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Panthers down Black Knights

Gowanda/Pine Valley earns crucial road win in Silver Creek on Friday

OBSERVER Photo by Justin Goetz Panthers receiver Zack Smith heads for the endzone for a touchdown from quarterback Justin Kohn on Friday night.

SILVER CREEK — For the first time in over a decade, the Gowanda Panthers defeated the Silver Creek Black Knights in Class C North football 28-0 on Friday night.

“I am excited how we came out strong and continued with that type of performance in the second half,” said Gowanda coach Sean Gabel. “They played a complete game today and I’m really proud of what they were able to accomplish.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Gowanda (3-2, 3-3) went 90 yards down the field to put up the first points of the night. The Panthers converted a fourth and 12, which allowed the possession to continue. Damen MacLeod caught a 26 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Kohn to finish the drive.

On Gowanda’s next possession, a Silver Creek penalty on third and ten gave Gowanda new life. The Panther’s were then able to complete a fourth and five play before completing a fourth and two on the same drive. Gowanda took advantage of those opportunities with a 20 yard touchdown pass up the middle to Zack Smith.

“Converting those fourth down plays really goes to show the character of the football team,” said Gabel. “They had the mental toughness to stay with the plays and keep the chains moving. This isn’t how we want to draw up the offense, but after completing those first downs, the boys picked up tons of confidence.”

OBSERVER Photo by Justin Goetz Gowanda/Pine Valley running back Ryan Gernatt rushes the ball during Friday night’s game against the Silver Creek/Forestville Black Knights in Silver Creek.

After trading three and outs to start the second half, Gowanda went on a long 70 yard drive that took about eight minutes off the clock. Their possession consisted of many smaller runs up the middle through the Silver Creek defense, which was capped off by a one yard touchdown run from Adam Sisti.

According to Gabel, “That was a key point of the game for us as we were able to keep our offense on the field and push through the challenges that have hurt us in the past.”

Silver Creek’s (2-4, 2-4) defense came up big on Gowanda’s first two drives of the fourth quarter. On a fourth and three from the eight, Silver Creek was able to stop the run for a loss. After MacLeod’s interception brought the ball down to the Silver Creek 17, the Black Knight defense came through again and forced a turnover on downs. Gowanda’s defense then got the ball back on downs, which set up the Panther’s offense with first and goal at the ten, where Ryan Gernatt ran for an eight yard touchdown.

“They pushed us around the whole game up and down the field,” said Silver Creek coach Sean Helmer.

Gowanda’s offense accumulated 291 total yards highlighted by Justin Kohn going 10-13 for 125 yards with two touchdowns. MacLeod had five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown while Smith contributed with two receptions for 32 yards including a touchdown. Gowanda’s rushing attack was led by Gernatt who had 78 yards from 14 carries with a touchdown. Sisti added 38 yards from 11 attempts including a touchdown.

“This is a great group of young men and it showed with their leadership and perseverance,” Gabel added. “They played great as a group and continued to step up when called upon. Unfortunately we have a couple players that will get tests done to see what extent their injuries are.”

Gowanda’s defense limited Silver Creek to 94 yards total offense. Angel Caraballo led the team with 43 yards from 13 rushes. Austin Rott went 5-19 for 47 yards with an interception. Luke Szumigala had a 17 yard reception while Macadam Gadewoltz caught two passes for 21 yards.

Both teams hit the road next week with Gowanda visiting Akron and Silver Creek playing Chautauqua Lake.

According to Gabel, “We need to build off this game for next week. Justin is a solid quarterback who has found his mark as of late. There is a lot of talent around him, but we need to continue playing as a group for the entire game.”

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