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The Wellsboro Hornets traveled to Renovo on Friday night to take on the Bucktail High School Bucks. The Hornets scored early and often after a 63 yard pass from Mike Pietropola to Nick Marple set up a three yard touchdown pass from Pietropola to Nick Levindoski. On their next possession, Pietropola found Kieron Smethers in the corner of the end zone – giving the Hornets a 14-0 advantage.

Less than a minute later, Smethers scored defensively after ripping the ball from the hands of Bucktail’s quarterback, Kiefer Masson, and sprinted in for 6. Wellsboro’s defense wasn’t finished, adding points as Tony Cooper tackled Bucktail’s Aaron Ransdorf in the end zone for the safety.

The Hornet’s running game scored them even further when Levi Mack ran for a 44 yard touchdown. The Hornets scored one final time in the first quarter when Pietropola found Smethers again – this time on a screen pass. Wellsboro led 37-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw no difference as Mack drove in from 10 yards out, giving the Hornets a 44-0 advantage. The Hornets defense stopped Buckail’s attack quickly after Nick Marple picked off a pass in the end zone. This set up Pietropola’s fourth touchdown pass of the day – an 80 yard bomb to Marple.

In the second half the Hornets let many of their younger players gain some experience. Early in the second half, the Bucks broke the shutout when Aaron Ransdorf dashed 62 yards for the score. The Hornets recovered quickly after backup quarterback Brandon Lamphier ran for his first two touchdowns of the year, going 24 and 50 yards respectively.

The Bucks made a late attempt at points with a nearly successful hook and lateral play, but Wellsboro’s defense held on for a 71-6 victory.