HOUTZDALE-The struggles on the 2023 season for the Curwensville Golden Tide continued on Friday night on the gridiron. A road trip to Houtzdale meant another Inter County Conference showdown against the Moshannon Valley Black Knights.
With extra motivation on the opposing side as Black Knights’ head coach Chris Davidson was facing off against his alma mater for the first time as head coach, Moshannon Valley rallied off big plays all night long. The Golden Tide could not keep up at any point, falling 34-7, dropping their season record to 1-6.
The player that made the most impact on the night was Moshannon Valley’s Lucas Yarger. He accounted for three of the of the five touchdowns on the night, but it was Rocco Reifer that got the scoring going midway into the opening quarter. Capping off a nine-play drive that spanned 70 yards, he punched the ball in from six yards out to put the Black Knights on the board. The missed extra point kept the score 6-0 with 7:04 remaining in the opening quarter..
Curwensville decided to answer back in a big way, pushing down the field for 17 plays before being pushed back after getting inside the 10. Faced with 4th-and-Goal at the Black Knight 20, Tyler Dunn had no option except pass, and would be picked off by Yarger, who then cashed in on the ensuing drive with an explosive 43-yard run down the right sideline that only ended when he made it across the goal line. The extra point made it 13-0 heading into halftime, with Curwensville hoping to get some momentum going by receiving the second-half kickoff. Dunn would get picked off for a second time just before halftime, halting another opportunity for the Tide.
The dagger for the visitors came in the third quarter as a three-and-out on the opening possession meant a punt, and when Yarger received the ball, he showed his elusiveness. After darting to the right, he cut back towards his own sideline and found a crease. Two Tide defenders tried to get their hands on him, but by then he was at full speed and bolted to the end zone for a 78-yard scoring return. Just over two minutes into the second half, the 20-0 gap took away a lot of wind in the Tide’s sails.
Dunn and his teammates got the points back on the ensuing drive, with Dunn capping it off with a two-yard sneak for the Tide touchdown. The extra point cut the lead back to a pair of possessions, but that would be as close as Curwensville got the remainder of the night.
The Black Knights answered back immediately just two plays later as Mo Valley’s Jalen Kurten found Yarger one more time for a 71-yard bomb to put the Black Knights up 27-7 after the extra point.
Yarger accounted for over 250 all-purpose yards, with 110 coming on pass receptions. Reifer accounted for the other two scores on the night, as he would book-end the box score on a 10-yard run to paydirt after the Mo Valley defense pushed the Tide back to their own 1, and then the punt rush caused the ensuing kick to only roll to the Tide 10.
Dunn would have a solid night passing the ball despite a pair of interceptions, finishing 10-for-21 and 144 yards while also rushing for 42.
Curwensville is back home next week for a Friday the 13th matchup at Coach Andy Evanko Stadium against Juniata Valley.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 0 0 7 0 – 7
Moshannon Valley 6 7 14 7 – 34
BOX SCORE
1st Quarter
- BLACK KNIGHTS: Reifer 6-yard run (kick failed), 7:01
2nd Quarter
- BLACK KNIGHTS: Yarger 43-yard run (Smith kick), 6:01
3rd Quarter
- BLACK KNIGHTS: Yarger 78-yard punt return (Smith kick), 9:31
- GOLDEN TIDE: Dunn 2-yard run (Addleman kick), 5:29
- BLACK KNIGHTS: Kurten 71-yard pass to Yarger (Smith kick), 4:36
4th Quarter
- BLACK KNIGHTS: Reifer 10-yard run (Smith kick), 10:01
