By Chris Rossetti

CLARION – The Clarion football team will try to make school history Friday night when it faces Farrell in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. at Slippery Rock University.

The Bobcats (10-3) have never won a PIAA playoff game losing the only other one they were in 27-6 to eventual state champion Sharpsville in 1997.

But winning Friday night won’t be easy, as Farrell (13-0) is the District 10 champion for the second year in a row and has won 24 out of its past 25 games with the lone loss coming 24-21 to Clairton in last season’s PIAA Class A semifinals. One of the wins during that stretch for the Steelers was a 31-0 win over Cameron County in last year’s quarterfinals.

Farrell enters the game having been dominant on both sides of the ball this year. The Steelers are averaging 39.1 points per game while allowing 4.7 points per contest. They breezed through the District 10 playoffs beating Eisenhower 53-0 in the first round, Linesville 39-0 in the semifinals and Sharpsville 34-7 in the championship game. That is the same Sharpsville team that beat Clarion 28-0 in Week 10.

Maybe even more impressive, the Steelers have given up more than one touchdown only once this season, in a 21-14 win over Mercer Sept. 11, and have five shutouts on record.

But not all of Farrell’s games have been blowouts. In addition to the 7-point win over Mercer, the Steelers also squeaked out a 12-7 win at Sharpsville Oct. 16. But since that nailbiter, Farrell has been dominating its opponents outscoring its next six foes by a combined score of 236-20.

On offense, the Steelers do it with a strong, deep running game that averages 263.5 yards per game.

Farrell is so deep in the skill positions that five different runners have broken the 100-yard mark in a game at least once this season.

Jamar Whitman is the leading rusher with 802 yards and nine touchdowns, while Malcolm Hailstock adds 637 yards and nine scores. Kevin Brodie chips in with 482 yards and seven touchdowns, quarterback Danny Odem has 419 yards and 10 scores and Ron Jackson has 407 yards and three touchdowns. Dion Ellam gives the Steelers a multiple threat look with 331 yards rushing and five touchdowns and 20 catches for 448 yards and four touchdowns.

While Farrell likes to run the ball, the Steelers can also throw the pigskin. Odem is 46 of 85 (54.1 percent) on the season for 795 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Farrell’s offense may get a test from a Clarion defense that hasn’t allowed a point in three playoff games and has come away with back-to-back shutouts. The lone points scored on Clarion in the postseason came on a blocked punt for a safety against Elk County Catholic in the opening round of the District 9 tournament. Clarion won that game 29-2 and then knocked off defending champion Cameron County 18-0 in the semifinals before dispatching Coudersport 7-0 in last week’s championship game.

The Bobcat defense, which has allowed more than 14 points just three times this season while allowing 10.8 points per game, is led by a pair of senior linebackers in Bubba Rue and Kevin Grejda and a freshman defensive end, T.J. Armstrong.

Grejda leads the squad with 146 tackles with Rue in hot pursuit with 143. Armstrong has added 100 stops on the year and has a team-high 11 sacks. Rue is adding 3.5 sacks and two interceptions.

Additional key defensive players for Clarion include Gavin Griffin (64 tackles, 9 sacks) and Cody Renninger (40 tackles, 6 interceptions).

On offense, Clarion is averaging 26.9 points per game and is led by Rue’s 1,222 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. Kris Burkhart is adding 647 yards rushing and five scores with Grejda chipping in 559 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. Renninger is the leading receiver 35 catches for 511 yards and six touchdowns.

The Bobcats have used two quarterbacks most of the year with Dan Walters going 45 of 85 for 651 yards, six touchdowns and four picks and Brandon Heeter going 28 of 61 for 428 yards, six touchdowns and four picks.

NOTES – This is Clarion head coach Larry Wiser’s final season. Wiser is 146-76-1 in 22 seasons with the Bobcats and has led them to two  District 9 Class A titles … District 9 Class A teams have had recent success vs. District 10 teams in the postseason winning five of the last seven meetings. Overall, District 9 is 10-9 all-time vs. District 10 in the PIAA Class A postseason. District 9’s last win over District 10 game in 2007 when Kane beat Mercyhurst Prep 12-7.