CLARION -- For the Clearfield Bisons coaching staff, there will be plenty of familiar faces on the Perry sideline when the two teams meet in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs for the second straight year.

While the Bisons (6-4) have new players in most of their key roles, Perry (10-1) will have many of the same players on a team that squeaked by Clearfield last year. Perry rallied to beat Clearfield, 12-9, at Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh.

This time, it’s at Clarion University’s Memorial Field. Friday’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m. It’s the third time in the last four years that the teams have met in the first round.

The District 9 champion Bisons, coming off last week’s 21-18 win over St. Marys, will try to win their first state playoff game since their first-ever PIAA tilt back in 1994. The Chad Kroell-led Bisons beat State College 28-14.

Since then, the Bisons have lost to Huntingdon (68-34) in 1998, Bellefonte (27-10) in 1999 and Perry twice in 2002 (61-0) and last year.

To get by Perry, Clearfield will have to play near-perfect football against a Perry squad that returns largely intact from a year ago. The Commodores are led by quarterback Desmond Brentley (1,985 yards passing, 25 TDs), running back Jarred Williams and receiver Gary Nolan. All three played in last year’s game. Brentley’s 18-yard TD pass to Nolan in the fourth quarter of last year’s game tied the score at 9-9, then with 4:04 left the game-winning field goal was kicked from 24 yards out.

Brentley, with 15 yards, will become the first City League quarterback to pass for 2,000 or more yards in consecutive seasons.

Speaking of City League, Perry has dominated, winning its sixth straight title over Brashear last week in a 21-7 win. Head coach Bill Gallagher’s team is used to PIAA playoff games. This will be its ninth straight year in the state playoffs. Perry won the 1989 state title and lost in the 1997 championship game. Both games were against Berwick.

Since 1997, Perry reached the Western Semifinals twice in 1999 and 2001. The last two years against Bradford in 2003 (13-7) and Clearfield have been close encounters.

While Perry was a perfect 10-0 against City League teams this year, its only loss came to McDowell in Week 3 in a 35-32 loss.

The Bisons will try to give junior quarterback Andrew Janocko enough time to pass. If he does, Clearfield has a chance. Janocko has completed almost 59 percent of his passes for 1,604 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’ll spread out his passes to top receiver Beau Ryan (40 receptions, 482 yards), running back Curtis Campman (25-404), tight end Adam Jury (21-272), Matt Morgan (26-258) and Doug Kephart (9-154), who caught two TD passes in last week’s win over St. Marys.

Campman has emerged as a capable running threat out of the backfield for the Bisons with 689 yards, including 132 against St. Marys last week.

Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko, who notched his 150^th win last week, will try to win the turnover battle as well. This year, the Bisons have a minus-1 turnover ratio -- 19 turnovers, 18 takeaways.

The Bisons’ defensive numbers aren’t overwhelming, giving up 181.6 yards per game rushing (6 yards per carry) and 102 yards passing.