HUNTINGDON — If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s the way the Clearfield Bison have won their last four games after dropping the season opener. The young team relied on their front line to create holes for the running backs, and protect their quarterback. The defensive line had to focus on getting penetration, causing trouble, and forcing turnovers. That kind of play was on display in full force when the Bison made the trip to War Veterans Memorial Field in Huntingdon for a showdown against the Bearcats.
A slow start soon changed as the Bison front line created massive gaps, and the running game took care of the rest. It allowed Clearfield to rush for over 400 yards, while the defense held the opposition to less than 100 total yards, in a 42-0 rout that was not even close.
“Dominant, that’s exactly what it was. Our offensive line and defensive line once again did a great job,” head coach Tim Janocko said afterwards. “Add in that 1-2 punch with Brady (Collins) and (Carter) Chamberlain, and you just have dominance. It’s a good win on the road.”
A night that started off with both teams forced to punt would quickly see a breakthrough. Collins would get some momentum in the opening drive, but it wasn’t until he took a 2nd and 10 at the Bison 44 on the next drive that he found his footing. After getting through the front line, he pushed to the right, and once in the open field there was no one catching him. The opening score, which ultimately was the only score in the first quarter, put the Bison up 7-0 after Evan Davis booted through the extra point.
Defensively, the Bison were on lock down the entire night, as Huntingdon failed to get past midfield, while only gaining two first downs the entire night. The second quarter proved to be the downfall of the Bearcats as the Clearfield defense sacked quarterback Eric Mykut two times deep in their own territory, ending drives and forcing punts. Janocko mentioned that early in the year, the defense was still trying to find itself, with a lot of youth in some key positions. But, that wasn’t the case any longer.
“It’s absolutely night and day. We have just gotten so much better, and just continue to improve each week,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Bison offense would get going on the footing of Collins and Chamberlain, as the trio accounted for all three scores in the second frame.
Collins first scored on a 3-yard plunge to increase the score to 13-0. Davis missed the PAT wide left, but the Bison brushed it off and went to the next drive thinking of doing the exact same kind of drive. It worked as Chamberlain capped off an eight-play drive with his opening score, a one-yard dive. Domico converted the two-point conversion on a quick pass to Carter Freeland to make it 21-0.
The next Bison drive did not last long, but it was a defining drive for the sophomore phenom.
Collins took a quick handoff to the left, and the offensive line parted the Bearcat defense like a blue sea. No one, including the officials, could catch Collins as he would roar 64 yards to the end zone for his third, and final, score of the night. Clearfield took the 28-0 into the halftime break, and knew they had an opportunity to close the game out as they would get the third-quarter kickoff.
Although Collins got a lot of exposure on the ensuing second-half drive, finishing the night with 223 yards on 17 carries, an average of over 13 yards per carry, it was Chamberlain getting the highlights on this drive, including a massive stiff-arm to the Bearcat defended on his way to an 18-yard score. Davis was true for the extra point, and with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter, the 35-0 scoreboard meant a running clock to end the night.
It was not, however, the end of the night for Chamberlain as he would get his big run of the night on the final scoring drive, a 33-yard scurry down the right sideline to cap a 121-yard, three-touchdown performance. Clearfield ran for 457 yards on the night, and it was more than enough to allow the younger classmen a chance to get some valuable playing experience.
Janocko likes resting his players when the time is right, but even then he mentioned that his team may be young, but they earn their chance to be on the field.
“You saw later in the game when we put in the second-team offense, at one point we had three freshmen playing in the secondary. It’s always a next-man-up mentality, and these kids prepare well, so they earn the chance to be out there,” he said.
Clearfield doesn’t have to worry about going on the road for a while, as the next three games on the schedule will happen at the Bison Sports Complex. However, even he knew the magnitude of what was on the horizon. Next week, as he stated to his team afterwards, is the game that could be the deciding game for the final Mountain League championship. Clearfield (5-1) will play host to the Tyrone Golden Eagles, who are coming off their first loss of the season after falling to Bald Eagle.
When asked about the game next week, Janocko kept his response concise, in an all-business demeanor.
“It’s a big showdown, for sure,” he said.
The Golden Eagles and the Bison will kick off at 7 p.m. Clearfield will also be recognizing the first state team championship of any kind won by the school prior to the game as they honor the 2022 state champion Clearfield Lady Bison softball team.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 7 21 14 0 – 42
Huntingdon 0 0 0 0 – 0
BOX SCORE
1st Quarter
- BISON: 44-yard run by Collins (Davis kick), 4:13
2nd Quarter
- BISON: 3-yard run by Collins (kick wide-left), 10:13
- BISON: 1-yard run by Chamberlain (Domico pass to Freeland), 5:38
- BISON: 64-yard run by Collins (Davis kick), 3:29
3rd Quarter
- BISON: 18-yard run by Chamberlain (Davis kick), 9:21
- BISON: 33-yard run by Chamberlain (Davis kick), 2:30
4th Quarter
- No scoring
GAME STATISTICS
Clearfield/Huntingdon
- First Downs: 15/2
- Rush Yards: 426/(-5)
- Pass Yards 31/56
- Total Yards: 457/51
- Penalties-Yards: 4-30/2-20
- Turnovers: 0/2
- Time of Possession: 25:50/22:10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
- Clearfield: Collins-17 carries, 223 yards, 3 TD; Chamberlain-13 carries, 121 yards, 3 TD; Curry-7 carries, 4 yards; Domico-6 carries, 27 yards; Lazauskas-3 carries, 41 yards; Samsel-1 carry, 10 yards.
- Huntingdon: Mykut-8 carries, (-14) yards; Steele-4 carries, (-8) yards; Peruso-2 carries, 2 yards; Sheffield-2 carries, 0 yards; Miller-1 carry, 10 yards; Edmiston-1 carry, 5 yards.
Passing
- Clearfield: Domico-6 for 10, 31 yards.
- Huntingdon: Mykut-5 for 14, 56 yards, 2 INT.
Receiving
- Clearfield: Freeland-2 catches, 17 yards; Chamberlain-2 catches, 2 yards; Samsel-1 catch, 7 yards; Collins-1 catch, 5 yards.
- Huntingdon: Long-3 catches, 36 yards; Steele-1 catch, 12 yards; Miller-1 catch, 8 yards.