MOUNT UNION — It seems to be a recurring theme with the Curwensville Golden Tide this season with a lot of tough games coming down to the wire or being a back-and-forth shootout with the opposition. That was no different on Friday night when the Tide made the trip to Mount Union for a showdown against the Trojans.
What they got was a game that saw the opposition adjust after some early struggles, and have an answer every time the Tide found success. In the end, that led the Trojans to a 43-34 victory, dropping the Tide to 3-6 on the season.
Curwensville opened the scoring when quarterback Danny McGarry took the opening drive to the end zone from 18 yards out. He would add the two-point conversion as well to give the Tide the 8-0 lead. Mount Union answered right back, as though they were hearing the lyric, “Anything you can do, I can do better.” That came when Caiden Atherton found a seam in his offensive line, and blasted past the Tide secondary for a 31-yard roar to the house. He added in the two-point conversion, and at the end of the first quarter the game was knotted up at 8-8.
The Tide got the scoring going again in the second quarter following a strong punt return by Andrew Pentz. Just prior to the seven-minute mark, McGarry called his own number again to nab his second rushing touchdown of the night. This time, though, the two-point conversion fell short, leaving the Tide up 14-8.
The back-and-forth action continued on the next three drives. The Trojans’ Bryce Danish erupted on a 1st-and-15 for 68 yards for the go-ahead score. This time, the offense got the extra point, giving Mount Union its first lead of the night. With little time remaining in the quarter, Curwensville tried to answer back, doing so when McGarry got the passing game going, finding Nik Fegert in the end zone for a 29-yard strike. The two-point try failed, and then things went disastrously wrong for Curwensville.
Mount Union answered right back on the kickoff, with Je’Seun Robinson taking the ball at his own 20, and never looking back. The 80-yard return score, and the two-point conversion, put Mount Union up by three. That wasn’t enough because Curwensville gave the home team a gift on the next drive when McGarry got picked off by Atherton, and he took the interception 52 yards to paydirt. Add on the extra point, and suddenly a one-score game turned into a 30-20 advantage at halftime for the Trojans.
Robinson added another score on the first drive of the second half, and the missed extra point still left the Tide with a three-score gap to overcome.
But the Tide just would not give in, as McGarry and Fegert hooked up midway through the third once more, cutting the lead to 10. The failed onside kick did not matter, as the Trojans lost the handle on the ensuing drive, with Curwensville recovering the loose ball. That turnover led to points as the McGarry-Fegert connection worked for a third time, this time from 15-yards out. The two-point conversion was good, and suddenly the Tide were within striking distance.
Unfortunately, the momentum felt from the interception, the fumble recovery, and the two scores that followed each, would not last.
In an instant, a case of deja vu, because on the ensuing kickoff, Atherton would take a near muffed catch at his own 20 and ignited the rocket boosters on his way to an 80-yard return touchdown. It was the second of the night for the Trojans, and the extra point set the nine-point gap.
Curwensville tried to answer back, but would be stopped on fourth down, and the Trojans ran out the remaining clock to seal the victory.
The Tide will close out the 2022 campaign next Friday night when they travel to face Glendale.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 8 12 6 8 – 34
Mount Union 8 22 6 7 – 43
