CLARION – The ride from Coudersport down to Clarion was almost
as rough as the football game as the Falcons suffered 13 turnovers
in a 33-2 loss to Duquesne in the PIAA Class A semifinal at Clarion
University on Friday.
The Falcons (13-1), who have just completed their finest
gridiron season ever, lost eight fumbles and had five passes picked
off as they fell one game short of a trip to a state championship
contest in Hershey.
The western final started 75 minutes late as the Coudy team bus
arrived moments before the original kickoff time of 7 p.m. after a
treacherous four-hour trip on slippery roads.
Coudy got a break on the first Duquesne possession when Kirk
Duffee recovered a fumble at the Dukes’ 25, but three plays later
the Falcons fumbled it right back to the District 7 champs.
On the next Coudy possession, the Dukes’ Chris McCall
intercepted a screen pass at the Falcon 30 and took it into the end
zone. The extra point was good and it was 7-0 Duquesne with 2:24
left in the first quarter.
The Falcons failed to move the chains and Elijah Fields, who is
a Division I prospect, fielded the punt at his 30 and raced 70
yards for the score and a 14-0 lead with 36 seconds remaining in
the period.
Coudy then fumbled on the first snap of its next possession and
then fumbled three more times and had another pass picked off in
the second quarter, but the score remained 14-0 at the intermission
as the Dukes also lost a pair of fumbles. The Falcons had six
turnovers in the first half and also lost Big 30 Kicker of the Year
Caleb Morris with an injury.
In the third quarter, the Falcons drove from their own 40 to the
Dukes’ 7 before an interception by Brian Mackey ended the threat at
the 3.
Two plays later, Duquesne fumbled in its own end zone and the
District 9 champions were finally on the board at 14-2 with eight
minutes left.
Following the safety, the Falcons couldn’t take advantage of
good field position at midfield when they suffered their fifth lost
fumble of the contest.
The Dukes then drove from the Coudy 47 to the 1 where they
turned the ball over with their fourth fumble. Three plays later
from the one, Coudy’s ninth turnover of the night was another
costly one as Duquesne’s Layton Dunn recovered a fumble in the end
zone. The extra point was missed, but it was 20-2 with 2:03 left in
the third stanza.
Duquesne scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter on
interception returns by Shawn Taylor for 55 yards and Pete Hawkins
for 35 yards.
Dunn led the Dukes (14-0) with 27 carries for 156 yards and now
has 2,084 yards on the season.
