CLARION – Who the best Class A football team is in District 9 is
no longer an issue.

Chris Cavallari and his Coudersport teammates settled that
Saturday evening at Clarion University’s Memorial Field.

The senior tail back rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns
and the No. 8 ranked Falcons controlled the line of scrimmage from
the opening kickoff on the way to a 48-21 victory over
Curwensville.

The lopsided win closed the book on the debate over which team
was better even though the unbeaten (13-0) Falcons had already
defeated the Golden Tide twice this season.

Saturday’s triumph also gave Coudersport its second straight
District 9 championship and earned the Falcons a trip to the PIAA
Class A playoffs.

“Our plan was to attack them the whole game,” said veteran head
coach Paul Simcoe. “That was the key.”

Coudersport did just that, but began taking control of the game
on defense after deferring and giving Curwensville the ball to
start the game.

The Tide began at their own 32 and marched down the field inside
the Coudy 25 yard line, but the Falcons’ defense stiffened and Kody
Frederick’s tackle on Curwensville quarterback Shawn Sopic left the
visitors with 4th-and-2. A swarm of Coudy tacklers stopped District
9’s all-time leading rusher Nick Sipes short on his fourth down
attempt and Coudy took over the ball at its own 20.

“They were driving the ball and we held them,” Simcoe noted.
“That was a big stop for us. I think it hurt them, too.”

From that point on the game literally belonged to
Coudersport.

The Falcons took the ball and moved smartly up the field with
Simcoe’s two-quarterback system guiding the team with precision.
The drive from their own 20 consumed over five minutes and was
capped by Justen Kinder’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Sam Decker. The
PAT pass was no good but the Falcons were on the board with a 6-0
lead.

“Our two quarterbacks Wetzel (Brian “Boomer”) and Kinder are
equally skilled and can run or throw the ball,” Simcoe pointed out.
“During the summer at 7-on-7 camps we split time with them and it
worked. They both know the position, so why not do it during the
season.”

Coudersport needed only one minute to score again, when Brett
Whitman intercepted a Sopic pass and returned it 55 yards for the
touchdown. Again the two-point PAT was no good, but the Falcons had
opened their lead to 12-0 with 1:14 left in the first quarter.

“We wanted to attack them offensively, too,” Simcoe emphasized.
“We knew if we could get a good lead, it would make them change
their style of play.”

The Tide weren’t rattled just yet because they responded with a
68-yard march that Sipes finished off with a nine yard scoring
burst. The PAT kick was no good, but the score was now 12-6.

Sipes, looking to reach the 6,000 yard mark, would ultimately
come up short by 35 yards. His 84 yards left him with 5,965 for his
outstanding career.

“We have been able to control him,” Simcoe said earlier in the
week, and the Falcons did it again on Saturday.

Curwensville fans had hardly settled into their seats when
Couderport’s offense went back to work with nothing but the
opposite end zone in their sights.

Cavallari got a big run for first down yardage and then found
temmate Colton Corey open on a fourth down option pass to put the
ball at the Tide 19. Six plays later Kyle Kee scooted into the end
zone for the score. “Boomer” Wetzel ran for the PAT to make it a
20-6 game with 2:50 left in the half.

Carin Knight got the ball right back for the Falcons when he
picked off a Sopic pass and his short return was helped by a Tide
penalty to place the ball at the Curwensville 41.

Cavallari took a pitch from Kinder four plays later and bulled
into the end zone. Again the Falcons could not convert their
two-point PAT, but were now leading 26-6 with 52 seconds left.

Decker and Cavallari closed out the half with a joint meeting at
the quarterback (Sopic) for a sack and a stunned Tide team walked
quietly off the field to try and regroup.

Looking to get his team fired up, Curwensville coach Andy Evanko
called for an on-side kick to start the third quarter but it
backfired when the Falcons recovered the ball at the Tide 49.

Wetzel found John Hau open for a first down yardage through the
air, Kinder located Decker for another and three plays later
Cavallari was in the end zone for the TD. The PAT was another bust,
but the score had ballooned to 32-6 with 8:40 left in the
period.

Logan Hathaway came up with the Falcons third pick of the night
and returned it Curwensville 19 where Coudy’s offense set up shop
again. Gee had his second score of the game on the fourth play with
a one yard burst. Kinder found 6-foot-6 Blair Heimel in the end
zone for the PAT and the margin mushroomed to 40-6.

Curwensville, still battling, came up with a four-yard touchdown
pass from Sopic to Jesse Hoover on fourth down, and Sopic ran for
the PAT to make the score 40-14, but Tide fans were already making
their way out of the stadium.

The visitors tried another on-side kick and this time Coudy’s
outstanding lineman Isaac Cary leaped up, grabbed the ball in the
air and returned it to the Tide 42.

Cavallari recorded his third touchdown of the game six plays
later on a two yard scamper. Kinder kept for the PAT and a 48-14
margin.

Curwensville refused to give up, however, and with 7:26 left in
the fourth quarter Matt Holland tacked on a 51-yard touchdown run.
Sipes kicked the PAT for the final 48-21 margin.

“The interceptions were big for us because we needed to keep
them off balance,” Simcoe pointed out. “They are a physical team.
We didn’t want to slug it out with them and we didn’t want to give
up the big play.”

Who the best team is, is now settled and Simcoe is glad it’s
over.

“I’m proud of these kids and happy for them because this settles
it. We’ll enjoy it tonight and then get ready for next week,” he
added.

The Falcons will be playing Friday night back in Clarion where
they will host District 10 champion West Middlesex starting at 7
p.m.