Falconer’s Angelo Marra (10) celebrates with teammate Scott Macey following the Golden Falcons’ September 1996 win over Southwestern. P-J file photo

The September 1996 clipping, housed in a file cabinet in The Post-Journal sports department, features a color photograph with a caption that reads as follows:

“Chris Muscarella of Falconer finds plenty of running room en route to a 40-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter of Friday night’s Division 7 football game against Southwestern.”

The headline accompanying the story contains five words: “Falconer Wins At The Wire.”

Anyone who has followed the rivalry between Falconer (now Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove) and Southwestern since then, however, is aware that that particular 42-point font headline has not been used again.

Because, well, the Trojans haven’t lost to the Golden Cougars since.

That’s a quarter-century worth of dominance.

In fact, entering Friday night’s 97th clash at Bill Race Field, Southwestern has won a whopping 25 straight games and now holds a 52-34-10 advantage. That’s why Falconer alums Jay Grann and Angelo Marra, teammates for the Golden Falcons’ last win over their rival from West Ellicott, recall 1996 so fondly.

“There’s really only one thing to remember about it,” said Grann, who was a junior receiver/defensive back, on Wednesday night.

Added Marra, the senior quarterback/defensive back back then: “High school, college, that was the greatest game I’ve ever been involved in.”

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For the record, Falconer won the game 13-8, but what may have been lacking in scoring — it was 0-0 at halftime — was more than made up for by the dramatic goal-line stand by the Golden Falcons to secure the win and — at the time — a 34-27-10 series edge.

“That game was the game of the year,” Marra said.

Following is a summary of the highlights from that tilt at Bill Race Field, gleaned from The Post-Journal’s account the next day.

¯ Muscarella snapped a scoreless tie in the third quarter with the 40-yard touchdown run. Casey Grann’s point-after boot was good, giving the Golden Falcons a 7-0 lead. Midway through the fourth quarter, Southwestern’s J.C. Matteson broke loose for a 40-yard run, taking the ball deep into Falconer territory. From there, Ryan Westrom found paydirt on a 5-yard burst and quarterback Dusty Carlson was successful on a 2-point conversion run.

The Trojans led 8-7.

¯ Then Falconer coach Bill Davenport decided to dig deep into his playbook.

“I still felt pretty confident,” he said after the game. “We ran some things at them we hadn’t shown very much earlier. We came back with the option and (Marra) started making some good decisions on it.”

On the Golden Falcons’ final drive, Marra had option runs of 17, 23 and 8 yards before taking the ball in from a yard out.

“We just kept running the same play,” Marra said.

The 2-point conversion run failed, but Falconer led 13-8 with just under three minutes remaining.

“We take the lead, but I’m exhausted, and I have to kick off,” Marra said.

¯ Starting at its own 25 with 2:52 left on its ensuing possession, Southwestern used a 56-yard pass from Carlson to Jason Slagle to move the ball to the Falconer 4-yard line.

First and goal.

“I’m the one who had to chase (Slagle) down,” Grann said. “He was gone. I still remember (assistant coach Tim Butzer) all week telling us not to let (Slagle) get across our face, because he’s got speed. He’s faster than everybody.”

Grann laughed at that memory and then said: “(But) apparently not me.”

Noted Marra, who was paired with Grann in the secondary: “(Slagle) made me look so foolish and, fortunately, Jay saved me, because he caught him at the 4.”

¯ Still, the Trojans appeared set up for a golden opportunity to take the lead and ultimately win the biggest game of their season.

“We were in a lot of trouble there,” Grann said.

But the Golden Falcons turned in a heroic defensive effort, capped by stopping Westrom at the 2-yard line on fourth down.

“Casey Grann (Jay’s older brother) grabbed (Westrom) by the ankles and I finished him off,” Marra said. “If Casey didn’t have him by the ankles, the guy would have run me right over, guaranteed.”

Realizing Westrom was stopped short of the end zone, Falconer’s players, according to The Post-Journal account, raised their arms in celebration.

Since then, however, it’s been Southwestern that has done all the celebrating.

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The series resumes at 7 p.m. tomorrow with a nonleague game at Bill Race Field.

The Golden Cougars — their nickname since Falconer merged with Cassadaga Valley and, later with Maple Grove — are 5-2 this season and have outscored their opponents 189-93. Southwestern, also 5-2, has scored 144 points while yielding only 44.

At first blush, the rivalry appears to be back on equal footing, which has certainly piqued Grann’s and Marra’s interest.

“I may go (to watch) now that I’m back interested again,” he said.

Marra noted that he attended his first Falconer game in years when the Golden Cougars opened their season last month.

“I was amazed,” he said, “and I’ve been back to a couple more since. This is why we feel they’re going to break this long curse. You can ask anyone on that (1996) team, that’s a stat we don’t want to keep around.”