HYDE — Week Three is a tall order for the Clearfield Bisons.
The Bisons will face undefeated Hollidaysburg on Friday night in Hyde.
The Golden Tigers are appearing on Clearfield\’s schedule for the first
time since 1987.
Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko has seen some tape of the Tigers.
And while it\’s not like watching \”Halloween\” or \”Friday the 13th,\”
it\’s still pretty scary stuff.
\”They\’re the best team on our schedule, unless I see something
different. They\’re definitely a tall order for us at this point
considering our inexperience and where we\’re at,\” Janocko said. \”It\’s
something we knew we were going to have to deal with our transition
into the MAC. The schedule is going to be very demanding, but we knew
this was coming.\”
The Bisons come into the game fresh off a 35-28 loss to Brookville.
The game was knotted at halftime, but the Blue Raiders came out in the
second half and ran the ball right at the Bisons. Clearfield had some
hard time tackling and that led to a pair of scores that helped put
the game away for Brookville.
\”We\’ve gotta tackle better. We were in position and didn\’t make some
plays. Part of that is youth, part of it is just not making the play,\”
Janocko said.
Brookville\’s Joe Galbraith ran roughshod over the Bisons, carrying 24
times for 254 yards.
One facet of the game that Janocko has been pleased with is the
offense. Quarterback Jarrin Campman looked much more comfortable in
Week Two, completing 13-of-20 for 233 yards and two TDs.
\”I\’m pleased with our offense. We have to keep working with it,\”
Janocko said. \”We transformed the offense, it\’s a lot different. We
have to adapt to the talent we have and I think we\’ve done that.\”
The Bisons got a big game last week from wideout Drew Hipps, who
caught six passes for 186 yards. This week, they\’re hoping for a
breakout game from fullback Isiah Morgan, who had just 50 yards on 13
carries last week.
In two weeks, the Bison offense has put up 48 points.
Looking back at last week\’s loss, Janocko thought his squad played
well, but just didn\’t get the bounces.
\”We didn\’t get some breaks. The ball was on the ground three times in
one drive, we didn\’t get it. Those things happen. Brookville had a
good back, he was probably faster than anyone on our team,\” Janocko
said.
So this week, the Bisons will have to deal with a Golden Tiger team
that is absolutely loaded.
Quarterback Patrick Smith (6-5, 210) is a beast. He can run with the
ball, but he\’s also very comfortable gunning it downfield. The Tigers
have a couple of bruising runners who can create havoc.
\”They have a real big fullback and they pound him up inside. The
tailback is probably equal to the Galbraith kid. They have a big
quarterback who slings it around. It\’s going to be a tall order,\”
Janocko said.
Hollidaysburg is fresh off a 31-10 pasting of Central Mountain, a team
Clearfield will play later this season.
\”It\’s a huge challenge. We have a young team and we\’re playing some
teams that are a lot bigger than us. We just have to do the best we
can,\” Janocko said. \”Our emphasis now is to get better and go out and
compete. The season isn\’t won or lost in the second or third week. We
just need to get better and see where we finish up at the end.\”
The game will be broadcast live on WCPA-AM (900 AM) and WQYX-FM (93.1) with Dave Shannon (play-by-play) and John Roselli (analyst) making the call. Kickoff from the Bison Sports Complex is set for 7 p.m.