CURWENSVILLE – Friday night at Riverside Stadium in Curwensville, the Golden Tide high school football team met Union/AC Valley for the first time in a District 9 Small School South Division contest.
And what a contest it was, as fans from both sides never got the opportunity to just sit back, relax and watch.
In an old fashion nail biter, the Golden Tide prevailed 14-13 as the Falcon Knights missed the tying extra point late in the fourth quarter.
The Tide scored on its first possession as it partially blocked a Falcon Knight punt that gave Curwensville the ball deep inside Union/AC Valley territory.
With 8:29 to play in the first 12 minutes, senior Tide running back Avery Francisco carried the ball in the from the 11 yard line for the game’s first score.
Freshman kicker Jacob Mullins tacked on the extra point, and after one quarter Curwensville lead 7-0.
The Falcon Knights tied the game at 7-7 early in the second frame on a one yard run by senior Nolan Cumberland with 10:15 to go before the halftime festivities.
Cumberland added the point after, at least on this attempt. More later.
Union/AC Valley had the only serious threat in the third quarter as the Falcon Knights pushed the ball to the Tide eight yard line with a first and goal in its pocket.
However, on fourth and goal from the five yard line, Union/AC Valley quarterback Luke Bowser rolled to his right only to have the ball slip out of his hand as the Tide defense came up with a huge goal line stand.
Francisco gave the Golden Tide another lead, this time on a 17 yard run with 8:56 remaining in the game as Mullins connected again on the point after that would eventually be the game winner. Francisco tallied 81 yards on the night on only nine carries. Cole Bressler also had 81 yards rushing for the Tide.
But this was a game of emotions and energy that seemed to go to one sideline then to the other quite frequently throughout the battle.
The Falcon Knights, not to be outdone by the Tide, marched into the end zone with 5:20 to play on another Cumberland touchdown, this time from three yards out. Then came heartbreak for Union/AC Valley.
On the extra point attempt by Cumberland the Tide defense rose to the occasion, getting a hand on the kicked ball and sending it wide to the right that would preserve the Curwensville victory.
There was another big play later in the fourth that helped secure the win for the Golden Tide.
It was third and 12 for Curwensville at its own 26 yard line when Tide quarterback Noah Von Gunden found an open Dakota Bloom for 29 yards and a first down at the Falcon Knights 47 that enabled the home team to run out the clock for the tight win.
The win gives Curwensville a record of 2-1 while Union/AC valley drops below .500, at 1-2.
The Tide are back at home next Friday, playing Smethport with a 7 pm kick-off. Smethport upped its record to
3-0 Friday night with a 40-0 shutout over Port Allegany.
Listen to the Curwensville-Smethport game on WOKW-FM, 102.9, with the pre-game show starting at 6:40 pm.
SCORING SUMMARY
UNION/AC VALLEY 0 7 0 6 13
CURWENSVILLE 7 0 0 7 14
1ST QUARTER
CURW 8:29 Avery Francisco 11 yard run, Jacob Mullins PAT 7 0
2ND QUARTER
UNION/ACV Nolan Cumberland 1 yard run, Cumberland PAT 7 7
4TH QUARTER
CURW 8:56 Francisco 17 yard run, Mullins PAT 14 7
UNION/ACV Cumberland 3 yard run, PAT failed 14 13
