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COUDERSPORT -- Coudersport clinched the District 9, Region 3 title on Friday with a 56-0 victory over visiting Sheffield.
After starting 1-3, the Falcons have won four region games in a row to improve to 5-3 overall and 4-0 in Region 3.
Sheffield, which lost four fumbles and had a punt blocked vs. Coudy, is 0-7 after being shut out for the second straight week. The program is in the midst of a 26-game losing streak with one game left in the 2023 regular season.
"Coudy is a great team," said Sheffield coach Mike Barr. "They're physical; combine that with five (Sheffield) starters lost to injury over the course of the season -- four knee injuries and a concussion …
"I am very proud of these guys," said Barr of the Wolverines, who finish 0-5 in Region 3 play. "They went out and made the best of it. We have a lot of heart on the team. We had to do some maneuvering of personnel around this week. Zach Barnes moved from center to fullback and played a very solid game there. Zach ran well in between the tackles. Hayden Holden is workhorse; he had a solid night, offensively and defensively. Hayden is the type of kid you can build your defense around. He had a great run of about 60 yards to set us up in first and goal, but we would then fumble it over to them. Freshman Caleb Steffan played a great game. This kid may be on the smaller side, but I think it's a name you will hear a lot of in the future of Sheffield football. That kid plays with heart."
Playing short-handed, Sheffield allowed rushing touchdowns to five Falcons: Dylan Howard, John Wright, Viggo Brown, Jett Finch and Jamie Liller. Howard also caught a touchdown pass from Gavyn Ayers, and Ayers returned a punt for a score. Jackson Moss added a kickoff return for a touchdown for Coudersport, which completes its Region 3 schedule at Bucktail (5-3) on Friday.
"We had a lot of mental mistakes, and that's because we are young," said Barr. "Going into next week, we will have Alex Marfink back; he cleared protocol yesterday and we get a couple of MRI results back. This is our last week. We end in St. Marys against ECC. (I'm) looking forward to a good week of practice, so we can finish strong."