NTL FOOTBALL: WELLSBORO EARNS HOME-OPENING WIN OVER COWANESQUE VALLEY (September 4, 2026)

Northern Tier West Sports Report
WELLSBORO — The Hornets welcomed Cowanesque Valley for a Week 2 match-up Friday night and after a slow start by both squads, Wellsboro doubled up the Indians .. 26-13 .. for their first win of the season.

It was a tale of two halves as the teams combined for eight first half possessions that resulted in three punts, two interceptions, a turnover-on-downs, a blocked field goal attempt and a Wellsboro score that left them up 6-0 at the break .. followed by a second half that started with five straight scores that provided the 26-13 final.

CV took the opening kickoff and would punt after failing to reach midfield. Wellsboro’s Colton Hauser got a hand on Cam Stahli’s kick and the Hornets took over at the CV 39.

Stahli would put an end to the Wellsboro drive at the CV 6-yard line though, picking off Hornet QB Griffin Morral, but the Indians would go three-and-out on their second possession and punt the ball away again, this time driving the Hornets back to their own 34.

The Hornets also went three-and-out, punting it back to CV, who put together an 11-play drive that took the game into the second quarter and left the Indians with a 4th-and-goal at the Wellsboro 5-yard line. The Hornets’ Jorden Hines blocked CV’s attempt and Wellsboro took over at their own 19.

Griffin Morral found brother Grady Morral for a 35-yard gain on 2nd-and-9 and then hit Christian Main for 44-yards down to the CV 1-yard line. Griffin finished off the drive from there and after a missed PAT, the Hornets led 6-0 with 8:28 left in the first half. 

Cowanesque Valley took the ensuing kickoff and put together an 11-play drive .. highlighted by a number of small gains on the ground by QB Dave Hess and Colten Begley, a pair of Wellsboro penalties and a 15-yard pass play from Hess to Gavin Churchill. The drive would stall out at the Wellsboro 20-yard line, however, and the Indians would turn it over on a 4th-and 6 incomplete pass. 

Wellsboro worked the first half clock down and got the ball out to CV’s side of the field, but with 5 seconds left Hess would pick off Griffin Morral’s Hail Mary attempt and the Hornets went into the locker rooms with a 6-0 lead.

The Hornets took the third quarter kickoff and went on an 11-play drive, highlighted by a number of gains by Reed Richardson and a 33-yard hook-up between Morral and Main and culminated by an 11-yard TD pass from Morral to Main with 7:09 left in the frame. A Morral (Griffin) to Morral (Grady) completion for the two-point-conversion gave the Hornets a 14-0 lead.

Begley took the ensuing kickoff back near midfield for CV and after a 33-yard completion from Hess to Max Millard on 3rd-and-16 gave the Indians a first down at the Hornet 22, Begley grabbed a pass from Hess down to the 10. A Wellsboro offsides put CV at the five and Hess finished off the drive from there with a TD run. Mason Wonderlich hit the PAT to make it 14-7 Wellsboro with just over four minutes left in the third.

Richardson was a workhorse for the Hornets on their ensuing drive, rattling off short gains, and after Griffin Morral added 14-yard and two-yard runs to get Wellsboro to the CV five, Richardson finished it off from there on the first play of the fourth quarter. The missed PAT left the Hornets up 20-7 with 11:56 left in the game.

CV wasn’t done, however, and after Stevie Olson took the ensuing kickoff out to midfield, the Indians found the end zone on a five-yard TD pass from Hess to Stahli. After the missed extra point, Wellsboro led 20-13 with just under seven minutes remaining. 

Wellsboro would answer quickly tho, as Grady Morral took the kickoff at his own 16 and went 84 yards for the game-sealing score. The Hornets again were no good on the PAT attempt, but led 26-13 with under seven minutes remaining in the game.

The teams traded punts on their next two possessions and Main picked off Hess to end CV’s final drive with less than three minutes left to seal the home win for Wellsboro.

Griffin Morral completed 11-of-19 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 29 yards on 12 carries and a score. Richardson led Wellsboro's ground attack with 54 yards on 12 carries and a score and had one catch for 10 yards.

Main caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Max Mascho added 28 yards on four carries and had a catch for six yards.

Hess finished 8-of-13 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown and rushed 17 times for 80 yards and a score. Stahli caught three passes for 50 yards and a score.

Begley gained 33 yards on 12 carries and had a catch for 12 yards, while Millard caught two balls for 46 yards and had six carries for six yards and Gavin Churchill had two catches for 16 yards.

Both Wellsboro (1-1) and CV (0-2) return to action Friday, as the Hornets visit Loyalsock and the Indians are at Athens. 

PHOTOS: Lance Larcom



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