passes during his junior campaign that lead to six touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Last year Terry threw for 624 yards.
The leading returning receiver will be another senior in Quamone Newkirk who last season had seven catches, good for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Other running backs with experience that will be in the mix for the Golden Tide will be senior Shae Bloom and Kaleb Witherite, a junior.
Curwensville will also utilize four other receivers along with Newkirk, including seniors Curtis Linsenbigler and Kirk Turner. Also adding to that mix will be two juniors, Eli Jacobs and Zach Marshall.
Ben Junod, another senior, gives the Tide a solid tight end.
The offensive line for Curwensville will be anchored by seniors Ian Barrett and Seth Sloppy. Juniors along the front line are Dylan Warrick and Kevin Shaffer while the lone starting sophomore is Steven McClure.
Others that will see a good amount of action on the offensive front are Hunter Lancaster, a senior, Tanner Lezzer, a junior, Derrick Bressler a sophomore and freshman Avery Francisco.
The Golden Tide defense returns the likes of Lancaster, who registered 30 solo tackles and three sacks in 2014, Junod, who is back after recording 32 tackles in his junior year and Bloom, who picked up two sacks last year.
Coach Evanko recently spoke about the upcoming season, saying, “We have a team that has experience and maturity, which is certainly a plus for any squad. But it still depends on how quickly we can come together as a team. Our schedule is even more difficult with the addition of Redbank Valley and Blairsville this year. We just have to go out and play hard, showing improvement each and every week.”
Listen to Curwensville football each and every week on WOKW-FM, 102.9. The pre-game show starts at 6:45 pm except the Saturday afternoon contest with Elk County Catholic, which will start at 12:45 pm.
ROSTER & POSITION (offense/defense)
SENIORS: *Jared Bakaysa SE/DB, *Ian Barrett OL/DL, Shae Bloom RB/S, Jeff Harvey, *Hunter Johnson RB/ILB, *Benjamin Junod RB/ILB, *Korie Laird TE/ILB, *Hunter Lancaster TE/DL, *Curtis Linsenbigler SE/DB, *Quamone Newkirk SE/DB, Jayce Opaliski SE/DB, *Seth Sloppy C/DL, *Jake Terry QB/S, *Kirk Turner
JUNIORS: Jordan Hanes TE/ILB, *Eli Jacobs WR/DB, Tanner Lezzer OL/DL, *Zach Marshall SE/DB,* Kevin Shaffer OL/DL, Dylan Warrick OL/DL, *Kaleb Witherite RB/OLB
SOPHOMORES: Caleb Bloom RB/OLB, Derrick Bressler OL/DL, Matt Carter RB/ILB, *Steven McClure OL/DL, *Nick Stewart RB/OLB, Josh Terry SE/DB, Bryce Timko OB/OLB, Logan Waroquier RB/ILB, Anthony Winebold SE/DB
FRESHMEN: Avery Francisco OL/DB
* DENOTES RETURNING LETTER WINNERS
HEAD COACH: Andy Evanko (16th season 120-47 .719)
ASSISTANT COACHES: Chris Folmar, J. T. Irwin, Mickey Morgillo, Jimmy Thompson, Luke Grata
SCHEDULE:
SEPTEMBER
4 PORT ALLEGANY
11 at Otto Eldred
18 COUDERSPORT
25 at Cameron County
OCTOBER
3 * at Elk County Catholic – Sat (1:00 pm)
9 REDBANK VALLEY
16 at Kane
23 BROCKWAY
30 at Ridgway
NOVEMBER
6 at Blairsville
All games start at 7 pm unless otherwise noted.
* 1 PM