Smethport (1-1) at Curwensville (2-0)

CURWENSVILLE – It is homecoming week for the Curwensville Area High School football team, and the Golden Tide will be trying to keep step on what has become a memorable season thus far.  As for this week’s opponent, the Smethport Hubbers are looking to forget about last week’s performance and to redeem themselves in the eyes of their Allegheny Mountain League foes.

The Black and Gold stand at 2-0 in week three, but the first two games were anything but comfortable.  Curwensville stopped Coudersport’s last minute drive to hold on to a 34-26 victory on opening day, and failed to stop Cameron County’s final possession, but thwarted the two-point conversion to knock down the Red Raiders 21-20 in week two.

The excitement on the field has been good enough to keep fans in their seats until the final buzzer, but Tide head coach Andy Evanko is looking for his team give him a little breathing room on game-day.

“I hope we are not in those kinds of situations all year,” Evanko grinned, “but it is indicative of the kind of opponent we see week in and week out – everybody plays for 48 minutes, and you have to be able to survive.”

Senior Kyle Johns didn’t see action at quarterback in the season opener, but appears to have earned the start for this week after his efforts at Cameron County.  Johns threw eight times last week for 12 yards on three completions.

“Kyle has been our back-up for three years now and he’s fine with the position and brings that experience to the field,” reported Evanko.  “That doesn’t mean that Travis (Landsberry, who started game one) won’t see time there.  We’ll continue to put those two in the best positions that will help the team as needed.”

Against the Red Raiders, Curwensville again showed that the power of the offense, for now anyway, will come from the ground game.  Senior running back Zach Tibbens pounded out 210 rushing on 36 carries that included two scores.  Tibbens now has 391 yards on 59 hauls with five TD’s in the first two games.  Alex Olson also came in with a touchdown run of nine yards last week as he provided fresh legs late in the game.  Olson has earned 59 total yards on the season with 11 carries.

Evanko has given the most credit to his defense for the 2-0 start and is looking for the offense to come along to out-distance teams on the scoreboard.

“Our secondary really performed well last week,” said Evanko.  The defense has more than anything won games for us.  I’m so pleased with the exceptional play of everyone at one point or another.  We knocked balls down or intercepted passes at critical times that allowed us the opportunity to win.”

Evanko’s evaluation of a total team performance can be seen in the defensive tackle stats.  From Johnathan Miller’s leading 14 tackles from the line to linebacker Jake Stiles’ 13 dumps, the Tide has shown that every position gets in on the action.  Lineman Bryce McClure has been in on 12 stops with safety Kyle Billings in on 11 tackles and Austin Jacobson has 10.

Perhaps the biggest stat that the Golden Tide will look to improve upon is the turnover rate in the first two games.  Curwensville has lost five of six fumbles on the season and thrown one interception.   Again, the defense may claim credit for wins as the defense has recovered four dropped balls and stepped in front of four opponent’s passes in its eight takeaways.

Smethport turned in an impressive 28-20 victory over Elk County Catholic in their 2013 debut.  However, when they ventured out of the AML schedule and out of the state, the results were a game that the Hubbers just chose to forget.  St. Mary’s, a team from Lancaster, New York, derailed the Hubbers by a 70-7 count last week.

“You can take and throw that game right out the window,” Evanko noted.  That team from the Buffalo area was like a small college team with size, speed and numbers. It would have been a difficult challenge for anybody.

“Smethport has a lot to help them get up for this week’s game – because of scheduling they have to come here two years in a row, it’s homecoming, and we’re 2-0.  They’ll be ready to play Friday night.”

The Hubbers will certainly be ready to play, and all eyes should quickly fall back on the ECC contest.  The Hubbers were the only AML-North team to win in week one, which has them at the top of the standings.  Last week Coudersport defeated Ridgway (19-6) and Sheffield also upended ECC (27-16) to give three teams a 1-1 slate, however, the Hubbers remain unbeaten in the conference.

Looking back at the game against the Crusaders, the most dangerous player on offense for Smethport is under center.  Junior quarterback Dustin Zetwick connected on 3-of-7 pass attempts against ECC for 32 yards.  However, he is also capable of running and covered 96 yards on 17 carries that included one touchdown.

Senior running back Nielson Ryan is also a threat on the ground after covering scoring drives twice as part of his 69 yards on 12 carries.  The top deep threat through the air in the game was Drew Burdick who pulled in one grab of 22 yards while Wilber Nate had the other two receptions for 10 yards.

“Smethport runs a mid-line option like Coudersport with one difference.” Said Evanko.  “That’s their main offense, and they run it very smoothly.  It always creates problems if the defense isn’t disciplined and gets out of their lanes.

“It’s hard to duplicate their offense in practice, so the first quarter is always full of adjustments.  So far our kids have performed well, and we hope to be able to handle that again.  They have a very senior oriented team, and they’re in good shape with a group that has had at least 10 starts (from a season ago) to move the offense.”

That experienced line for the Hubbers is anchored by Ryan Stanton who was in on 12 tackles for Smethport in the win over Elk County.

Homecoming festivities are scheduled to get underway as a pre-game activity on Friday somewhere between 6:30 and 6:45.  Kick-off is set for 7:00 at Riverside Stadium.

Golden Tide Scoreboard: