Hornets notch a win in opener.

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Wellsboro ruined South Williamsport's first game playing in the Northern Tier league as the Hornets (1-0 overall, 1-0 NTL) notched a 27-21 victory over the Mountaineers Friday night at home.

Both teams made their share of mistakes during the game. Wellsboro had a couple of turnovers deep in its own territory that led to Mountie scores, while South had its own miscues.

Wellsboro head coach Chris Morral said after the game that teams always have some mental mistakes early in the season.

"One thing we did all night was we bounced back from them," Morral said.

His squad also took advantage of South's miscues, including a fumble on a key fourth quarter punt that allowed Wellsboro to score the winning touchdown.

Wellsboro's offensive line was effective in keeping the pressure off of junior quarterback Tim Shaw who is now 3-0 in starts dating back to last season. Shaw rushed for 119 yards on 13 carries, though much of his yardage was from a 71 yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Shaw was also 6 for 11 passing gaining 82 yards through the air. His favorite target was Cameron Hubbard, who caught three passes for 56 yards.

On the ground, Wellsboro's Jesse Tom ran 11 times for 36 yards while Jake Monks ran four times for 28 yards.

Morral said part of the strategy was to put the ball in the hands of the play makers. "Our offense executed when they needed to and we need to get better each week," he said.

Morral did say that the South Williamsport team was well coached, but added that his team was good enough to win if they limit mistakes.

On the defensive side, the Hornets shut down the Mounties' dual running threat of Preston Breen and Patton Bartholomew. While the two did rush for a combined 207 yards, the Hornet defense limited the scoring opportunities and held on a key fourth down and three at the Wellsboro 14-yard line.

That stop on South's opening drive gave Wellsboro the ball, but the Hornets went three and out. After stopping the Mounties on the next possession, the Hornets got the ball on their own 25-yard line. After a short run by Tom, Shaw took the second snap of the drive himself. A quick cutback helped Shaw elude linebacker Travis Williams and he scored six points 71 yards later. The two-point conversion was good and Wellsboro took the 8-0 lead.

Wellsboro ajain held the Mounties and on the ensuing punt, Tom nearly took the return the whole way. He was stopped at the South 3-yard line by the punter, Jarred Caroway, who was also the quarterback. The Hornets capped the short scoring dnve on a seven yard pass from Shaw to Hubbard. The extra point was good and Wellsboro extended their lead to 15-0.

Wellsboro held the Mounties on the next drive, but Hubbard fumbled on the punt return, allowing South's Wade Morehart to recover at the nine-yard line. The Mounties scored three plays later, but the two-point conversion run was stopped by Levi Hewitt.

On Wellsboro's very next play, they again fumbled and gave the Mounties the ball at the 19-yard line. Bartholomew capped off the short scoring drive with a four yard run. The extra point was good and Wellsboro's lead was down to 15-13 with 2:29 left in the half.

But that was just enough time for Wellsboro to march down the field. Hubbard made up for his earlier miscue and hauled in a 25 yard touchdown pass from Shaw as time expired in the half. The Hornets took a 21-13 lead into the locker room.

There was no scoring in the third quarter, but the Mounties continued a long drive that started at the end of the third quarter. They marched 76 yards, mostly on the running of Breen and Bartholomew, for the score by Breen. The two point conversion knotted the game at 21 all.

The Hornets' next drive was halted and Wellsboro was forced to punt. Wellsboro, however, caught a break on special teams when Caroway misplayed the punt by Jake Coolidge. Shaw recovered at the South 24 yard line, The short drive was highlighted by Monks' only reception, a leaping catch for 15 yards. Tom capped off the drive, scoring on a six yard touchdown run for the final score of the game.

South got the ball back with less than three minutes to play, but a final Hail Mary pass was easily broken up by the Wellsboro secondary. The Hornets now travel to Canton for a Saturday afternoon game. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m.