KANE — Call it the Erik DeLong Show or chalk it up to better second-half execution.
Either way it’s written, unbeaten Kane (3-0) found offensive life after halftime and used a stout defensive effort to beat Coudersport, 43-8, Friday.
Marred by penalties and some offensive miscues in the first half, Kane led just 16-0 with a 1:35 to play before halftime after a bad snap bounced out of the back of the end zone for a safety and Erik DeLong scored on two short touchdown runs.
Coudersport (1-2) showed some life, however, after recovering the safety punt and driving down to the Kane one-yard line with five seconds remaining before halftime. Jared Green punched in the 3rd-and-goal run with a second left on the clock and added the two-point conversion on a pass from quarterback Aaron Wolfinger.
Suddenly, Kane, after blowing out its first two opponents this year, found itself in a game heading to the second half.
“We weren’t perfect on either offense or defense in the first half, that’s for sure,” Kane head coach Todd Silfies said. “You have to give Coudersport credit for that. That’s a well-coached team with a lot of heart. We had some (plays) that got away from us in the first half and I thought we executed better in the second half.”
Coudersport, a week after being able to use multiple running backs last week in its overtime win over Bradford, could only muster eight yards rushing on 22 attempts against Kane’s defense. Success through the air was hard to come by too, with Aaron Wolfinger going 13-for-24 passing for 152 yards and three interceptions, one of which was scooped up by defensive lineman Keaton Rounsville.
That defensive effort kept Kane in the driver’s seat in the first half, even with the offense sputtering at times.
“I just thought as a team we were able to execute a number of different things we wanted to tonight and really our base became our best thing,” Silfies said. “That tells you that everybody is doing their job as a team.”
So how exactly did Silfies fire up his team, the two-time defending District 9 Class A champions, in the locker room?
“I didn’t have to say a word,” Silfies said. “I think they were fired up based on some circumstances that happened. They were excited to go out and play a second half and prove that they had a second half in them, especially for not doing it for a couple of weeks. Our guys, our leaders, they listen and they listen to each other and they definitely came out with a fire in the second half that wouldn’t be denied.”
In the third quarter, Kane came out fired up scoring on three of its first four possessions to put the game squarely out of reach. Conversely, Coudersport’s drive sequence in the second half went: interception, punt, punt, interception, punt and punt.
The Wolves used its no-huddle offense to wear down the Falcons — with offensive coordinator Tyler Smith barking out plays from the sideline like a basketball coach — to account for 559 total yards, with 425 coming on the ground. Four Wolves ran at least five times with the ball, with workhorse junior DeLong carrying the load.
“First of all, our offensive and defensive lines, guys who don’t necessarily rotate as much, they showed their conditioning,” Silfies said. “They were able to really wear down and take over the second half.”
DeLong, who finished with 213 yards on a season-high 27 carries, did most of his damage on short runs. Just six total rushes on the night went for more than 10 yards, capped by a 55-yard sprint in the third quarter that set up a touchdown.
“I thought DeLong just absolutely was a beast,” Wolves head coach Todd Silfies said. “He had a couple nicks and bruises, but he just battled and refused to give in.”
Junior Ange Costanzo scored on an 11-yard run, while seniors Frank Truden (16 yards) and Austin Labesky (45 yards) added fourth-quarter rushing scores.
Labesky finished the night with 95 yards on the ground on 10 totes. Quarterback Reed Williams was 6-of-16 passing for 134 yards for Kane.
The win runs Kane’s regular season win streak to 13, a run that dates back to Halloween 2014.
The Wolves return to action next week at Cameron County, a location Silfies noted has given Kane fits in the past. Coudersport returns home to face Elk Catholic.
Team Statistics
Total yards: Kane 559 (425 rushing, 134 passing), Coudersport 160 (8 rushing, 152 passing).
Individual Statistics
Rushing (carries-yards-touchdowns) Kane: DeLong (27-213-3), Costanzo (6-30-1), Truden (7-37-1), Labesky (10-95-1), Alcorn (2-41), Ray Maze (1-9), Williams (1-0); Coudersport: Wolfinger (7-(-2)), Brock Wilson (9-1), Green (4-6-1), Vanwhy (1-(-2), Kelly (2-2), Team (1-3)
Receiving (catches-yards) Kane: Ray Maze (1-31), Davis Gardner (2-33), Issac Walters (1-39), Labesky (1-18); Coudersport: Green (3-45), Wilson (1-3), Derek Keglovitz (5-50), Zach Layag (3-47)
Interceptions: (Kane) Maze, Gardner, Rounsville
