EMPORIUM – A summer evening road trip to Emporium was all the Curwensville High School football team needed to get into the win column for the first time in 2018.
The Golden Tide had no problem downing the Red Raiders of Cameron County, 58-6, in a District 9 Small School cross over game.
Curwensville scored a touchdown just about everyway on the night with four rushing touchdowns, one passing TD, a fumble recovery, an interception return and also a punt return. The only way the Golden Tide didn’t score a touchdown was on a kick-off return.
With the first possession of the game, the Tide faced a fourth and three at its own 42 yard line when senior running back Cole Bressler got the handoff on fourth down and raced 58 yards for the game’s first touchdown at 10:16 of the first quarter. Bressler also ran it in for the two point conversion.
Curwensville made it 16-0 at the 5:03 point of the first quarter on a 16 yard Bressler score and Blake Passarelli’s two point conversion. Bressler led the Tide in rushing, totaling 78 yards on just four carries.
Tide senior fullback Avery Francisco closed out the first period scoring on a 39 yard running play and freshman Jacob Mullins was good on the point after jumping Curwensville’s margin to 23-0 after one.
The first two scores of the second quarter were from the Tide defense, a fumble return and a pass interception.
With 10:48 to play before halftime, Bressler picked up a Red Raider fumble and raced 89 yards for the score and then just 1:04 later senior Lincoln Giuffre picked off a Cameron County pass and took it to the end zone from 30 yards out.
The extra points were added by Madison Weber and Mullins, which gave the Golden Tide a 37-0 edge.
Curwensville would add one more tally before the break on a 26 yard quarterback draw by Noah Von Gunden and when Weber made good on the point after it was all Tide at the half, 44-0.
The Tide would score just two second half touchdowns with the mercy rule in play. Both scores came early in the third quarter.
At the10:38 mark of the third Von Gunden found sophomore wide out Jake McCracken on a 14 yard TD toss.
McCracken, less than three minutes later, returned a Red Raider punt 45 yards for Curwensville’s final score.
Mullins and Weber, taking turns on PAT attempts, added the extra points.
In the fourth quarter, with the Tide out in front 58-0, Cameron County got on the board for the first time this season on a seven yard run by Ebon Jackson with the try for two stopped.
Curwensville, now 1-1, returns home next Friday night to play Union/AC Valley at 7 pm in a District 9 Small School South encounter. The Falcon Knights are currently 1-1 on the season after beating Sheffield Friday night
47-0.
You can listen to Golden Tide football, as always, on WOKW-FM, 102.9, starting with the pre-game show at 6:40 pm.
SCORING SUMMARY
CURWENSVILLE 23 21 14 0 58
CAMERON COUNTY 0 0 0 6 6
1ST QUARTER
CURW 10:16 Cole Bressler 58 yard run, Bressler run for two point conversion 8 0
CURW 5:03 Bressler 16 yard run, Blake Passarelli run for two point conversion 16 0
CURW 2:26 Avery Francisco 39 yard run, Jacob Mullins PAT 23 0
2ND QUARTER
CURW 10:48 Bressler 89 yard fumble return, Madison Weber PAT 30 0
CURW 9:44 Lincoln Giuffre 30 yard interception return, Mullins PAT 37 0
CURW 6:45 Noah Von Gunden 26 yard run, Weber PAT 44 0
3RD QUARTER
CURW 10:38 Von Gunden 14 yard pass to Jake McCracken, Mullins PAT 51 0
CURW 7:53 McCracken 45 yard punt return, Weber PAT 58 0
4TH QUARTER
CAM CO Ebon Jackson 7 yard run, Two point conversion failed 58 6
