Trending
CURWENSVILLE -- Juniata Valley got off to a bit of a slow start Friday night at Coach Andy Evanko Stadium, seeing one first-half drive end on downs at the Curwensville 25 and another in the end zone on an interception.
But after the Tide took an 8-0 lead midway through the second quarter, the Green Hornet offense found its footing, scoring on their final two drives of the half and then pulling away after the break in a 27-14 victory that pushed them to 6-2 on the season.
The Tide racked up 186 yards on the ground in the first half fueled by Sammy Gustafson's 131, which helped the hosts control the tempo before two late, second quarter Hornet touchdowns swung the momentum. Gustafson ended the game with 171 yards on 23 totes.
Play of the game: Hornet quarterback Jett Rand scrambled for a 47-yard touchdown run just 44 seconds after Gustafson had given the Tide the 8-0 advantage. The swift answer was followed by a second Hornet score a little over three minutes later that gave Juniata Valley the lead for good.
Player of the game: Andrew Clark caught a swing pass from Rand and took it 20 yards for a touchdown with 1:21 left in the second quarter to stake the Hornets to a 13-8 halftime lead then added an 11-yard TD run with 4:44 to play in the third which extended the advantage to 20-8. Clark carried the ball 24 times for 114 yards and was also in on several tackles on defense. He went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season in the game.
"(Andrew) Clark and (Jett) Rand are now both over 1,000 yards rushing and passing for the season," Juniata Valley coach Bill Musser said. "It's a lot of fun to have a team that can win either way. It shows the work that both of them and their teammates have put in to get them to those numbers."
Unsung hero: The Juniata Valley defense stepped up in the second half after getting gashed on the ground in the first two quarters, holding Curwensville to just 15 yards on 14 plays on the Tide's first three drives after the break.
Most vital statistic: With the game still up for grabs in the second half, the Hornet defense only allowed Curwensville to convert one first down after the break until the Tide's final drive when Juniata Valley had taken control of the game, 27-8.
Musser: "I was happy with the way we responded in the second half. We played much better team football in the second half. But we're at the point in the year where we can't be responding in the second half -- we have to start the game that way."
Notable: Rand completed 11 of his 23 pass attempts for 183 yards and two TDs. Juniata Valley held a 377-296 advantage in total yards. Both teams threw an interception while Curwensville also lost a fumble.
Records: Juniata Valley (6-2), Curwensville (2-6).
Next week: Juniata Valley hosts Southern Huntingdon, while Curwensville entertains Glendale.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Juniata Valley 0 13 7 7 -- 27
Curwensville 0 8 0 6 -- 14
Second Quarter
C--Gustafson 2 run (Hendershot run), 5:28.
JV--Rand 47 run (pass failed), 4:44.
JV--Clark 20 pass from Rand (Rodkey kick), 1:21.
Third Quarter
JV--Clark 11 run (Rodkey kick), 4:46.
Fourth Quarter
JV--Neri 14 pass from Rand (Rodkey kick), 2:43.
C--Lezzer 1 run (kick failed), 0:07.
TEAM STATISTICS JV C
First downs 18 14
Total yards 377 296
Rushes-yards 35-194 50-282
Passing yards 183 14
Comp-att-int 11-23-1 4-7-1
Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1
Punts-avg. 2-31.5 3-31.0
Penalties-yards 3-19 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Juniata Valley, Clark 24-114, Rand 5-61, Harker 4-16, Norris 1-4, TEAM 1-(-1). Curwensville, Gustafson 23-171, Hoyt 10-51, Hendershot 12-43, Hawkins 2-14, Lezzer 3-(-1).
PASSING--Juniata Valley, Rand 11-23-1-183. Curwensville, Hoyt 1-1-0-9. Lezzer 3-6-1-5.
RECEIVING--Juniata Valley, Glenny 4-79, Neri 3-48, Smith 2-19, Clark 1-20, Norris 1-7. Curwensville, Hoyt 3-5, Hawkins 1-9.