By Rich Rhoades

DuBOIS – One team is trying to stay patched together, the other is trying to make history. They’re both trying to win a district title.

The St. Marys Flying Dutchmen (8-3) clash with the Bradford Owls (7-2) in the District 9 Class AAA Championship game Friday night at E.J. Mansell Stadium in DuBois. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Dutch, coming off last week’s emotional 30-14 win over Clearfield, appear to have all the momentum going into this one against an Owls squad that’s lost two quarterbacks and two of its top three rushers to injury.

But, the Owls are the defending champion and are looking for their fifth title since 2000. Head coach Steve Ackerman plainly says that to focus on the injuries is senseless.

         “There is nothing you can do about the injuries,” Ackerman said. “You have to put the best 11 you have on the field.”

         And don’t think for a minute that the Dutch will be taking the Owls for granted, even though they aren’t the same team that beat them 31-12 way back in Week 5.

         “We respect Bradford enormously,” St. Marys head coach Joe Schlimm said. “They are a tremendous program that has been a consistent winner over the past decade. We will have to be at our best if we hope to be successful in this game.”

         Plus, the Dutch have to jump over the historical barrier. They haven’t beaten Bradford since 1995, a span of 12 straight games. Bradford is 18-4-1 against St. Marys since 1985. And last week’s win was the first-ever playoff win for the team, which is looking for its first district title.

         The game pits two strong running games with some big playmakers.

Much has been made of Bradford’s near exclusive commitment to its running game – 90.8 percent of its plays this year – but St. Marys runs the ball 84.9 percent of the time.

         For Bradford, senior Nick Johnson is the focus. Johnson, also a big threat on returns in special teams, has rushed for 1,045 yards (8.9 per carry) with 11 touchdowns. Steve Hill (53-175, 4 TDs) and Mike Pascarella (43-87) should get some carries.

         St. Marys boasts three backs over 500 yards with Todd Schatz (105-911, 7 TDs), Jeremy Williams (153-786, 8 TDs) and Brian Tamburlin (77-537, 6 TDs).

“I have no idea about individual statistics or how many touches each of these kids have over the course of the season,” Schlimm said. “I think all of our backs, including Mitchell Straub, complement each other very well. They block well, can catch the ball, and each of them runs with a different style. More than anything else, they are team players who are a very unselfish.”

The Dutch have gotten a little more production from their passing game as quarterback James Swanson has thrown for 688 yards and eight touchdowns, completing 56.5 percent of his passes. Schatz is his top receiver with 15 catches, 318 yards and six touchdowns.

         Schatz may have a little better numbers offensively than Williams, but it’s hard to ignore Williams’ big-play ability, especially defensively. He’s made six interceptions this year, returning five for touchdowns. Last week, he made two of his team’s six interceptions against Clearfield and ran one back 100 yards to help seal the victory.

         In Bradford’s regular-season win over St. Marys, the Owls led 28-0 into the fourth quarter before St. Marys scored twice on Schatz touchdowns. Johnson ran for 112 on 13 carries and scored on the game-opening kickoff on an 87-yard run and added another 50-yard run in the second quarter. Bradford outgained St. Marys, 290-255.

         St. Marys was on the other side of things in a championship game rematch in 2005. The Dutch beat Clearfield 40-22 during the regular season but fell 21-18 to the Bisons in the district final. They hope the same theme carries this year.

         “The fact that we played in this game two years ago will help us keep things in perspective and to handle the pressure of a championship game,” Schlimm said. “We need to play loose, have fun and not be afraid to lose. Our approach will be to play your best and let the better team win.”

         “They are a great team and have vastly improved,” Ackerman said. “With all of our injuries, it’s a formidable task.”

         NOTES: Friday’s winner advances to the PIAA playoffs next week against the District 4 champion at a District 9 site, likely DuBois. Selinsgrove (9-2) and Jersey Shore  (6-5) meet for the D4 title this weekend. DuBois lost to Selinsgrove 7-0 in Week 7 and  Selinsgrove beat Jersey Shore 14-0 in Week 2. … St. Marys has eight wins in a season for the first time since 1966’s 9-0 team.