CLARION – The start of the District 9 Class A high school football playoffs took place Friday night, and one of the four quarterfinal games was at Clarion University, as the number six seeded Curwensville Golden Tide met up with the Clarion Bobcats, the number three seed.
So much for the seeding process, as the Golden Tide showed perhaps why it should have reversed seeds with the Bobcats.
When the final horn sounded to end the battle it was all Curwensville, advancing to the semifinals, beating Clarion 46-14.
Curwensville will now play Kane next Saturday at 1 pm at Mansell Stadium in DuBois in the semifinals. The Wolves beat Port Allegany 29-6 to advance Friday night. It was the third time this season that Kane has defeated the Gators.
The Wolves knocked off the Golden Tide in week seven this year, 35-6, at Kane.
To start out it wasn’t that easy for the Tide even though they jumped out to a quick 12-0 first quarter lead on a Jake Terry to Eli Jacobs 26 yard touchdown pass with 10:18 to go in the first quarter and a one yard Nick Stewart run at the 2:47 mark of the first.
Clarion received the opening kick off and fumbled on its first play from scrimmage that set the Tide up in great field position inside the Bobcat 30 yard line.
Both two point conversion attempts failed.
The Bobcats then got some life as sophomore running back Colton Rapp went 60 yards up the sidelines to keep Clarion close. The extra point attempt by Cameron Craig was good and after one quarter it was Curwensville leading 12-7. Rapp ended the night with 92 yards on 11 carries.
Curwensville picked up some more breathing room with just two minutes left before halftime on a six yard scoring strike from Terry to Quamone Newkirk. Once again the Tide couldn’t add any points after the touchdown as the extra point attempt was missed.
Trailing now 18-7, Clarion once again found life with 51 seconds remaining before the intermission as Adrian Weber threw a 15 yard halfback option pass for a score to Josh Kriebel and the extra point added again by Craig had it just 18-14 Curwensville at the break.
Then it was domination after the break by the Tide.
Curwensville took the second half kickoff, and with 8:33 on the third quarter clock Hunter Johnson found the end zone on a three yard run. But once again Curwensville didn’t add points after the TD with another failed two point conversion attempt. Johnson carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards in the game.
With a 24-14 margin after three quarters the Golden Tide then really got serious about this playoff thing, scoring three more times in the final 12 minutes to make the contest an official blowout.
A 23 touchdown yard run by Stewart and, finally, points after the TD, a Terry to Stewart pass for the two point conversion now had the Tide in front 32-14 with 111:56 left in the game. Stewart, still only a sophomore, had 222 yards on 34 totes to go over the 1700 yard mark for season.
At the 6:46 point of the final frame Terry threw his third TD pass of the game, this time an eight yard strike to freshman Avery Francisco. Jared Bakaysa added the extra point putting Curwensville in total control, 39-14.
The final points were scored with 3:44 left on a 27 yard scamper by Tide back-up running back, Kaleb Witherite, a junior. Bakaysa again added the extra point.
The three touchdown passes by Terry have now upped his season total to 19. He was nine for 15 with 104 yards in total during the game.
For Newkirk it was TD reception number 13.
And finally, the two touchdowns for Stewart gives the standout sophomore 25 on the 2015 campaign.
In the two other District-9 A playoffs quarter-final games it was:
# 1 Redbank Valley over # 8 Coudersport 24-16, and # 4 Brockway beating # 5 Elk County Catholic 20-6.
Redbank Valley and Brockway will battle at 6 pm next Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader at Mansell Stadium in DuBois.
SCORING SUMMARY
CURWENSVILLE 12 6 6 22 46
CLARION 7 7 0 0 14
1st QUARTER
CURW 10:18 26 yard pass Jake Terry to Eli Jacobs
Two point conversion attempt failed 6 0
CURW 2:47 One yard run by Nick Stewart
Two point conversion attempt failed 12 0
CLA 2:29 60 yard run by Colton Rapp
Cameron Craig PAT 12 7
2nd QUARTER
CURW 2:00 Six yard pass Terry to Quamone Newkirk
PAT failed 18 7
CLA :51 15 yard pass Adrian Weber to Josh Kriebel
Craig PAT 18 14
3rd QUARTER
CURW 8:33 Three yard run by Hunter Johnson
Two point conversion attempt failed 24 14
4th QUARTER
CURW 11:56 23 yard run by Stewart
Terry pass to Stewart for two point conversion 32 14
CURW 6:46 8 yard pass Terry to Avery Francisco
Jared Bakaysa PAT 39 14
CURW 3:44 27 yard run by Kaleb Witherite
Bakaysa PAT 46 14
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 09/04 | PORT ALLEGANY | 55 – 22 | 1 – 0 |
| 09/11 | @ Otto-Eldred | 58 – 20 | 2 – 0 |
| 09/18 | COUDERSPORT | 35 – 0 | 3 – 0 |
| 09/25 | @ Cameron County | 50 – 28 | 4 – 0 |
| 10/03 | @ Elk County Catholic | 8 – 12 | 4 – 1 |
| 10/09 | REDBANK VALLEY | 44 – 30 | 5 – 1 |
| 10/16 | @ Kane | 6 – 35 | 5 – 2 |
| 10/23 | BROCKWAY | 14 – 24 | 5 – 3 |
| 10/30 | @ Ridgway | 26 – 20 | 6 – 3 |
| 11/6 | @ Blairsville | 45 – 14 | 7 – 3 |
| 11/13 | D9 A Quarterfinals | ||
| vs. Clarion | 46 – 14 | 8 – 3 | |
| TBD | D9 A Semifinals | ||
| vs. Kane |