'We Are The Champions'

Brian Wetzel (above) split quarterback duties with Justen Kinder last week.

Coudersport had little time to bask in the glory of a second consecutive Allegheny Mountain League championship.

From this point forward, every game is "do or die," as Coach Paul Simcoe's Falcons embark on the playoff trail that last year carried the team into the state's Final Four. It began Friday night when Coudersport (10-0) hosted the Clarion Bobcats at CARP Field. Results weren't available by press time.

The winner advances into the District 9 semifinals next weekend against the winner of tonight's Cameron County vs. Johnsonburg game.

Stemming the Tide

Solid preparation and fierce determination were two keys factors in the Falcons' success Saturday night, as Coudy took the AML crown with a 14-6 win over Curwensville in a defensive battle at CARP.

Coudersport finally broke the ice with a marathon drive that started at its own three-yard line. A 22-yard run by Chris Cavallari and a 16-yard advance by Carin Knight brought the ball just short of midfield to start the second quarter.

After a penalty and a sack, quarterback Boomer Wetzel -- who platooned with Justen Kinder -- delivered a high pass that tight end Blair Heimel hauled in for a 20-yard gain.

Coudersport was still inches short of the first down, but Kinder followed a crushing block by center Isaac Cary to cover the difference.

Knight broke loose for another 16-yard run and Wetzel fired a strike to Logan Hathaway deep in the red zone. Cavallari polished off the drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Then Kinder connected with Heimel in the corner of the endzone for the two-point conversion.

Although the Golden Tide had earned just one first down, Curwensville coach Andy Evanko curiously decided to "go for it" on fourth-and-one from his team's 39.

The second-guessers had a field day after Kody Frederick led a Purple gang that stuffed star running back Nick Sipes for a one-yard loss.

Three plays later, Cavallari broke into the open and scored on a 30-yard run, giving the Falcons a 14-0 advantage.

Curwensville made things interesting with an impressive drive that featured 10 runs by Sipes, including a six-yard touchdown carry with 7:39 left in the game. Coudersport proceeded to drain the clock, finally handing over the ball at the Tide 18.

The Purple defense circled in for the kill. Cavallari breezed in to sack quarterback Shawn Sopic on first down. A short pass produced a modest gain and two other passes fell incomplete to seal the win.

"We controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game, ran the ball well and threw a couple of key passes when we had to," Simcoe said. "The long touchdown drive in the first half was a great drive and got us what we needed."

That stingy Falcon defense limited the potentially explosive Golden Tide offense to 182 total yards. Drew Levavasseur had 13 tackles. Kirk Duffee chimed in with 11, while freshman Dirk Cowburn registered 11.

Cavallari ran hard in gaining 133 yards on 27 carries. Sipes, the all-time leading rusher in D9, had 139 yards on 25 rushes.