CURWENSVILLE – The Curwensville Area High School football team will bring the momentum of a 34-26 victory over Coudersport in week one to Riverside Stadium on Friday for the season’s home-opener against Cameron County.  The Red Raiders had very little success on either side of the ball last week against Brockway in a 42-8 loss.
The Golden Tide battled back several times against the Falcons to secure a fourth quarter shutout and avenge the close of their 2011 season – a 28-27 heartbreaker against Coudersport. Curwensville scored against Coudersport on the second play from scrimmage last week when senior quarterback Hunter McCracken found classmate Jordan Russell down the Falcon side-line for a 45-yard catch and run. McCracken finished the game connecting on 5-of-9 passes (all to Russell) for 92 yards and a touchdown.
“Russell came up big for us time and time again,” said Tide head coach Andy Evanko. “But, of course, Hunter had to deliver the ball well. They both played solid games last week.”
On the ground, it became apparent that life after all-time Curwensville rushing leader, Alex Holland, wasn’t too bad as the tandem of senior Josh Greslick and junior Zach Tibbens rambled for a combined 258 yards on 42 carries. Greslick made 23 tries for 124 yards and Tibbens hauled for 134 yards with two touchdowns. The fullback position added two other scores as senior Brad Coudriet found the end zone on one of his nine carries totaling 42 yards while junior Alex Olsen ran twice for six yards and a score.
“The idea was to be more balanced out this season, and instead of one person carrying the load, we have more diversity at the running positions,” said Evanko. “It is nice to have a stable of competent runners to provide fresh legs when you need them.”
Defensively against Coudersport, the Golden Tide was also able to answer some questions for the coaches and fans alike as they rose to the challenge last week. Senior defensive back Austin Pollick led the team in tackles with nine while Spencer Smeal and Brad Stubbs recorded eight and seven knockdowns respectively.
“I thought Austin and Spencer hit as hard as anybody I’ve seen lately. They had great games,” said Evanko. “Our line had some big holes to fill after graduation last year, but they plugged them well. The defense closed down things very well at times and the offensive line sealed their blocks well to get our running game loose.”
Last Week the Red Raiders were nearly shut out by the Rovers before Aaron Garrigan found the end zone with just :50 left in the contest.
Cameron County is mainly a rushing team, but after falling behind against the Rovers, had to try to play catch-up through the air and were unsuccessful.  Players to watch on the squad include linemen Josh Reynolds (55) and linebacker Cameron Horning (44). Horning also mans the fullback position and can be the force behind the running attack.
“They are huge up front on both offense and defense,” noted Evanko. “They pull and trap quite a bit. They are a physical and capable squad, and their size could be a problem for us.
“They try to cause a lot of confusion with many different formations, and the quarterback is really not that bad. They change their look at the last minute and try to throw the defense off guard.”
The Golden Tide will look to stay perfect on the young season as the home-town crowd will welcome them home. The game will be set for kick-off at 7:00 p.m.
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
08/31 | @ Coudersport | 34 – 26 | 1 – 0 |
09/07 | CAMERON COUNTY | ||
09/14 | SMETHPORT | ||
09/21 | @ Johnsonburg | ||
09/28 | KANE | ||
10/05 | @ Brockway | ||
10/12 | RIDGWAY | ||
10/19 | ELK COUNTY | ||
10/27 | @ Sheffield |