Numerous Milestones Reached In Bobcats’ Playoff Win Over Tide (11/10/14)

A number of milestones were reached as the Clarion Bobcats downed the Curwensville Golden Tide 34-13 in their District Nine Class-A Football match-up at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday (November 7).

Senior running back Ian Corbett ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 8 carries, before leaving game with an injury in the second quarter, setting the All-Time Single Season Rushing mark for the Bobcats as he ran his total to 1914 yards.

(Photos by Bri Nellis of Bri Nellis Photography) Ian Corbett

The total is also (according to any information, I’ve gathered over the years) the All-Time Little 7-12/KSAC record and leaves Ian just 86 yards shy of the coveted 2000 yard mark. Corbett also surpassed the 3500 career mark and now stands at 3574, moving him into second place behind Kyle Cathcart. He has now carried the ball exactly 300 times, in his career. His first touchdown of the night was also his 30th on the season.

Colton Rapp became the first freshman to rush over 500 yards, on his first carry of the game and then proceeded to become the first to go over 600 yards, as he gained 125 yards on 14 carries. His total rushing yardage now stands at 616.

Coach Wiser recorded his 190th career win, moving him to within 10 of the Holy Grail-200 win mark.

The Bobcat seniors finished their home season, as the rest of the playoff games will be at neutral sites, having never lost a home game in their varsity careers.

The game:

Curwensville went three-and-out on their first possession and lined up to punt. While the punter fielded the snap at his own 22, his knee touched the turf, grounding the ball at that spot, giving the Cats excellent field position. It only took two runs by Corbett, 16 yards and then six yards to put Clarion on the scoreboard and with a successful conversion run by Jacob Troutman, the Bobcats led 8-0, just a minute-ten into the game.

After several changes of possession, the Tide mounted a sustained drive, with hard runs by freshman Nick Stewart, who finished with 181 yards on 34 carries on the night, matching his jersey #34. He had a 23 yard run and a 35 yarder on the drive, which came to naught when Destin Strauser recovered a fumble at the Clarion ten.

Destin Strauser on a tackle

The recovery was the start of the Cats’ next scoring drive, capped by a 79 yard touchdown by Corbett, which broke the single season rushing mark and a conversion pass hookup between quarterback Taylor Smith and tight end Ethan Straffin. The Cats now led 16-0, with 42 seconds left in the opening stanza.

After the teams traded punts, Curwensville mounted a scoring drive, in which they converted on three 4th down plays. Stewart capped the drive with a 3 yard touchdown, with 1:23 left in the half, cutting Clarion’s lead to 13-6. Curwensville moved to within three, 16-13, at 7:27 of the third, on a 56 yard run by Stewart and a PAT kick by Heather Thorp. This could possibly be the first point scored by a female, in a D-9 Football playoff game.

Now it was gut check time for the Cats, the District’s premiere running back on the sideline for the rest of the game and a tough as nails Golden Tide team just 3 points behind in the second half, with a lot of time to go.

Time for the HOGS and Strauser, Troutman and Rapp to take matters into their own hands and the defense to come up big. And did they ever. Talk about not being denied. The Bobcat O-Line firing off the ball and opening big holes, Strauser with some punishing runs, softening the interior of the Tide defense, as well as dishing out some monster hits on defense and Corbett with some great outside runs and Troutman with a touchdown run, coming with 36 seconds left in the third, giving the Cats a nine point cushion at 22-13.

Strauser ran the ball in from 5 yards out, with 6:01 left in the game, giving Clarion more breathing room, at 28-13 capping a 60 yard drive. The big play of the drive was a  47 yard run by Rapp. A 6 yard return, of a Tide fumble by Straffin, with twenty-four seconds left in the game, set the final at 34-14.

The Bobcats will now play the Kane Wolves, in a District Nine Class-A Semi-Final game, at 6:00PM Saturday (November 15), at E. J. Mansel Stadium in Dubois. The Union Golden Knights and Brockway Rovers will meet in the other Semi-Final at 1:00PM at the same location. Karns City will meet St. Marys in the Class-AA Final at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 7:00PM Friday (November 14). D9Sports.com has listing of other D-9 Playoff games.

Colton Rapp

Some key Bobcat stats:

Troutman had a fine all-around game. In addition to the touchdown and conversion runs, he had 11 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Strauser carried 8 times for 68 yards and had 11 tackles. Luke Nellis had 11 tackles. Straffin had 10 tackles.

CAT QUOTES

Ian Corbett: “It kind of (hurts) right now not being able to play the whole game. I’m glad we won and everything. We’ll see how it is next week.

“I was glad the team pulled together at halftime, after coming out in the second quarter. We played pretty well. Some of the younger guys really stepped up.”

Jacob Troutman: “We came out real slow and the second half, we came out and started firing. Ian and I both got a little banged up in our ribs, but other than that we’re pretty solid.

“Destin was playing his top game. That’s awesome. Our line started really pushing for us in the second half. Those big runs, that’s what got it for us.”

Destin Strauser: “When somebody gets hurt on the team, it really doesn’t hurt just the individual. It kind of affects the whole team. Someone’s got to really step up out there. And Ethan and I are Captains. We had a big speech at half time and it could have been one of my last games and I wasn’t having that (losing).

“I’ve never lost on Clarion University’s field and I got to start all three years for him (Coach Wiser). It’s been a pleasure.

The Bobcat Defense was tough all night.

“I wanted Ian to get back. But when someone gets hurt, someone’s got to step up and take the reins. You just got to run hard and put the pedal down and not let up. Both teams were running hard and we just came out on the upper end.

“A big shout out to our line, coming out in the second half and throwing some phenomenal blocks out there. Ethan, before my one touchdown, he just kept it going for another half second. He was just right there and let me push it right in.

“Just a big shout out to our whole line, as always. Just did a heck of a job, and to (Coach Smith for giving me the ball, letting me try to do something. I did my best.

“I love defense way more than offense, but when something comes up you have to do both.

“Defense, you just get that feel when you hit someone real hard. You hit them a couple of times real hard and they don’t want to run towards you. But they (Curwensville) kept on going. They didn’t back down much. But you just got to do what you got to do, (get low) and put your shoulder into them and see who comes out on top.

“We all did a great job and a shout out to the coaches for doing everything well and our line. We couldn’t have a better game out there, snow, just a beautiful night.”

Colton Rapp (On being first Bobcat freshman over 500 yards rushing) “It feels great. It’s just good having those linemen up front, really pushing the pile, keeping everything moving, and really getting those big first downs when we needed them. They came up big for us a few times.”

(On he and Destin stepping it up) “We knew we were really going to have to step it up, with Ian and Jake out. It wasn’t going to be easy. We’d really have to come together as a team and get everybody going and get everybody into it.”

Coach Wiser: “I want to start by saying our kids had their backs to the wall. Momentum was going against them. I like the way they responded. Even after they went down and scored right after halftime, there was that moment when things could have gone either way. I thought our kids responded really well. Even with some of the adversity, some of the calls, roughing the punter and so forth, and lose perspective of where they were at, with the game.

“Our thing was to keep playing one play at a time. Our theme is always 0-0 at halftime. Are we a team of one player? No question Ian’s a great football player but I think were a great football team and I think the young Rapp boy and Destin among other guys. I think Destin ran the ball hard and was getting some positive yardage, especially when we were facing even more adversity with even more guys going down. I think at one point we had three or four starters that were hurt and weren’t playing during the second half. So even that aspect of it is a true testament to these kids and their efforts to win the game.

“Defensively we played well. We’d (make mistakes), but then bam, bam, bam, we’d stay focused every play of the game and you can’t ever relax there. I hope that is a good lesson for us.

“We had a chance to put the game away early. We had (several) opportunities to get the ball in the endzone and didn’t. We can’t miss those opportunities. You get the ball inside the thirty yard line, you have to score. And that’s something Coach Smith has been doing very well over the years.

“But today, hats off to Curwensville. They had a nice game plan, to contain a little bit of our east-west game.

“Again kudos to our kids coming back. We just did it the old Clarion High School way, straight at ‘em and bang. That was kind of the approach the second half, with Destin getting the ball and with Rapp every once in a while we’d run it outside. But most of that yardage was being made between the tackles. Nice to see our offensive line step up there too.

“… There were times we could have folded the tent and packed it in. ‘Do you want to keep coming out practicing in this weather? It’s supposed to be even colder next week. That’s a true testament of our kids, where they want to go. They want another title. But we’ll look to next week and if we do well next week, we’ll get that opportunity to defend what we earned last year. But that was last year. We’ve got to earn it again this year.”

(C-93 broadcast the game and named Strauser and Stewart Players of the Game for their respective teams. Thanks to Bri Nellis of Bri Nellis Photography for the photos and to Matt Buchannan for spotting and taking notes for me. Congratulations on the big win Cats! Keep it going!)