HYDE — If an explosive offense is what fans wanted, those at the Bison Sports Complex got it. If a lights-out defense is what fans expected, that’s what they also witnessed. When the Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties ran onto the field to compete with the Clearfield Bison, they were in for a battle.
That battle was over early, and quickly, as the Bison put on a clinic on this night, dominating the Mounties in a 62-0 rout that was not close from the get-go.
The Mounties deferred the coin toss, but decided to try a bit of trickery to start the night by attempting an onside kick. However the hands team fell on the ball quickly, and Clearfield began the night right near midfield. What was surprising on this drive was not so much the way it was shaping up, as Caleb Freeland broke his first long run of the night. Instead, it was how it ended. Isaac Rumery saw Taye Lynch crossing the field to his left, and he went for the deep ball. But, this time, TJ Thompson made a bold move, and snagged the catch away before Lynch could get his hands on it. The first turnover on the night, and just the second interception this year by Rumery, put the Mountie offense on the field.
Just as quickly as they were on, they went to the sidelines. Quarterback Daniel Slogosky, best known to his teammates as Bubba, saw his pass get picked off thanks to Freeland.
The ensuing drive was all on the ground, with Zattoni finishing things off with a 16-yard run to open the scoring. Zach Hess hammered the extra point, and the 7-0 score was on the board.
Clearfield did not waste time in scoring again, as following a three-and-out, Rumery got his redemption. His second pass from scrimmage was a dart down the right side, and this time Lynch was right where he needed to be to pull in the 42-yard touchdown. Hess’ kick made it 14-0, with still half a quarter to play.
Fans then got to witness how quick, and how talented, the entire Bison team was for the remaining 6:24 of the first quarter, as they began putting the grips on the Mountie offense as often as possible.
The following possession after the touchdown was a quick one for P-O, because on the third play from scrimmage Slogosky made his second mistake in the game, tossing his second interception of the night, this time thanks to Lynch. That turnover turned into points as Freeland ran in from nine yards out to up the gap to three possessions, but the quarter still had 4:20 remaining.
P-O again was forced to punt, and Clearfield answered back with its biggest play of the night. Zattoni broke free through the center of the Mountie defense for his second touchdown, a 49-yard sprint, and Hess again was true with his left foot. It now stood at 28-0 on the scoreboard, but with 3:30 remaining, it seemed as though it was an eternity.
Zattoni would be the leader in rushing for Clearfield, gaining 118 yards on only 9 carries.
Clearfield capped off the first 12 minutes by ensuring for at least the second half, the game would quickly end. Freeland punched the ball in from two yards out with no time remaining on the clock, and with Hess again true to form, the score was 35-0.
The Mounties had no answer for Clearfield all night as the Bison defense was putting pressure on the P-O running backs from the outset, while Slogosky found himself pressured on nearly every play. But, head coach Tim Janocko although proud of his defense for what they had done, was also looking at the opposing quarterback, and seemed to like what he was seeing from the senior signal caller.
“I like their quarterback (Slogosky). He has a lot of poise, and we pressured him tonight. But he can throw the ball real well. He’s a good player,” Janocko said.
Although the second quarter did not use a running clock, the Bison offense made big plays when needed. The sixth score of the first half came when Rumery and Lynch connected a second time, this time from 39 yards out on a post route that found Lynch wide open in the secondary. With 9:02 remaining, the 42-0 score seemed to ensure the Bison were going to slow things down.
Rumery only completed seven passes on the night, but threw for 190 yards, averaging almost 15 yards per pass.
Philipsburg-Osceola found some momentum on the following possession, finally gaining enough yardage to get a first down, but once more the Bison defense stood tall. Overall through the first half, Clearfield only allowed eight total yards of offense, with the Mounties being relegated to -18 yards rushing.
The Bison offense, however, put on one last exclamation point on the first half when Rumery tossed his third touchdown pass of the half, this one to tight end Eli Glass, from 47 yards out.
At halftime, the Bison offense put out its most dominant performance of the season with the most points and most yardage, in a 49-0 run through 24 minutes that was beyond what anyone expected.
In the second half, with the running clock in effect right from kickoff, the second-team offense and defense took to the field to get valuable playing time, as well as learn the playbook since most were going to be taking over many key positions next season. But, nothing changed when it came to the performance on either side of the ball, as the second-team defense held P-O to a total of 28 yards through 24 minutes.
For the Bison offense, the star of the second half was Jason Plubell. Aside from one long pass from Oliver Billotte to a wide open Ian Billotte, it was Plubell getting the most time with the ball in his hands. In just one half of work, he accumulated 71 yards on 10 carries. He also was responsible for the final two Bison scores on the night. The first came in the third quarter, with just over a minute remaining, an 8-yard rumble through the Mountie defense.
The second, and final score, came near midway in the fourth quarter from seven yards out. Following that score, Hess experienced his own mulligan when his extra point hooked to the right and knocked off the upright, halting his perfect night and leaving the score 62-0, where it remained until the final whistle.
“We played a good overall game tonight. Offense played well, defense played well, made some turnovers,” Janocko said.
With their 9-0 record intact, the Bison finished their Mountain League schedule, and head into the final week of the regular season poised with the hopes to close out their third undefeated season in five years. The Senior Night festivities will take place against the Bishop Carroll Huskies. The Huskies are coming off a 63-14 rout by Bellefonte.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Senior honors for band, cheerleading, and football will take place prior to kickoff.
GAME NOTES:
- Clearfield’s 35 points in the first quarter is the most they scored in one quarter in the entire season.
- Rumery’s opening interception is only his second of the year, his first since the opening game in DuBois.
- The Mounties had 45 offensive plays, with only 10 going for positive yardage.
- Clearfield for the first time this season had three rushers score multiple touchdowns in one game.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Philipsburg-Osceola 0 0 0 0 – 0
Clearfield 35 14 7 6 – 62
BOX SCORE
1st Quarter
BISON: 16-yard run by Zattoni (Hess kick), 8:24
BISON: 42-yard pass from Rumery to Lynch (Hess kick), 6:24
BISON: 9-yard run by Freeland (Hess kick), 4:20
BISON: 49-yard run by Zattoni (Hess kick), 3:30
BISON: 2-yard run by Freeland (Hess kick), 0:00
2nd Quarter
BISON: 39-yard pas from Rumery to Lynch (Hess kick), 9:02
BISON: 47-yard pass from Rumery to Glass (Hess kick), 5:02
3rd Quarter
BISON: 8-yard run by Plubell (Hess kick), 1:15
4th Quarter
BISON: 7-yard run by Plubell (Hess kick failed), 6:45
GAME STATISTICS
Philipsburg-Osceola/Clearfield
First Downs: 3/14
Rush Yards: (-26)/294
Pass Yards: 62/248
Total Yards: 36/542
Penalties-Yards: 2-15/3-20
Turnovers: 3/1
Time of Possession: 25:39/22:21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
P-O: McDonald-7 carries, (-10) yards; Slogosky-7 carries, (-21) yards; Stamm-4 carries, 5 yards; Kephart-2 carries, 1 yard; Hughes-1 carry, 1 yard; R. Whitehead-1 carry, (-2) yards.
Clearfield: Freeland-10 carries, 85 yards, 2 TD; Plubell-10 carries, 71 yards, 2 TD; Zattoni-9 carries, 118 yards, 2 TD; McGonigal-2 carries, 8 yards; Lezzer-1 carry, 7 yards; Rumery-1 carry, 6 yards; Team-1 carry, (-1) yards.
Passing
P-O: Slogosky-5 for 16, 51 yards, 3 INT; R. Whitehead-1 for 3, 9 yards; J. Whitehead-1 for 2, 2 yards.
Clearfield: Rumery-7 for 9, 190 yards, 3 TD, INT; O. Billotte-1 for 2, 58 yards.
Receiving
P-O: J. Whitehead-3 catches, 51 yards; Faust-1 catch, 9 yards; Hughes-1 catch, 2 yards; Stamm-1 catch, 0 yards; R. Whitehead-1 catch, 0 yards.
Clearfield: Lynch-4 catches, 121 yards, 2 TD; Lezzer-2 catches, 22 yards; I. Billotte-1 catch, 58 yards; Glass-1 catch, 47 yards, TD.