DUBOIS — On Friday the 13th, the Clearfield Bisons made sure that the
nightmares continued for their District 9 rival, DuBois.
Clearfield jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead and cruised from
there for a 24-14 victory over the Beavers on a cold night at E.J.
Mansell Stadium. The Bisons got a big night from running back Isiah
Morgan, who carried the football 23 times for 184 yards and a pair of
touchdowns.
With the victory, Clearfield (5-2 overall) bounced back from last
week\’s disappointing 28-7 loss at Huntingdon and appear ready to get a
head of steam as the playoffs rapidly approach.
For the winless Beavers (0-7 overall), their luck went from bad to
worse. They were never really in the game, falling behind 10-0 then
17-0 before rallying late to make it 17-7 then 24-14.
Clearfield, which suffered a 28-13 setback at the hands of the Beavers
last season, came out in this one intent on getting some revenge. The
Bisons set the tone early. DuBois took the opening kickoff and went
three-and-out before punting the ball away to Clearfield.
Clearfield took over at the 50-yard line and needed just six plays to
hit paydirt. After quarterback Andrew Janocko suffered a 2-yard loss,
he hit tight end Adam Jury for a 7-yard gain.
Then, the Bisons got a big play from an unlikely source. Janocko ran
the option perfectly, pitching the ball to Will Bacharach, who rumbled
38 yards to get the Bisons in the Red Zone. Morgan ran for two yards,
then 11 yards before Janocko scored on a 1-yard sneak to make it 7-0
with 7:36 to play in the first quarter.
After another three-and-out series for the Beavers, Clearfield struck
again. Janocko hit Jury for a 39-yard pickup, but that drive stalled
and the Bisons had to settle for a 29-yard field goal off the foot of
kicker Kyle Kline to make it 10-0.
The Bisons had a chance to add to their lead, but a fake field goal
didn\’t fool the Beavers and they dropped Janocko for a 15-yard loss.
Clearfield went to the intermission ahead 10-0.
In the third quarter, the Bisons came out looking to deliver a knockout blow.
On their second drive of the second half, the Bisons struck.
Four plays into the drive, Morgan broke loose and it was off to the
races as he scampered 37 yards for the easy TD. With 4:20 to play in
the third quarter, it was 17-0.
DuBois finally got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter.
Ignited by the insertion of sophomore quarterback Danny Henry, the
Beavers drove 74 yards in just five plays. Running back Mike Yamrick
ended the shutout when he broke loose for a 39-yard TD with 9:02 left
in the game to make it 17-7.
But the Beavers couldn\’t handle success. Bacharach returned the
ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the DuBois 44-yard line. Morgan ran for
three yards before busting loose again, this time for a 41-yard TD.
That made it 24-7 with 7:55 to play in the game and pretty much salted
things away.
DuBois got a garbage TD with 3:44 to play when Henry scored from one
yard out to close out the scoring. The Beavers tried an onside kick,
but the Bisons recovered.
While it wasn\’t a perfect effort from the Bisons, it was pretty darn
close. Morgan, who was held to just 22 first-half yards, exploded in
the second half for 162 more.
Janocko completed 8-of-16 passes for 153 yards. Although he didn\’t
throw a touchdown, he wasn\’t intercepted, either.
Jury continued to be his favorite target, catching four balls for 54
yards. Bacharach also had a nice night, carrying the ball five times
for 71 yards and catching two balls for 56 yards.
The Bison defense did a nice job shutting down the Beaver offense.
Garrett Malmgren, the Beavers\’ feature back, was held to 49 yards on
14 carries. Quarterback James Conway carried the ball 13 times for
just 21 yards. He completed 1-of-2 passes for just four yards. Henry
fared much better, completing 4-of-9 for 48 yards.
Clearfield will try to make it two in a row next week, when they host
St. Marys on homecoming at the Bison Sports Complex.
EXTRA POINTS: There was just one turnover in the game, a Beaver fumble
that was recovered by Clearfield. … Clearfield had just one penalty
for five yards. … Clearfield had 15 first downs, DuBois had seven.
… DuBois hosts Bradford in another D-9 tilt next Friday.
Scoring Summary
Clearfield 10 0 7 7 — 24
DuBois     0 0 0 14 — 14
First Quarter
C—Andrew Janocko 1 run (Kyle Kline kick), 7:36.
C—Kline 29 field goal, 4:23.
Third Quarter
C—Isiah Morgan 37 run (Kline kick), 4:20.
Fourth Quarter
D—Mike Yamrick 39 run (D.J. Smith kick), 9:02.
C—Morgan 41 run (Kline kick), 7:55.
D—Danny Henry 1 run (Smith kick), 3:44.