HYDE — The Clearfield Bisons roll into Week 4 of the high school
football season with a couple of thrilling wins under their belt.
In Week 3, they rallied in the fourth quarter for a 39-35 win at
Brookville. Last week, they did it again, coming back from a
fourth-quarter deficit to knock off Indian Valley, 38-35.
Yes, the Bison defense is giving up big plays and big points. They
lost in Week 1, 56-35, to Bradford. Although they\’re giving up lots of
yards and lots of points, they\’re winning these nailbiters.
The question is — how long can they keep winning these shootouts?
\”As long as we can keep shooting,\” Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko
said with a laugh. \”When we have a hard time playing defense, we have
to get into those.\”
This week, the Bisons will square off with Bellefonte, a team coming
off back-to-back losses.
After squeaking past Punxsutawney, 9-7, in the first week of the
season, the Red Raiders got spanked by Philipsburg-Osceola (37-19) in
Week 2 and took one on the chin last week, losing to Huntingdon
(26-14) at Rogers Stadium.
The Raiders played the first three weeks without their big running
back, Josh Gentzel (5-10, 205). There were reports that Gentzel had
suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason.
However, it appears that Gentzel will be back in the lineup this week.
\”He had a calcium deposit and from what I\’ve been told, he\’s been
cleared to play in this game. You add him to the mix and it changes
everything. He\’s a big running back,\” Janocko said.
Bellefonte coach Tom Gravish could not be reached for this story.
Although Gentzel hasn\’t played yet this season and will certainly be
rusty if he does, Janocko said that he will definitely have an impact.
\”It\’s hard to nail them down because you don\’t know what kind of
impact he\’s going to have. It\’s obviously going to have an impact. It
changes what we see on film and what\’s going to be (on the field).
We\’re preparing for him because it looks like he\’s going to play,\”
Janocko said.
If he doesn\’t play, the Red Raiders will turn to junior quarterback
Ryan Poorman, who nearly pulled out the comeback last week against the
Bearcats.
Thus far, Poorman has completed 29-of-66 for 448 yards and three
touchdowns. However, he\’s also been intercepted six times.
If Gentzel doesn\’t play, expect to see junior running back Greg
Benscoter. He\’s carried the ball 24 times for 111 yards — an average
of 4.6 yards per crack.
Without Gentzel, the Raiders have become somewhat one-dimensional,
with Poorman airing it out. His favorite target has been sophomore
Matt Fisher, who has caught 10 passes for 167 yards and two touchdown.
Junior wideout Heath Sprout has also been solid, catching nine balls
for 134 yards — a 14.2 average.
During the first three games, the Raiders have been throw first, run
second. Again, all roads lead back to Gentzel.
\”They threw the ball quite a bit without him. They did run some, but
they probably threw more than they wanted to. I\’d expect them to be
more balanced this week, or maybe even more run-oriented,\” Janocko
said.
Clearfield will be looking for another big game from senior
quarterback Andrew Janocko, who completed 20-of-26 last week for 203
yards and three rushing touchdowns. Most importantly, he was able to
lead the Bisons down the field late in the game when it mattered most.
\”We saw him do this last year and he\’s doing it again this year. He\’s
a coach on the field and he\’s making plays,\” coach Janocko said.
His favorite target has been tight end Adam Jury, who caught 13 balls
last week for 144 yards. It\’s becoming very clear that he and Janocko
have a special connection when they step between the lines.
\”Adam\’s a player. He\’s made some big plays for us. He and Andrew have
a combination going there that they\’ve had since ninth grade. They
seem to know where each other is going to be on the field,\” Janocko
said.
The Bisons are getting more and more from their running game as well.
Sophomore Isiah Morgan, who rushed for 100 yards on 26 carries last week, is improving.
While the running game isn\’t where it should be at this point in the
season, it\’s close.
\”Not yet, but he\’s getting there. He\’s getting close. He had a real
good week of practice. He\’s still making some sophomore mistakes, but
he\’s definitely getting better,\” Janocko said.
So while the Bisons are giving up yards and points by the bushel, it
doesn\’t seem to faze Janocko or the offense.
\”It\’s frustrating. But we\’re in the mentality now where it\’s not fazing
us too much. We get the ball back and it\’s \’here we go again,\’\”
Janocko said. \”(Coming back) does build confidence. I know it doesn\’t
seem like it, but I think we are getting better defensively. I\’ve seen
some improvement in that area. We just gotta keep trying to put points
on the board.\”
If the past couple of weeks are any indication, that shouldn\’t be a problem.
\”It\’s a big game for us,\” Janocko said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Bison Sports Complex.