TYRONE — Not one individual on either side of Gray/Veterans Memorial Field expected what occurred Friday night. The opening contest for the 2024 season for both the Clearfield Bison and the Tyrone Golden Eagles looked like it would be a tight affair, then momentum swung in one direction. But, one individual took the “Bend…don’t break” mentality to an entirely new level.
When it mattered most, the Bison saw their senior captain, Brady Collins, break the game wide open, putting up one of the best opening-game performances in recent years, and letting Clearfield start the season 1-0 in a 46-20 triumph.
“That kid is just an exceptional athlete,” Bison head coach Myles Caragein said afterwards. “He carries himself well, and tonight he relied on his front five. Really, that’s what made the difference. We just continued to fight.”
A game that started with no points scored in the first 12 minutes, but did see Clearfield force a pair of fumbles that resulted in turnovers, gave life to the visiting sideline. Eventually, first-year starting quarterback Xavier Curry would put up the first points of the season, capping off a 12-play drive with a 10-yard scramble on fourth down for his first touchdown of 2024. The missed extra point left the 6-0 score, but as strong as Tyrone was looking, they would answer right back in just two plays.
That came when Ashton Walk found a wide-open Trent Adams for a massive 80-yard pass play that would put the Golden Eagles on top 7-6 after the point-after split the uprights.
Clearfield would not break as they followed up the score with another of their own, this time with Collins finding the end zone from 12 yards out. This time the extra point by Connor Morgan made it through and Clearfield was back on top.
The lead lasted one play because Tyrone’s leading rusher from a year ago, Seth Owens, broke free for a 57-yard rumble to the end zone. Another made extra point put the score at 14-13, where it held heading into halftime.
Clearfield’s first possession of the second half is what could have broke everything for the team. On a 2nd-and-15 following a Tyrone penalty, Kleyten Moore would snatch Curry’s pass right out of the air, and worked his way clear of any white jersey for a pick-six. The extra point was blocked, but in less than a minute a one-point game suddenly became a one-possession game.
After being stopped on fourth down on their next possession, something ignited within the entire Bison sideline, and it was fueled by a young man wearing the No. 3 jersey.
That 20-13 score changed in a hurry when Curry’s first pass since the interception went to Collins, and after finding a gap on the left side, he marched up the sideline for a 68-yard receiving touchdown. The extra point was blocked again and Clearfield still was looking to get back in the lead, down 20-19.
Collins then in a way said to himself, “it’s time to break them,” and on a 2nd-and-10, he did just that.
Collins dropped back in coverage, and watched Walk the entire way on a pass to the right. He stepped right in front of the ball, and in a matter of a minute he added a pick-six to his stat line. Clearfield suddenly had the lead, and Tyrone’s sideline began to worry.
“We could have easily gotten down, and given up, after that pick-six,” Caragein said. “But these guys, they settled down, and they just would not quit. They wanted this win, I could see it.”
As if the hat trick of touchdowns wasn’t enough, Collins added a fourth in the game at the 3:29 mark in the third, a two-yard punch into the end zone to help put Clearfield at a 32-20 lead heading into the final quarter. The senior then added a fifth touchdown to start the final 12 minutes, this one a 10-yard run that was capped off with him leading Curry across the line for a two-point conversion.
Tyrone would not go down without a fight, but the closest they got was the ensuing drive as Walk once more looked to the end zone. His pass towards the right sideline floated just enough where Curry then pulled the interception down in the end zone for the touchback, giving Clearfield the ball at their own 20.
One final snap for the varsity squad put Collins in a stat line that would be hard to equal, because he took Curry’s handoff, followed blockers to his right, and turned on the speed for an 80-yard rumble to the end zone. A full six-pack for Collins on the night of touchdowns.
Four coming on the ground, another as a receiver, and one on defense; the senior had himself a night. Up in the stands, Collins’ mother, Tiffany, could not even believe what was happening, but she and many in the bleachers were holding up six fingers. Collins finished the night with 304 all-purpose yards on offense, 236 coming on the ground, five offensive touchdowns, plus a pick-six.
Even with the win, and Collins’ big night, Caragein looked at his team and the battle that they put on when it mattered most.
“I’m so proud of the fight this team has. Last year, to come in with an entire new scheme and plan, we all did not know what to expect. But, I could see they were ready,” he said. “Tonight, we just refused to give up, and that’s what won this game.
“We now go into next week against Forest Hills, and that is great competition as well. This is a tough league, and we aren’t always going to have nights like this. So, we’re going to be back at it and get ready.”
The game with Forest Hills, who last year defeated Clearfield, kicks off at the Bison Sports Complex at 7 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Clearfield 0 13 19 14 – 46
Tyrone 0 14 6 0 – 20
BOX SCORE
1st Quarter
- No Scoring
2nd Quarter
- BISON: 10-yard run by Curry (kick failed), 11:53
- GOLDEN EAGLES: 80-yard pass from A. Walk to Adams (Novak kick), 10:57
- BISON: 12-yard run by Collins (Morgan kick), 6:34
- GOLDEN EAGLES: 57-yard run by Hoover (Novak kick), 6:17
3rd Quarter
- GOLDEN EAGLES: 19-yard interception return by Moore (kick blocked), 11:05
- BISON: 68-yard pass from Curry to Collins (kick blocked), 6:57
- BISON: 42-yard interception return by Collins (conversion failed), 6:36
- BISON: 2-yard run by Collins (Morgan kick), 3:29
4th Quarter
- BISON: 10-yard run by Collins (Curry run), 10:55
- BISON: 80-yard run by Collins (kick failed), 7:35
GAME STATISTICS
Clearfield/Tyrone
- First Downs: 18/6
- Rush Yards: 318/64
- Pass Yards: 116/215
- Total Yards: 434/279
- Penalties-Yards: 5-45/10-55
- Turnovers: 2/4
- Time of Possession: 30:01/17:59
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
- Clearfield: Collins-19 carries, 236 yards, 4 TD (42-yard INT return TD); Freeland-12 carries, 57 yards; Curry-6 carries, 1 yard, TD; Ryan-4 carries, 21 yards; Elbe-2 carries, 7 yards; Fletcher-2 carries, (-1) yards; Owens-1 carry, 5 yards; Chamberlain-1 carry, 1 yard; Team-1 carry, (-2) yards.
- Tyrone: Hoover-7 carries, 71 yards, TD; VanAllman-4 carries, (-1) yards; Walk-2 carries, (-3) yards; Whitby-1 carry, (-2) yards; Emigh-1 carry, (-2) yards.
Passing
- Clearfield: Curry-4 for 6, 116 yards, TD, 2 INT.
- Tyrone: A. Walk-12 for 21, 215 yards, TD, 2 INT; B. Walk-0 for 1; Zupon-0 for 1
Receiving
- Clearfield: Freeland-2 catches, 39 yards; Collins-1 catch, 68 yards, TD; Glunt-1 catch, 9 yards.
- Tyrone: Adams-3 catches, 92 yards, TD; Rumberger-3 catches, 43 yards; Whitby-2 catches, 7 yards; Miller-1 catch, 41 yards; Weston-1 catch, 18 yards; A. Emigh-1 catch, 15 yards; M. Emigh-1 catch, (-1) yards.