CLEARFIELD FACES SHIKELLAMY IN PIAA CLASS AAA PLAYOFFS

By Chris Rossetti

SHAMOKIN – Clearfield will try to become the first District 9 Class AAA team to win two PIAA playoff games since Bradford advanced to the semifinals in 2003 when it takes on District 4 champion Shikellamy at 7 p.m. Friday at Kemp Memorial Stadium in Shamokin.

The District 9-champion Bisons (12-0) are coming off a 28-12 win over District 6 champion Johnstown in a PIAA preliminary-round game last week, while Shikellamy (9-3) beat nemesis Selinsgrove 35-27 last week to win the District 4 title. The win avenged a loss to Selinsgrove earlier in the season by the Braves.

Shikellamy loves to run the football and had run for 2,552 yards and 25 touchdowns going into the playoffs (stats are only available for the regular season for the Braves) while throwing for just 873 and 12 scores.

Leading the Braves’ rushing attack is a trio of runners at 500 yards or more.

Quarterback Garrett Pope had 900 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season and then added 23 more rushing yards in a District 4 semifinal win over Shamokin. He also passed for 873 in the regular campaign going 51 of 109 with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He then went 9 of 17 passing for 145 yards and two more touchdowns in the semifinal win over Shamokin.

Dominick Wolfe added 831 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season with Taiten Valiquette chipping in 500 yards and three touchdowns.

Tyler Pratt is the leading receiver for the Braves and had 29 catches for 535 yards and nine scores in the regular season before adding a 100-yard receiving game in the semifinals with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Clearfield, which is 12-0 for the second time in school history and the first time since 1994 and is looking to go 13-0 for the first time in school history, prefers a more balanced attack featuring junior quarterback Curtis Frye and senior running back Derek Morgan.

Frye is completing over 60 percent of his passes (60.8 percent; 101 of 166) for 1,592 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 302 yards and eight scores.

Morgan is the workhorse on the ground for the Bisons with 207 carries for 1,184 yards and 17 scores (he has scored 20 total touchdowns) with Beau Swales adding 86 carries for 610 yards and a 11 touchdowns and has added 12 catches for 226 yards and a score.

Derek Danver (34 catches, 481 yards, 6 TDs) is the top receiver for the Bisons with Jake Mellgard (12 catches, 152 yards, 2 TDs) and Andrew Redden (18 catches, 334 yards, 1 TD) also playing key roles in the aerial attack.  

Clearfield’s defense has been exceptional on the season allowing just 10.7 points per game. That defense has gotten stronger as the year has gone on allowing just 47 points (7.8 per game) in its last six games with a pair of shutouts.

Linebacker Brandon Hogue leads the defense with 87 tackles (7.3 per game), 3.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. Swales, a linebacker, adds 71 tackles (5.9 per game) with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries with defensive lineman Cliff Hill chipping in with 69 tackles (5.8 per game) with 6.5 sacks and Mellgard, a defensive back, chips in 62 stops (5.2 per game). Defensive lineman David Hoover has a team-high 8.5 sacks to go with 48 tackles, and Frye has picked off a team high five interceptions.

NOTES – The last time Clearfield was 12-0 was in 1994 when the Bisons lost to Erie Central in the PIAA quarterfinals 48-6 … The Bisons have never won two PIAA playoff games in the same season … The winner of this game plays the winner of the Abington Heights/Allentown Central Catholic game.