WINGATE-Bend…but don’t break. Those four words have been the mantra for the Clearfield Bison this season. In tough situations, that is what the coaching staff, and the players, have lived by. On a rainy night, with the unbeaten Bald Eagle Area Bald Eagles as their toughest opposition to date, no truer words were spoken. Clearfield’s night had miscues, struggles, and frustration. But, four words kept them going, leading to strength, success, and jubilation.
When the clock read zeroes, it also meant one thing more…victory. Thanks to some quarterback heroics, and a defense that made a last stand, the Bison achieved a well-earned, gritty, 13-7 win.
“It’s a big thing I teach these kids, as you know, bend but don’t break,” Bison head coach Miles Caragein said afterwards. “Bald Eagle has great athletes, and they’re going to make plays; it’s gonna happen. But you got to play together, keep fighting, and they did that tonight.”
The early part of the night was a battle to see who could break away at the first opportunity, with neither squad really getting an advantage. The key play that seemed to go the way of the Bison was a 3rd and 13 opportunity that quarterback Will Domico possibly shouldn’t have made, nor didn’t look like worked. He looked right after being flushed from the pocket, hurling the ball down the right sideline into near triple coverage. Yet, somehow, a returning Jacob Samsel pulled down the ball for a 39-yard grab to put Clearfield into opposing territory. The Bison made it as far as the Bald Eagle six, but got stopped on fourth down and decided to try a field goal with junior kicker Conner Morgan, who took over with Warren Diethrick still out with injury.
Bald Eagle got penetration on the attempt, forcing a block and getting the ball at their own 25 with less than four minutes left in the quarter. Unfortunately, they would be forced to punt, but got another opportunity after Gavin Burns picked off Domico on the next drive.
As the second quarter began, some light sprinkles began to fall, forcing Bald Eagle to stop slinging the ball with Carson Nagle’s right arm, and instead go to the ground game. Four minutes later, the skies decided to create a much different vibe as the rain began pelting the field to the point the bands, cheerleaders, and even the ball boys were putting on ponchos. At the same time, both Clearfield and Bald Eagle had to rethink their strategy because conditions on the field both with the turf and the ball were not ideal to pass. For Clearfield, what to do was easy.
“We definitely had to make changes, so we decided to just get behind our line,” Caragein said. “We trusted them, and did a great job blocking.”
It was the run game of the Eagles that got things started in scoring as a 10-play drive that started after a muffed snap on a punt to set up the home squad with a downhill run to the end zone. Cameron Dubbs got the bulk of the load on the drive, carrying all but one time, capping the drive off with a three-yard plunge into the end zone. An extra point boot through the uprights made it 7-0 with 2:09 left in the half. A punt by Clearfield on the next drive went deep into Eagle territory, and rather than risk a miscue, a kneel down sent the teams to the locker room for a chance to dry off and get ready for 24 more minutes of football.
The third quarter was when Clearfield began imposing their will on Bald Eagle, as on their first two drives of the half, 11 of the 14 plays ran would be runs either up the gut, or sweeping to the outside. No Bison rusher would have an extensive stat line on this night, with Carter Chamberlain having a team-high 51 yards on the night and the team only running for 143 yards in total. But, being able to grind the defense and push the line of scrimmage was the benefactor. Facing a 1st and 15 following a holding penalty, a jet sweep handoff to Carter Freeland, who was limited in receiving to just one catch, found a hole on the left side, and pushed up the boundary to get Clearfield on the board from 24 yards out. Morgan managed to boot the extra point, tying the game up at 7-7, where it remained through the remainder of the third quarter.
Clearfield’s night of grinding the defense on the ground led to domination in time of possession in the second half, as they limited Bald Eagle to just under nine minutes of time on offense. Clearfield continues the ground game on the next drive, but were stopped on fourth down when Domico tried play action in the red zone.
Still, the Bison defense stood strong, forcing a punt with 5:14 left in the game to give them an opportunity starting at their own 39.
By this time, the rain had all but stopped except for a very light mist in the lights, so Domico began to get to work. His first pass of the drive, coming on a 2nd and 12, would again connect with Samsel in tight coverage after being forced to scramble from the pocket. The 37-yard strike set Clearfield up at the Bald Eagle 26, but three plays of tight running forced Clearfield to face 4th and 9 at the 25.
Yet again, Domico flushed out and could have possibly ran for the first down. A Bald Eagle defender came to stop the run, but he managed to get the ball out in time to Isaac Putt, who dragged a toe to get the first down on a 12-yard reception. Domico then trusted his arm to find Samsel and Brady Collins, but with just over a minute left, he had just one shot to get points on the board. Opting to not go for the field goal, Caragein sent his offense out and Domico took the snap.
Again, just as many times before, he got flushed left. This time, though, he managed to look back to his right, and tossed up a rainbow pass to the end zone, which landed in the arms of Collins for the go-ahead touchdown, capping off a 144-yard night for the signal caller.. The sideline erupted, minus the band as they left in the third quarter due to obligations the following day. The extra point was blocked, leaving some hope for the Eagles on a late score.
It was all up to the Bison defense, and it was clear as glass what the Bald Eagles had to do.
With the rain stopped, Nagle had opportunities to get the ball to his playmakers. Despite the Bison front getting him to hurry some throws, Gavin Burns managed to pull in a pair of passes, plus Nick Wible and Camron Watkins, to put the Eagles at the Bison 45. Burns pulled in another for 11 yards to push Bald Eagle to the Bison 34, but Nagle went to the well a bit too much as his pass on second down, following a first-down incompletion, got picked off by Domico.
Or so it seemed.
A pass interference call meant a free 15 yards and a first down in the red zone. Nagle took advantage, connecting again with Burns to get the Eagles to the 10, and tasting the end zone as if it was a steak that was cooked just right over the grill. On 2nd and 1, Nagle decided to pass again. The Bison countered with pressure off the left side from Chamberlain, forcing Nagle to head towards the line and needing to decide if he was going to pass or try to use his legs.
His option was made for him, as the Bison forced the tackle, and in doing so knocked the ball to the ground. After having a penalty cost his team 15 yards just two plays earlier, Domico pounced on the loose ball. The Bald Eagle coaches were screaming that Nagle was making a forward pass when the ball came loose, but the discussion from officials did not go their way, as the turnover brought the Bison sideline to a full chorus of roars, icing the game in dramatic fashion.
“They kept fighting. It was tough in the first half with some bad breaks going against us, and a couple miscues. But they kept fighting, they believed in themselves and their teammates, and just did an absolute fantastic job,” Caragein said of the second-half effort from his team. “They were definitely frustrated, and it was showing a little bit. The seniors stood up, stood together, and kept fighting.
“They kept pounding the ball, trusting the game plan, and executed. Very proud of them.”
With wins in their last five games, Clearfield is ensured a winning season in Caragein’s first year as head coach, but almost immediately he was already thinking to the next week. He acknowledged that the team would savor the win over the next couple days, but they were already planning their film session to prepare for the next challenge.
“One game at a time. We have to evaluate this film first and learn from our mistakes. It’s going to be a very tough challenge on the road,” he said.
That challenge for the 6-1 Bison comes in the form of another unbeaten foe, a familiar face in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference, Richland Rams. The Rams kept an unblemished record following a 42-8 rout against Greater Johnstown on Friday. Kickoff in Richland is set for 7 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 0 0 7 6 – 13
Bald Eagle Area 0 7 0 0 – 7
BOX SCORE
1st Quarter
- No Scoring
2nd Quarter
- BALD EAGLES: Dubbs 3-yard run (Kaden Burns kick), 2:09
3rd Quarter
- BISON: Freeland 24-yard run (Morgan kick), 3:39
4th Quarter
- BISON: Domico 5-yard pass to Collins (kick blocked), 1:09
GAME STATISTICS
Clearfield/Bald Eagle
- First Downs: 13/11
- Rush Yards: 143/65
- Pass Yards: 144/137
- Penalties-Yards: 4-35/4-27
- Total Yards: 287/202
- Turnovers: 1/1
- Time of Possession: 26:31/21:29
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
- Clearfield: Chamberlain-15 carries, 51 yards; Collins-12 carries, 50 yards; Domico-7 carries, 15 yards; Freeland-2 carries, 23 yards, TD; Samsel-1 carry, 5 yards; Team-1 carry, (-1) yards.
- Bald Eagle Area: Dubbs-18 carries, 49 yards, TD; Nagle-4 carries, 15 yards; Watkins-2 carries, 3 yards; Team-1 carry, (-2) yards.
Passing
- Clearfield: Domico-8 for 17, 144 yards, TD, INT; Scott-0 for 1.
- Bald Eagle Area: Nagle-16 for 24, 137 yards.
Receiving
- Clearfield: Samsel-3 catches, 78 yards; Collins-2 catches, 11 yards, TD; Bell-1 catch, 12 yards Putt-1 catch, 12 yards; Freeland-1 catch, 6 yards.
- Bald Eagle Area: Kahale Burns-4 catches, 51 yards; Gavin Burns-4 catches, 42 yards; Watkins-3 catches, 13 yards; Wible-2 catches, 12 yards; Spackman-2 catches, 12 yards; Dubbs-1 catch, 3 yards.