COUDERSPORT – An ailing David Babcock turned Curwensville
stomachs with a game-winning reception as Coudersport advanced to
the District 9 Class A title contest following a 28-26 victory over
the Golden Tide on Friday.
Babcock hauled in a 54-yard completion from Boomer Wetzel with
2:01 remaining in the semifinal as the ninth-ranked team in the
state rallied from an 18-6 halftime deficit to improve to 11-0.
“I’m glad for him (Babcock) because he wasn’t feeling well and
was throwing up early in the game,” said Paul Simcoe, Coudy head
coach. “I don’t know what he had, but it took him a while to get
going.”
It also took the Coudy offense a while to get going as
Curwensville, who lost to the Falcons 41-13 two weeks ago in the
Allegheny Mountain League championship game, opened a 6-0 lead on a
57-yard halfback pass from Nick Sipes to Jon McGary with 1:48 left
in the first quarter.
Following a Coudy punt, the fourth-seeded Golden Tide (8-3)
drove 58 yards in 13 plays with Sipes plunging over from the
one-foot line. The extra point failed again, but Curwensville owned
a 12-0 advantage with 7:27 remaining in the half.
The Falcons then utilized three passes from Wetzel to Sam Decker
covering 21 yards, 27 yards and another 23 yards to set up a
first-and-goal from the 6.
On a third-and-goal from the 11, Decker rolled right after a
handoff and found Logan Hathaway in the right corner of the end
zone. Despite a defender flashing in front of him, Hathaway juggled
but hung on for the score. Sipes blocked the PAT attempt, but Coudy
had cut its deficit in half with 4:48 showing.
The AML rivals then traded turnovers as Shawn Sopic picked off a
Coudy pass, but three plays later Brandon Smith recovered a fumble
at the Curwensville 28.
Decker then made a diving catch at the Golden Tide 5, but two
snaps later a crucial 12-point swing occurred.
On a second-and-goal from the five, it appeared Babcock had
weaved his way across the goal line. Two officials threw up their
hands for a touchdown, but following a committee meeting, a fumble
was ruled at the 2 and the pigskin was presented to the Golden
Tide.
“How can you change the call when you signal touchdown?” Simcoe
asked.
“I don’t understand that. Maybe they (officials) got it right.
They are down there (pointing to the end zone) and I’m way over
here on the sideline.”
Curwensville took advantage of the reversal of fortune with a
42-yard run by Sipes and two straight pass interference penalties
totaling 27 yards to set up shop at the Coudy 13.
Sopic then hit McGary in the right side of the end zone for the
10-yard score with 9.3 seconds before the intermission. The pass
for two failed and it was 18-6 Curwensville at the break.
“We really screwed up in the first half,” Simcoe admitted. “How
many chances did we squander? We made some mistakes with a dropped
pass and turnovers, and we lost two TDs.”
In the third quarter, the Coudy defense stopped Sipes a foot
short on a fourth-and-one to take possession at its own 38.
A 30-yard hookup from Wetzel to Babcock then preceded Wetzel’s
18-yard scoring strike to Decker. Andy Chisholm caught the
two-pointer from Wetzel and it was a Veteran’s Day battle at 18-14
with 6:52 left in the third.
The Falcons then took their initial lead when Wetzel hit Babcock
on a 34-yard slant and completed the two-pointer to Hathaway for a
22-18 margin at the 3:19 mark.
“Boomer (Wetzel) and our receivers did a good job in the second
half,” Simcoe declared. “We ran some different patterns and they
seemed to work.”
With 8:26 remaining in the game, Curwensville gained possession
at its own 4. On a third-and-eight from the 18, Sipes broke a
tackle at the 27 and galloped 82 yards for the score. Sopic ran in
the two-pointer and the Golden Tide was back in front 26-22 with
6:19 left.
“He is a great player,” Simcoe said of Sipes, District 9’s
leading rusher (1,871 yards) who carried 42 times for 276 yards and
two touchdowns. “We had him stopped and he made a great run.”
It appeared the Coudy season was over when Jason Null
intercepted an aerial at the Falcons’ 42 with 6:02 showing on the
CARP Field clock.
Curwensville ate up almost three minutes driving to the Coudy
27, but an incompletion on fourth down gave the Falcons new life at
the 34 with 3:14 left.
It was fourth-and-seven at the 37 when Wetzel hit Decker for a
first down at the Coudy 46.
On the next snap Wetzel dropped straight back and found Babcock
streaking down the left sideline. The ball careened off Babcock’s
hands at the Golden Tide 35, but somehow the 6-foot, 190-pound
senior reached out, pulled the ball into his aching body and
outraced a plethora of Curwensville defenders to paydirt. The run
for two failed, but the Falcons enjoyed a 28-26 lead with 2:01
remaining.
“Oh my God,” Simcoe stated. “He (Babcock) was juggling it and
bobbling it. He catches it and I know he’s gone because he runs a
4.5 40.”
Curwensville had one last gasp from its 25 and moved into Falcon
territory at the 40 with 24 ticks left. Sopic fired two
incompletions and then Chisholm picked off the third attempt at the
15 and wisely slipped down at the 23 as the horn sounded.
“Our kids never quit,” Simcoe said. “We didn’t quit and that
will help us down the stretch. We came back and beat a good team
who had us on the ropes.”
The top-seeded Falcons will face the winner of tonight’s game
between Clarion and Clarion-Limestone next weekend at a night and
site to be determined.
