PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (D9Sports) — The new Clarion/Clarion-Limestone/North Clarion co-op flexed its muscle early and often in a 70-6 romp at Punxsutawney.

(Photo of the Clarion Bobcats football team at the preseason bonfire Thursday night. Photo courtesy of Clarionsportszone.com)

Austin Newcomb, who set the single-season District 9 rushing record last year while playing for C-L, picked up where he left off rushing 11 times for 187 yards and four touchdowns while adding a catch for nine yards. He scored the Bobcat’s first three touchdowns in the first quarter on runs of 22, 6 and 32 yards, and Clarion led 27-0 at the end of 12 minutes before making it 42-0 at halftime. Newcomb then added a 48-yard score in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Cal German threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes to Ethan Burford.

German was 5-for-8 for 137 yards and the two scores with Burford catching four passes for 128 yards scoring on passes of 64 and 18 yards.

Kyle Bottaro added a 23-yard scoring run for Clarion with Cutter Boggess scoring on a 2-yard run, Breckin Rex on a 44-yard scamper and Alex Garduno on a 27-yard run.

Zeke Bennett caught a 61-yard pass from Seth Moore in the fourth quarter for Punxsutawney’s lone score.

Clarion outgained the Chucks 608 to 124 yards including 471 to 16 on the ground and had 22 first downs to Punxsy’s four.

Rex also went over 100 yards on the ground for the Bobcats with four carries for 103 yards while Boggess added 51 yards on seven totes and Bottaro 41 on four.

Bennett had the one catch for 61 yards and ran for a team-high eight yards on three carries. Kameron Falgout was 5 of 8 passing for 47 yards with Micah Kriebel catching a team-best four passes for 24 yards.