Losing streak ended for West Branch

MORRISDALE -- The game between Claysburg-Kimmel and West Branch on Friday night at L.T. Drivas Memorial Field was delayed for 52 minutes because of an accident on I-99.

It was well worth the wait for the Warriors, who had been waiting for almost three years to win a game.

West Branch snapped a 24-game losing streak that dated back to a win over Moshannon Valley on Oct. 20 of 2023 by riding the legs and arm of senior quarterback Conner Danko, who ran for three touchdowns and passed for another in a 34-13 win over the Bulldogs.

"I can't tell you how much this means to these kids to get the monkey off their backs," West Branch first-year coach Kenn Vandevander said. "'I'm so proud of them."

"It's tough," C-K Claysburg-Kimmel coach Chuck Kassick said. "We're inexperienced. Sometimes when you're inexperienced it's hard to react to things that happen on the field." 

Sequence of the game: On the first play of the second half, West Branch's Hansen Lannen recovered a fumble at the C-K 47. Three plays later, Danko scooted 28 yards for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 21-0 lead.  

Player of the game: Danko ran for 151 yards on 20 carries and scored on runs of 11 and 10 in addition to the 28-yarder. He completed 8 of 14 for 75 yards and a 15-yard touchdown pass to Justin Esposti Jr. Danko also intercepted a Gavin Treon pass.  

"We struggled to run the football the last two weeks," Vandevander said, "but the run game opened up and we just went with the hot hand. I just felt our offensive line wore them down."

Unsung hero(es): The West Branch defense, led by Max Gibson, put pressure on Treon every time he passed. 

Full of flags: The teams combined for 23 penalties for 216 yards. C-K had 12 penalties for 146 yards. Two Treon touchdown runs, including a spectacular 61-yard run, were nullified by holding calls.

"I'm not going to comment on the holding penalties," Kassick said, "but Treon is a pretty darn good athlete." 

Next week: Claysburg-Kimmel hosts Mount Union. West Branch visits Moshannon Valley. 

Records: Claysburg-Kimmel (0-3)), West Branch (1-2)

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Claysburg-Kimmel 0 0 6 7 — 13

West Branch 6 8 13 7 — 34

First Quarter

WB--Esposti 15 pass from C. Danko (kick failed), 7:16

Second Quarter

WB--C. Danko 11 run (Esposti pass from C. Danko), 11:54

Third Quarter

WB--C. Danko 28 run (A. Danko kick), 10:17

WB--C. Danko 10 run (kick failed), 4:35

CK--Treon 19 run (kick failed), 2:42

Fourth Quarter

WB--Panebianco 7 run (Henschel kick), 4:51

CK--Treon 5 run (Fee kick), 2:49

TEAM STATISTICS CK WB

First downs 10 18

Total yards 242 341

Rushes-yards 21-103 41-266

Yards passing 139 75

Pass (comp.-att.-int) 9-19-1 8-14-0

Punts-avg. 2-48 2-29.5

Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-0

Penalties-yards 12-146 11-70

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Claysburg-Kimmel--Treon 11-65, Quarello 8-21, Soler 2-17. West Branch--C. Danko 20-151, Panebianco 15-68, Williamson 2-43, Myers 2-22, TEAM 2-(-18).

PASSING: Claysburg-Kimmel--Treon 9-19-1-139. West Branch--C. Danko 8-14-0-75.

RECEIVING: Claysburg-Kimmel--Brown 3-65, Lewis 1-33, Kulick 2-21, Soler 3-20. West Branch--Esposti 3-33, Lannen 2-30, Williamson 3-12.