Falconer

Portville Football

Game 4

Falconer 32 @ PCS 23

Friday Sept. 24 7:30 pm

The Panthers got blistered by Falconer in their first league game, as Curt Jones ran the ball 42 times for 367 yards and scored 5 touchdowns. Portville certainly did not look like the #3 team in the state, giving up a total of 426 yards rushing, but were still in the game with just minutes to go.

Portville's offense was out of sync and the defense was out of whack, as Falconer went up 19-0 in the second quarter. With 34 seconds left in the half, Portville finally scored, as QB Brian Nitsche took it in from the 21.

Falconer scored again in the 3rd, going up 26-6 before PCS mounted an attack. With 8 minutes to go in the game, the Panthers roared back with a Nitsche to Jarid Lowe TD pass. This followed a beautiful touchdown pass to Kirk Austin at the beginning of the final quarter. The score stood at 26-23, and the situation looked hopeful...until Jones did it again, and the game was out of reach.

All of the XP attempts by Portville were good, but this fact was one of the few positives for the Panthers on this night. The Panthers were able to recover 2 Falconer fumbles and block an XP kick, but they were flagged for 60 yards total.

Falconer won the 1st down battle 14-8, thanks to their superb blocking and running. Jones' total rushing yards was an all-time unofficial record against a Portville team. Otto-Eldred's Ed Crandall rushed for 302 yards in their 65-6 win over the Panthers in 1976. Incredibly, Jones missed last week's game due a hip injury, which "plagued" him this whole night.

Nitsche scrambled for 60 yards during the match and was able to pass for 92 yards and 2 TDs, but the ferocious Falconer players were too much for Portville. From a fan's point of view, poor tackling and lack of intensity ruined the Panthers' chances of pulling out a victory.

Despite playing terrible, Portville was still in the game until the last 5 minutes. Hopefully, the squad will be able to regroup, repent from their mistakes, and take it to the next level. They may see Falconer again this year.

Rivalry Began in 1985

Falconer leads series: 10-9

Points: Falconer - 325 PCS - 264

1985 Falconer 21 PCS 12

1986 PCS 15 Falconer 14

1987 Falconer 19 PCS 6

1988 Falconer 28 PCS 14

1989 Falconer 3 PCS 0

1990 Falconer 36 PCS 7

1991 Falconer 33 PCS 0

1992 PCS 12 Falconer 0

1993 Falconer 36 PCS 14

1994 Falconer 22 PCS 8

1995 PCS 14 Falconer 13

1996 PCS 36 Falconer 6

1997 PCS 7 Falconer 0

1998 Falconer 27 PCS 0

1999 PCS 19 Falconer 7

2000 PCS 20 Falconer 7

2001 PCS 33 Falconer 0

2002 Falconer 33 PCS 20

2003 PCS 27 Falconer 20

Visiting team has won 10 of the 19 clashes

PRELUDE TO GAME 4 with FALCONER

The non-league portion of the schedule is complete for the Portville Panther football team, and they are riding high at 3-0. The victories were over three good opponents, but the next 5 league games are what count toward the playoffs and Ralph Stadium.

Falconer has a good program and has consistently been a nemesis for PCS since the rivalry began in the mid-80s. They employ a power run offense with large running backs. Overall, they have bigger bodies, and the Panthers will have to elevate their intensity and play. Every team in the league is aiming for Portville. "We got a big bulls-eye on our back," warns Coach Swetland.

After 3 games, Portville has out-rushed its opponents 657-230 yards, but are behind in passing yards 315-249. Even though the coaches called off the dogs early in the first 2 games, Portville's offense is averaging 301.7 total yards per game, while opponents are at 182 per game.

This has translated into 93 points (31 per game), 12 touchdowns, 2 field goals, and 13 XP points. The opposition has 38 points (13 per game), 6 TDs, and only 2 XP points. RB Joe Holcomb leads the TD attack with 3, while TE Brad Holcomb, QB Brian Nitsche, and RB Alex Woodhead each have two. Kirk Austin, Josh Haynes, and Jarid Lowe have also scored a TD, and K Kris Young has contributed 10 points. Nitsche has thrown for 3 TDs and 2 XP strikes, while completing almost half his passes overall.

Portville is +3 in takeaways, with Joe Holcomb taking an interception for a TD. The biggest problem for PCS statistically and mentally is penalties. Portville has been flagged 27 times for 263 penalty yards. This translates into 90 yards per game, essentially wiping out the team's passing yards.

The defense has been extraordinary, and the first team has had 4 TDs scored against it. The Alden shut-out was a great achievement. Matt Miller, Brad Holcomb, and Jarid Lowe lead the squad in tackles, followed by Brad Hill, Haynes, Nitsche, Ross Degolier, Joe, and Woodhead. Ross, Brad, Eric Caya, and Woodhead have recorded sacks, while Lowe and Woodhead have blocked kicks.

The Panthers have out-scored the opposition 53-6 in the first half, and this is a sign of a great team. All of the components are firing well enough for this group to go a long way, as long as they continue to think, hit hard, and achieve their goals each play.

Punishing Panther '04 Results