Hornets top CV for First Win.

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The Wellsboro Hornets rode the running of junior tailback T.J. Layton to a 20-7 win over Cowanesque Valley Saturday in a non-league football contest at Westfield.

Layton rushed for 150 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns on runs of nine and 25 yards. The Hornets rushed for an impressive 256 yards on the day. Nick Wallace, the Hornet fullback, rumbled for 68 yards on 17 carries, and quarterback Tom Reese added 55 yards, also on 17 attempts. Reese also scored the game's initial touchdown.

Bob Bowers was Wellsboro's top pass catcher with three receptions for 27 yards. Gary Cooper led the defense with seven tackles.

Wellsboro scored first after a costly Cowanesque penalty. The Hornets were forced to punt from midfield on a fourth and long situation. The Indians were penalized on the punt play and the Hornets got a first down. They marched 45 yards to the end zone with Reese going the last four yards.

Another Cowanesque mistake in a punting situation led to the Hornets' second touchdown. Wellsboro punted to the Indians, but the kick was fumbled and recovered by Wellsboro on Cowanesque's 35-yard line. Several plays later, Layton ran in from nine yards out. Reese ran in the two-point conversion, and the Hornets led 14-0 early in the second period.

With three minutes left in the first half, Cowanesque scored their lone points of the afternoon on a 51 yard run by halfback Buddy Bowers. The extra point by Bisel cut Wellsboro's lead to seven, 14-7.

After a scoreless third period, Layton broke loose on a 25 yard touchdown run in the fourth period to make the final count 20-7.

Hornet head coach Jeff Strohl said that ball control and the success of the inside running game proved to be the keys to the win.

"Anytime you get 26 first downs you should be able to keep the ball away from your opponents effectively," Strohl commented. "And that's exactly what we did."

"Nick Wallace's inside rushing was also a key," Strohl continued. "With Nick picking up yardage over the center (Matt Mitchell) and the guards (John Hopkins and Cooper), the defense began blitzing their linebackers. That opened up our off tackle and outside plays for Layton and Reese who were able to cut back without finding any pursuit."

Another plus for Wellsboro was their play in the defensive secondary.

"The play of Dave Quackenbush, Perry Prough, Karl Hider, and Rick Layton really improved this week as all of them played fine games," Strohl said.

This Friday night, Wellsboro hosts Waverly in an 8:00 p.m. game.