It’s not often that a high school schedule includes two new foes to face on the gridiron. However, the 2011 schedule for the Clearfield Bisons has just that.
The first of those two games comes this Friday night as they will take on the Mifflin County Huskies.
This was originally a spot that last year would have included either Indian Valley or Lewistown as the opponent on the other sideline. However, the two schools were realigned over the summer into one school district. This has created one big team, and one that is very capable of defeating the Bisons on Friday night.
For the Bisons to win, they have to be able to stop the running game of the Huskies. That is a tall order since Mifflin County averages nearly 220 yards a game on the ground. Not only that, but six runners on the Huskies have scored touchdowns, with three of them over 100 yards rushing thus far this season.
The top rushers currently for Mifflin County are David Yale, Harry Lowber and Kyle Kahley. Combined, the three backs have rushed for 433 of the Huskies’ 659 yards this season, and accounted for eight of the 11 rushing touchdowns. This means that Mifflin County will have a triple-back set for a lot of the night as all three backs are potent weapons and can break a run at any time if Clearfield is not prepared.
The passing game for the Huskies is one that cannot be overlooked despite only averaging 93 yards a game. Quarterback Shane Whalen has gone 8 for 20 this year passing, throwing for just 198 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Meanwhile, the Huskies’ other quarterback, Nathan Martin, has gone 3 for 7 thus far for only 79 yards and two interceptions.
That’s not to say the passing game will not come into play for Mifflin County, but the ground game will be their heart and soul for majority of the game.
That means that Clearfield will have to be just as strong in both the rush and the pass to get by Mifflin County. If the last two weeks are any indication, the Bisons will be real quick to get ahead and put the game away early. The Bisons have outscored their opponents the last two weeks by a score of 104-28. Most of those points have come in the first half, as it was 42-7 at halftime two weeks ago against Bald Eagle and 41-7 last Friday against Penns Valley.
Normally, Clearfield has been a pass-happy offense, as was seen last year. But this year’s team is a more balanced attack, using the run to set up the pass more than vice-versa. What that has given Clearfield is only an average of 98 yards passing per game, but an average of 317 yards rushing per game.
The Bisons have three rushers already this year with over 100 yards, but the star back this season is senior Beau Swales. Through just three games, the senior has 442 yards and five touchdowns. He’s on track to accomplish a 1,000-yard season around the midway point of the year.
Meanwhile, both Ryan Hertlein and Christian Lezzer are having spectacular seasons as each have over 100 yards on the ground and a combined four touchdowns. This gives Clearfield it’s own 1-2-3 punch in the backfield because as the defense keeps their eyes on Swales, the other two backs can suddenly break away and surprise the defense.
Once again, the huge statistics in the rushing game have overshadowed the passing attack of Curtis Frye. That’s not to say he’s had an off-season. He’s gone 15 of 30 for 293 yards, thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Frye could still have a strong game passing as long as the run game is there and can keep the defense on their toes.
It’s shaping up to be a tough game for both Clearfield and Mifflin County, one that certainly cannot be missed. Kickoff on Friday is set for 7 p.m. at the Bison Sports Complex.