District 5-6-9 Subregional Finals: No. 2 Johnstown Trojans vs. No. 1 Clearfield Bison

It is playoff time for high school football to the fullest extent.  Daylight savings time has passed, and the nights begin a little earlier.  That means the Friday night lights shine brighter, and longer, when teams hit the field.  This Friday night, a bracket champion will be determined.

Thanks to the move up in class, the Clearfield Bison and the Johnstown Trojans both are now Quad-A classified schools.  But, even with the change in class, these two teams are very familiar with one another.  Another chapter in their rivalry will be written Friday night, and both teams are coming in primed for action.

The Bison are coming into the District 5-6-9 Subregional Championship with a 10-1 record.  That lone loss came at the beginning of the season, a 30-20 defeat at the hands of DuBois.  Since then, it’s been 10 consecutive victories, plus another Mountain League championship for the historic program.

At the same time, the Trojans as well enter the championship game at 10-1, their lone loss coming at the hands of Bishop Guilfoyle, another team on a historic run of its own towards a championship.

How alike are these teams?

Johnstown has scored 388 points this season, an average of just over 35 per game.  Clearfield has scored 339, an average of just over 30.  The Trojans have only allowed 161 points this season, while the Bison have yielded only 131.  This game already is shaping up to be another close, hotly contested, contest.  How do these two teams stack up against one another?

Let’s hit the field and look at the matchup when it’s time to snap the ball.

Johnstown Offense vs. Clearfield Defense

This is one confrontation that will be interesting.  The Johnstown offense has been screaming up and down the field for 11 games.  On the ground, the Trojans average 185 yards from scrimmage.  Through the air, another 159 yards.  Those numbers wouldn’t be possible without a strong offensive line allowing both protection and creating creases.

The Bison defense will certainly be tested with their most difficult challenge this week, with that challenge being running back Bryce Gibson.  The senior has run for 1158 yards this season, averaging exactly seven yards per carry, and 13 touchdowns.  The rest of the Trojan offense has 990 yards on the ground.

For Clearfield, the biggest key is to stop the run.  But, they must be aware of the pass as well.

Junior quarterback Austin Barber enjoys his job as the signal caller, and his statistics prove it.  With over 1700 yards passing, completing over 50 percent of his passes, and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 19:3, he is a master under center.

That air assault could be tough for the Bison secondary, simply because Barber doesn’t have a favorite target.  Theo Tinsley, Exree Loe, and Tavis Price, a trio of seniors, each have been on the receiving end of many Barber passes, combining for 13 of Barber’s 19 touchdowns.  The Bison secondary will have to keep all those receivers in check for 48 minutes to keep the game close.

But the Clearfield defense has stood up many strong offenses this season, including a surprise of Karns City just two weeks ago.

The heart of that defense is Matt Collins.  The senior linebacker has 156 tackles this year.  But the supporting cast around him has made a strong case that the Bison are to not be taken lightly.  Micah Heichel, Steven Sawyer, Mason Royer, Hunter Bumbarger, Zack Horton and many others have followed the lead of Collins in following through on tackles, and holding offenses to little or no gain.

Clearfield is capable of staying with the Johnstown offense, and if they are able to do so, they can pull out a win.

Clearfield Offense vs. Johnstown Defense

It has been yet another stellar season for the Bison when the ball is in their hands, due to the fact many on the offense have experience in playing big games.  Averaging 370 yards a game, 212 of those from the run, Clearfield’s experience will be what can push them to the championship.

Leading that charge is their senior standout, Seth Caldwell, who follows his experienced senior offensive line to the tune of 1228 yards rushing, including 17 touchdowns.  Averaging five yards per carry, Caldwell is the workhorse, and each week gets better as the game progresses.  He still is on the outside looking in when it comes to the all-time record in rushing, but that record is the least of his thoughts.  Instead, it’s hoping his teammates like Collins, Dylan Fenton, Hunter Bumbarger, Richard Massimino and others can create holes in a Johnstown defense that is stacked with talent.

What makes that defense so tough is the fact so many players are contributing across the board in tackles.  Junior Shamar Jones leads the team with 86, but Loe and Price are right there with him with 69 and 59, respectively.  It won’t be easy to escape the grasp of this Trojan defense.

However, the X-factor is the Bison signal-caller, quarterback Isaac Rumery.  It’s only his first season under center, and he proved without a doubt that he is the right man for the job.

The sophomore is 153 yards away from a 2000-yard season throwing the ball, and has 18 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.  He also can run the ball when needed, scampering for 543 yards and four touchdowns this year.  His legs have been just as dangerous as his arm, but when he is able to get his passes going, his receivers like Heichel and Ryan Lezzer all benefit from it.

Clearfield can beat Johnstown, it has proven that in years past, but this Trojan defense has shown each week that they will need to be out-muscled in order to be taken down.  It will be the hardest challenge the Bison will face to this point in the year.

The Difference-Maker:  Emotion

A year ago, emotion overwhelmed the Bison when these two teams faced off.  It was emotional for the fans, the cheerleaders, players, and coaches.  One year ago, these two squads battled in a game for the ages at the Bison Sports Complex.  It was a game that saw Clearfield go up early, only to see Johnstown thunder back.

It was a game that wasn’t decided in 48 minutes, but was in the extra time.  A botched handoff to Lezzer ended the Bison hopes, or so they thought.

It was a fourth down field goal attempt that would decide the game, but not in the fashion anyone expected.  The snap was bobbled, the Bison defense pounced, or so they thought.  Price, then a junior, picked the ball up from the turf, found the edge on the right side, and in the most stunning conclusion to any game the Bison had last season, the team and everyone in attendance dressed in red and black saw a 20-14 final, a score that saw the finale to the Bison on the football field for 2015.

That game is still fresh in the minds of many of the Bison players, including Caldwell, Fenton, Collins, Lezzer and also the coaches.

What could mean the difference for Clearfield, and Johnstown, is to not let the emotion of last year’s game overwhelm the game this season.  Johnstown wants to repeat and move into the PIAA state playoffs, but Clearfield has that desire just as much, if not more.  Johnstown can’t look back at last year because if so, they could lose focus of the task at hand.  Moreover, Clearfield can’t think about the loss last year, otherwise it will overwhelm the mindset of the team.

The game that matters is on Friday night, and that is the sole focus of both teams.

What could be an advantage to both teams is that now with this game being the second round, all games are held at neutral sites.  Friday’s contest is to be held in Hollidaysburg, a facility that is familiar to Clearfield as it was three years ago that they won the District 5-6-8-9 Sub-Regional championship on that field over Somerset.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Hollidaysburg Area High School Sports Complex.  For directions to the stadium, located along Logan Boulevard, visit ClearfieldFootball.org.  

Bison Scoreboard: