Gowanda/Pine Valley Panthers quarterback Quentin Centner is stopped short on a hit by the Clymer/Sherman/Panama Wolfpack defense on fourth-and-goal during Friday’s Class D football game at Pine Valley High School. P-J photo by Braden Carmen

SOUTH DAYTON — They call it special teams for a reason. The Wolfpack proved that on Friday night.

Sparked by a Trent Phelps fumble recovery on the game-opening kickoff and a kickoff return for a touchdown by Brayden Hayes to open the second half, the Clymer/Sherman/Panama Wolfpack defeated the Gowanda/Pine Valley Panthers 31-6 in a Class D game Friday at Pine Valley Central School.

C/S/P (2-1, 2-1 Class D) jumped ahead early 7-0 after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Gowanda/Pine Valley 30-yard line. Two plays later, Gabe Roth broke free for a 26-yard touchdown run to give the Wolfpack the lead before the first minute of play had passed.

Roth finished the contest with 102 yards rushing, including that touchdown run.

“I’m proud of guys like Gabe Roth and Brayden Hayes. Bryce Hinsdale was great as always. … Lucas Lisciandro is an incredible leader for us and I thought he helped to get our juice back there in the second half,” C/S/P head coach Ty Harper said. “I’m really proud of the guys that stepped up tonight.”

Gowanda/Pine Valley (2-1, 1-1 Class D) fought back after the opening drive with very physical play and did not let up any points the rest of the first half.

“Hats off to Gowanda/Pine Valley. They wanted it in that first half, I’d say more than we did — and that’s on me,” said Harper. “I’ve got to do a better job of making sure that we’re prepared from the opening kickoff. That wasn’t Wolfpack football in the first half.”

Once the second half began, so did the magic from the Wolfpack special teams unit.

Hayes fielded the kickoff to commence the second half, but dropped the ball and quickly scrambled to pick it back up. From that point on, it couldn’t have looked any prettier. Hayes dashed down the home sideline with great blocking ahead of him and breakaway speed at the end to outrun the coverage for an 86-yard touchdown.

“That opening kickoff of the second half was huge. That was definitely the catalyst for us,” said Harper, who noted that specific kickoff return play was implemented this week. “It definitely gave us some energy on the sideline.”

Just like Hayes never slowed down after the early hiccup on the return, the Wolfpack only gained ground as the game went on.

Hayes caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Tate Catanese with 4:48 left in the third quarter to extend the Wolfpack lead to 21-0. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack added a 23-yard field goal by Bryce Hinsdale — who also went 4 for 4 on extra points in the game — and a 34-yard touchdown run by Phelps with just under five minutes remaining in the game to extend the lead to 31-0.

The Panthers added a touchdown with 1.9 seconds left on the clock to break up the shutout, as Harlee Conklin found the end zone from 11 yards out. Conklin was the highlight of the Panthers offense on the night with 24 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown in the game.

“My kids don’t quit,” said Gowanda/Pine Valley head coach Brett Ebling. “From the first whistle until the last whistle, we battled the whole time. We gave everything we had in this game.”

Ebling noted that with the game being played at Pine Valley for the only time this season, he wanted to send the Pine Valley seniors out on a high note.

“That doesn’t bother me at all,” Harper said of the late score. “Coach Ebling is doing a great job over here. I have nothing but great things to say about them.”

Up next for C/S/P is a trip to face winless Cattaraugus-Little Valley — which lost Friday to Silver Creek/Forestville 48-6 — on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Next for Gowanda/Pine Valley is a road matchup at Wilson on Friday at 7 p.m.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama 7 0 14 10 — 31

Gowanda/Pine Valley 0 0 0 6 — 6

C/S/P–Roth 26 run (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P–Hayes 86 kickoff return (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P–Hayes 9 apss from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P–Hinsdale 23 FG

C/S/P–Phelps 34 run (Hinsdale kick)

G/PV–Conklin 11 run (conversion failed)