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CURWENSVILLE -- With a shot at qualifying for the District 6 Class 1A playoffs, Glendale needed to beat Curwensville on Friday night and then beat Northern Bedford next week in the regular season finale.
The Vikings got the first part of the playoff equation solved by erupting for three touchdowns in a little more than 4:47 in the third quarter. Quarterback Logan Skebeck and wideout Cameron Dreibelbis kickstarted the Vikings' 34-20 win. It's the second straight win for the 3-6 Vikings.
"I told the guys a couple weeks ago if we want to have any chance of making the playoffs, we've got to start stringing them together," Glendale coach Chase Hill said. "They're doing a good job. They're responding. We're putting up points. I think we're carrying a lot of momentum going into the last week."
The Vikings led 27-0 at halftime, but they didn't have the ball much in the second half. The Golden Tide seemed content to play ball control offense with their running game The Golden Tide churned out 141 rushing yards in the second half and finished with 31 more plays than the Vikings, 68-37.
Play of the game: Curwensville had pulled to within 13 points, 27-14, in the fourth quarter when Dreibelbis gathered in Mason Lash's kickoff with his back foot at his own 1-yard-line.
Dreibelbis shot up the middle of the field, cut to the Curwensville sideline and outraced the Tide to the end zone for a 99-yard kickoff return to make the score 34-14.
"I made my own holes," Dreibelbis said. "I made a few people miss and I got a touchdown. It felt great. It was a little exhausting, but you know you scored."
Players of the game: Skebeck and Dreibelbis were a formidable duo. Skebeck completed 9 of his 14 passes for 163 yards and touchdown passes of 29 yards to Levi Hamilton and 13 yards to Dreibelbis. Skebeck also scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.
Dreibelbis caught six passes for 121 yards in the first half and also intercepted a Dante Lezzer pass.
"He was just throwing me the ball in open space," Dreibelbis said, "and I was making moves against defenders."
Unsung hero: Glendale defensive lineman Daniel Williams was a brick wall that the Tide running backs kept running into for negative yardage or very little gain in the first half.
Running wild: Tanner Ammerman is listed as a 5-7, 140-pound receiver, but he got the start at tailback and ran for 126 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 35-yard run to start the second-quarter onslaught. Ammerman, who had 105 yards in the first half, reeled off runs of 11, 35, 44 and 11 to finish the half.
"He's just had a couple good weeks of practice," Hill said. "He's been hitting the holes real well. He's quick. He's shifty. That's something we've kind of been lacking -- big explosive plays between the tackles."
Scary scene: After Ammerman's TD run, Curwensville's Noah Pentz collapsed in the end zone. Medical personnel tended to him and carted him off after 15 minutes. Both teams went over to him as he lay on the gurney and both teams kneeled together in prayer as he left the field.
"That's always scary," Hill said. "They're high school kids. You never want to see that happen to anybody."
According to The Progress newspaper correspondent Rich Murawski, Pentz was awake and alert at Penn Highlands Clearfield as of 11 p.m.
Records: Glendale (3-6); Curwensville (2-7).
Next week: Glendale hosts Northern Bedford. Curwensville visits Tussey Mountain.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Glendale 6 21 0 7 -- 34
Curwensville 0 0 7 13 -- 20
First Quarter
G--Hamilton 29 pass from Skebeck (kick failed)), 9:21
Second Quarter
G--Ammerman 35 run (Skebeck run), 5:44
G--Skebeck 1 run (Oshall kick), 2:19
G--Dreibelbis 13 pass from Skebeck (kick failed), :56.3
Third Quarter
C--Lezzer 1 run (Lash kick), 8:36
Fourth Quarter
C--S. Gustafson 2 run (Lash kick), 8:56
G--Dreibelbis 99 kickoff return (Oshall kick), 8:38
C--Hoyt 5 run (pass failed), 2:29
TEAM STATISTICS G C
First downs 14 16
Total yards 289 255
Rushes-yards 23-126 54-215
Yards passing 163 40
Passing (comp.-att.-int) 9-14-0 6-14-1
Punts-avg. 0-0 1-18
Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-2
Penalties-yards 5-47 3-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Glendale, Ammerman 16-126, Skebeck 7-0. Curwensville, Hoyt 21-104, S. Gustafson 22-92, T. Gustafson 5-12, Hawkins 4-8, Lezzer 1-1, Bloom 1-(-2).
PASSING--Glendale, Skebeck 9-14-0-163. Curwensville, Lezzer 6-14-1-40.
RECEIVING--Glendale, Dreibelbis 6-121, Hamilton 1-29, Ammerman 1-9, Jenkins 1-4. Curwensville, Peoples 3-19, Neiswender 1-13, Hoyt 2-8.