There is no better time of year for many folks than fall. The change of colors, the crisp air, and the sight of seeing kids get on the school bus or load up their cars to head off for the new year. It also means the kickoff to another year of Friday Night Lights. For those in the Clearfield Area School District, it means another year of seeing the red and black on the gridiron, with head coach Tim Janocko back at the helm.
After a 2021 campaign that saw an undefeated regular season and another Mountain League championship, this year’s team is ready to go after both. Yet, the latter is a bit bittersweet.
The 2022 season will officially be the final one for the entire Mountain League. After the 2022 season, the schools in the Mountain League will be competing in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference. Being able to say that the final league title belongs to the Bison is motivation enough, but it is not easy as all the other schools want to stake their claim to that title.
Trying to follow up a team that outscored their opponents 402-47 in the regular season, 463-128 overall including playoffs, is indeed a daunting task. The Bison shut out their opponents five times on the year, and didn’t let any opposing team past the 20-point mark until the postseason.
However, could it be possible that this year’s team has a chance to be just as good, or better? Let’s take a look at both sides of the ball and see how Clearfield stacks up heading into week one.
OFFENSE
Most often, the quarterback, running back, and/or wide receivers are the ones that get all the accolades when it comes to the offense. For the Bison, 2021 certainly had that, but each week those same players that made the spectacular plays, and the coaching staff, put the focus on the true heart of the offense…the line. The young men that battle in the trenches to protect the quarterback from sacks, create openings for the backfield, and prevent lost yardage by blocking the opposition, they were the ones that were the talk of everyone in the stands, radio, and coaching staff.
Long before the 2022 season started, in fact even before the banquet to honor the successful 2021 season, the captains were chosen.
All captains this season, chosen by their teammates, are on the offensive line that helped protect last year’s team MVP, Oliver Billotte. For 2022, Isaac Samsel, Eric Myers, Connor McCracken, and Carter Chamberlain all were chosen as captains. Three linemen and one running back, the core of the offense, chosen as the leaders of the team.
That offensive line allowed Billotte to throw for 1734 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. The line created openings for Mark McGonigal and Jose Alban, combining for 1500 yards on the ground and 17 total scores. They were responsible for keeping Billotte upright, and winning the battle up front, and why the Bison were able to have such a strong campaign.
This year, they have the same responsibility, but new faces to protect.
For 2022, it is Will Domico who will be taking the snaps for the Bison. The junior signal-caller spent a limited amount of time on the field last year as he came in for relief in games that saw a running clock, mostly handing off or using his legs to gain yardage. For Domico, his line is critical in order for him to have success.
Just as much, the line has to create holes for the backs to make it a bit easier for Domico to pass. Chamberlain is the one player returning in the backfield that has experience. Last year he had 422 yards on 60 carries, an average of just over seven yards per touch, and four touchdowns. It is anticipated that he will be the lead back for the season, and he already has trust in his offensive line. That confidence will carry over into his teammates, and could mean big things for the Bison.
The biggest question this year for Clearfield is on the outside, as they lost five receivers to graduation, including their top wideout, Karson Kline. The then-senior hauled in 55 catches for 1049 yards, including 14 touchdowns. Add in Nate Natoli, Justin Crutchfield, Alban and Max Paul-Cook, and the entire receiving corps is going through a revamp.
Without question, trying to fill such a void on the offense will be impossible, but this team is not thinking about what was done. Rather, they are focused on what they can do. The offensive line will do their job, which will help all the other pieces fall into place.
DEFENSE
The old adage of “Offense wins games; defense wins championships” certainly is the case for Clearfield. It is hard for any team to gain ground against a defense that forced five shutouts in 11 games.
It’s hard to deny that the Bison defense in 2021 was not just dominant, but outright intimidating.
Clearfield totaled 706 tackles last year, with 83 of them being for negative yardage. Yet, the defense for the 2022 season looks to be just as intimidating. Last year, it was Hayden Kovalick leading all the defense with 92 tackles, 19 for loss, plus had 11.5 sacks, one interception and three fumble recoveries. Shane Coudriet was right behind, totaling 70 tackles, seven of which were for negative yardage, with two sacks.
As powerful and as dominant as these two were as seniors, a quadruplet of juniors were just as intimidating, and are ready to pick up where the graduating class left off.
You have Samsel, Domico, Chamberlain and Brady Collins combined for 201 tackles last season, and to have that experience back is monumental. Samsel himself is looking to have a stellar senior campaign after recording 11.5 sacks a season ago.
The 2022 captain will be flanked by Chamberlain, coming off a 45-tackle season last year, as the leaders on the defensive line. With Domico and Collins also having a lot of experience a season ago, combining for 103 tackles, these four will be the ones setting the tone for the Bison defense. Everything they do will fuel the other seven young men.
All this will also lead to potentially another year of winning the turnover margin, as Clearfield forced a total of 18 a year ago (11 interceptions, 7 fumbles), through 12 games.
It wasn’t until the final two contests against St. Marys and Bedford that the defense was vulnerable, giving up 81 total points. Despite the tough end to the season, Clearfield’s intimidating presence when the opposition had the ball was undeniable. No team in the regular season was able to score more than 14 points in a game, and that happened only twice. The other eight contests, the Bison opponents could only muster single digits, with five of them being shutouts. Four of those shutouts came in consecutive weeks, a span of 18 quarters.
Will this year’s defense be just as intimidating and dominant? Just like looking at the 2021 offense, it won’t be about trying to live up to what was done last year. It will, instead, be about this year’s team living up to its expectations for this season, one week at a time.
The anticipation is mounting, and every member of the team, players to coaches, trainers and even the water boys, are ready for this year to get started. Soon, there will be no more waiting, no more scrimmages. This Friday, the pressure comes to a head, and is ready to blow like a geyser.
How much pressure? When Clearfield travels on Friday to take on Juniata, they will be trying to give Janocko win number 300 in his career. Last year’s squad had that chance against Bedford in the District 5/9 playoff, falling 54-12. Being able to start the season with the biggest win of the season will take a lot of that pressure away, as the biggest win of the year would come right away.
Kickoff for 2022 against the Juniata Indians will be at 7 p.m. Directions to the field in Mifflintown are listed at ClearfieldFootball.org.
2022 Clearfield Bison Schedule
*Mountain League Game
AUGUST
- 26: at Juniata
SEPTEMBER
- 2: at Bald Eagle Area*
- 9: DUBOIS
- 16: at Philipsburg-Osceola*
- 23: PENNS VALLEY*
- 30: at Huntingdon*
OCTOBER
- 7: TYRONE*
- 14: BELLEFONTE*
- 21: CENTRAL MOUNTAIN
- 28: at Karns City
