Wellsboro defense rises to the occasion, 7-0.

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Duane Stocum and Matt Sweet combined to stop Canton running back Curtis Smith on a fourth-and-goal run from the one-yard line with just under two minutes left to play Friday night, to preserve a Wellsboro 7-0 Northern Tier League football win over the Warriors.

The win upped the Hornets reason record to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the NTL. Canton fell to 2-4 overall, 2-3 in league action.

Wellsboro scored the only points of the evening in the second quarter when junior running back Andy DeLeonardis found the end zone from three yards out.

Dave Laczi's extra point proved to be the end of the scoring, but not of the drama.

The Hornet scoring drive covered 94 yards, more than half of their 177 yards of total offense for the entire evening.

After the Wellsboro score, Canton's defense stiffened. The Hornets were able to muster only 11 second half rushing yards on 10 carries.

Matt Kennedy topped the Hornet rushing total, netting 102 yards on 15 attempts. He also had a 44 yard apparent touchdown run in the fourth quarter called back for a clipping penalty.

Smith finished the night with a game high 182 yards on 36 carries. Canton outgained Wellsboro 280 yards to 177, but the Hornet defense came through when it counted most.

Canton took the ball following a Wellsboro punt late in the fourth quarter and moved smartly downfield and looked as though a potential game-winning score was just a matter of time.

The Warriors had a first and goal from just outside Wellsboro's five yard line and gave the ball to Smith three times in a row.

He advanced the ball to the one yard line, and got the ball again on fourth and one. Stocum and Sweet stuck Smith hard and threw him back for no gain and the Hornets took over on downs and ran out the clock.

Neither team was guilty of a turnover.

Wellsboro quarterback John Lundgren completed four of nine throws for 44 yards. Senior wideout Ed Murphy hauled in two of them for 26 yards.

Canton's Brock Kitchen completed half of his 16 attempts for 87 yards.

This week, Wellsboro hosts Warnor Run High School in their third and final non-league encounter of the season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.