Hornets improve to 2-0; top Canton, 34-6.

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Wellsboro's football team improved to 2-0 on the young season following a 34-6 Northern Tier League road football win at Canton Saturday.

It was the Hornets' 1995 league opener. Canton fell to 0-2 on the season.

Wellsboro exploded for all 34 of their points in the middle two periods. Russ Manney and Jared Mahon combined to score all five Hornet touchdowns, with kicker Chris Fuller booting four of five extra points.

Manney finished the afternoon with 123 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Mahon ran the ball 11 times for 42 yards and crossed the goal line three times, once on a run, once on a pass reception, and once on an interception return.

The Wellsboro defense played well too, limiting Canton to three first downs and only 94 yards of total offense.

Following a scoreless first quarter, the Hornets broke out for 21 second period points. Manney capped an 82 yard drive with a five yard scoring run to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

On Canton's next offensive series, the Hornets' Jay Young intercepted a Warrior pass. Several plays later, defensive back-turned-quarterback Young hit Mahon with a 40 yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0.

Seconds later, following Wellsboro's kickoff, Mahon intercepted another Warrior pass and returned it 56 yards for a score and a 21-0 Hornet lead which held up until halftime.

In the third quarter, Wellsboro put the icing on the cake, scoring twice more.

Manney's 36 yard scoring run on Wellsboro's first possession of the second half made the score 28-0 early in the third stanza. The barrage continued as Canton fumbled on their first offensive play following the Hornet kickoff.

Senior defensive tackle Rob Kreger recovered on the Canton two-yard line, and one play later, Mahon was in the end zone again.

The teams then settled into a back and forth, middle of the field battle from that point on, until Canton drove downfield and scored on a five yard run by Curt Smith as time expired in the fourth quarter.

Young finished the game with four completions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Mahon caught three of the balls for 64 yards, Ed Murphy hauled in one for 14 yards.

Wellsboro's defense caused three crucial Canton turnovers, while the Hornet offense only turned the ball over one time on an interception.

Wellsboro tries to make it three in a row this Friday night when they play host to the Jersey Shore Bulldogs in a 7:30 p.m. non-league game. It is the Hornets' home opener.