Bulldogs ride big defensive play to first win
H.S. Football Extra
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CLAYSBURG -- There hasn't been a lot to cheer about for the Claysburg-Kimmel football team during the 2026 season as they started the year 0-7.
The opening quarter of Friday night's ICC clash with Curwensville looked like more of the same on the first drive as the Golden Tide scored a touchdown to cap off the opening drive that went over 8½ minutes.
But on the next drive they answered with a touchdown on a drive of a similar length and took the lead.
They took momentum for good as homecoming king Dustin Slowik stripped a Tide runner for a crucial fumble recovery. The Bulldogs offense rewarded the defense with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Blake Kulick to Gavin Treon.
That takeaway helped power the Bulldogs to a 28-12 triumph over the Tide at Bulldog Stadium.
"It was a big turnover," Claysburg-Kimmel coach Chuck Kassick said of the Slowik takeaway. "It was huge because they took so much time in that first quarter. We knew we were getting the second half kickoff. We knew we were playing with house money and our kids responded."
Play of the game: Slowik's strip and recovery in the second quarter which set up the second Bulldog touchdown.
Player of the game: Slowik
Unsung heroes: Kulick and Treon connected on two touchdown passes. The second coming in the fourth quarter which gave the Bulldogs a critical two-possession lead with a little over nine minutes to play. Kulick also racked up 86 yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown on the ground.
Most vital statistics: 14 of the Bulldogs points came off of two Golden Tide turnovers.
Kassick: "Just like every other week, we're outsized out front, but it's two teams that are pretty equal as far as ability level, Our kids got a couple more matchups that we wanted. Watching that first drive, eight minutes of the first quarter, scoring a touchdown, I started thinking to myself this is going to be a really short night. Our kids bounced back and played hard. It was nice to get into the best formation in football.''
Curwensville Brad Sopic: "It's been a tough year so far. We have a lot of things that go well, but then we beat ourselves at times. That's what happened tonight. Those guys made some plays when they had to. Give them credit.''
Kassick on team growth: "These kids know you got to put the work in beforehand, and not just the week before, during camp. They're starting to understand the game better, it's slowing down. Credit to those kids and our coaches. It's nice to get that win because it's something they can push for.''
Notable: Both teams punted just once. ... Statistically, both teams were almost even. ... The Bulldogs had 14 first downs to the Tide's 13. ... Claysburg also racked up 196 yards on the ground to Curwensville's 191. ... Reed Hawkins led the Golden Tide with 11 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown. ... Cara Ebersole was crowned homecoming queen during the halftime ceremony.
Records: Curwensville (0-8); Claysburg-Kimmel (1-7)
Next week: Curwensville travels to Juniata Valley while Claysburg-Kimmel hosts Moshannon Valley next Friday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Curwensville 6 0 0 6 -- 12
Claysburg-Kimmel 0 14 0 14 -- 28
First Quarter
C--Hawkins 6 run (kick failed), 3:25.
Second Quarter
CK--Quarello 7 run (Fee kick), 8:08.
CK--Treon 8 pass from Kulick (Fee kick), 4:42.
Fourth Quarter
CK--Treon 28 pass from Kulick (Fee kick), 9:40.
CK--Kulick 5 run (Fee kick), 4:01.
C--Peoples 34 pass from Wisor (run failed), 3:01
TEAM STATISTICS C CK
First downs 13 14
Total yards 231 267
Rushes-yards 32-191 41-196
Yards passing 40 71
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 2-8-1 6-8-0
Punts-avg. 1-29 1-29
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 3-15 4-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Curwensville, Holland 3-23, Hawkins 11-102, Lash 5-34, Proud 4-13, B. Swatsworth 2-14, Gustafson 2-5, TEAM 1-0. Claysburg-Kimmel, Treon 4-13, Kulick 21-86, Quarello 10-34. Soler 5-64, TEAM 1-(-1).
PASSING--Curwensville, Proud 1-7-1-6, Wisor 1-1-0-34. Claysburg-Kimmel, Kulick 6-8-0-71.
RECEIVING--Curwensville, Peoples 2-40. Claysburg-Kimmel, Treon 6-71.