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Spartans snap 18-game skid

HUGHESVILLE — Hughesville senior quarterback Jacob Corson called his own number on a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, capping a gutsy comeback, and earning the Spartans their first victory of the season, 21-20, over Towanda Friday night.

Trailing 20-13 after three quarters, Hughesville’s defense stymied Towanda on a fourth-and-7 play at the Spartans’ 24-yard-line with 8:10 to play.

Corson and the Hughesville offense grabbed the momentum earned by the defense, and drove 76 yards in the next 4:45. Along the way, Corson converted a pair of long-range fourth-down passes to sophomore Dylon Pequignot. The first covered 40 yards, and second carried 19 yards and resulted in a touchdown.

Still, the dramatics were only good enough to get the Spartans to within a point. Grabbing the lead required Corson to find the endzone on a naked bootleg. He did untouched and the celebration that followed the team’s first win of the year was at-hand.

Coverting the two-point conversion was not a worry for Corson or Hughesville coach Adam Gehr.

“Our motto is fight to the last play,” Corson explained after the senior night victory. “We knew we were in the game the whole time. Eventually, we got the momentum and ended up pulling it out.”

Hughesville (1-8) begin the game with a surge, scoring a touchdown on its first possession. Junior running back Brenden Knight found the endzone from six yards out and Justus Leighow converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 2:27 left in the first quarter.

Towanda (2-7), winners of two straight after and 0-6 start, charged back with two strikes from quarterback Tanner Kunkle (6 for 10,136, 2 TDs). The Black Knights determined signal-caller found Benjamin-Fee Haven for a 66-yard score, and later in the quarter, hooked up with Trent Kithcart from 33 yards out for a 13-7 halftime lead.

Despite trailing at halftime, both Corson and Gehr like their chances in the second half.

“Coach Gehr does a great job of prepping us,” Corson said. “Every Monday is a new week and we come in with a opportunity to win. I think we’ve done a really good job of putting everything behind us and continuing to play hard. The only game that matters is the next one.”

A positive attitude was evident for the Spartans to start the third quarter. Towanda was forced to punt on its opening possession of the frame, and the result had Hughesville backed up on its own 4-yard line. After two run plays were stuffed for minimal gains, Corson faced a third-down and long.

Taking a shotgun snap in the endzone, the lanky QB scrambled to buy time. Eventually, he was able to find senior wide receiver Ethan Snyder cutting across the field. Delivering a strike, Corson gave Snyder enough room to turn up field and dart to the endzone for a 96-yard scoring play with 6:36 on the third-quarter clock.

The PAT was blocked, leaving the game deadlocked at 13-13.

“In the second half, we had the big play with Snyder making two guys miss after a great ball from Corson,” Gehr explained. “Then (Towanda) came back and scored again, but we still needed to make one more stop.”

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