Cody Baker - St. Marys	Curtis Frye
	Photo courtesy of Clearfieldfootball.org

By Chris Rossetti

DUBOIS – Two teams with very different postseason histories will meet for the District 9 Class AAA title at 1 p.m. Saturday at DuBois’ Mansell Stadium.

Clearfield (9-1) is the top seed, and the Bisons are used to being in District 9 title games. Since District 9 went back to holding its own Class AAA tournament in 1998, Clearfield has appeared in 13 of the 14 title games and has gone 7-5 in the 12 Class AAA title games it has played in. Clearfield was also 1-1 in Class AAAA championship games winning in 1994.

St. Marys (5-4) is the second seed, and the Dutch are making just their fourth appearance in the title game. St. Marys lost to Clearfield 42-20 in 2007 and 21-18 in 2005 and also lost to Bradford 17-0 in 2007.

Clearfield is the defending champion having beaten Punxsutawney in last year’s title game and then went on to the PIAA quarterfinals before losing to Allentown Central Catholic.

The Bisons have been a high-scoring team all season averaging 37.4 points per game.

This year, that has come because of a ground-oriented attack that is averaging 292.7 yards per game on the ground. Senior running back Beau Swales is one of the top backs in District 9 having rushed for nearly 1,500 yards (1,468) and has scored 20 touchdowns.

Sophomore Christian Lezzer has added 627 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging an amazing 11.4 yards per carry.

Clearfield hasn’t gone to the air as much as in the past, but when the Bisons do senior quarterback Curtis Frye still offers a good option.

Frye, who has thrown for 4,330 career yards and 42 touchdowns, is 43 of 100 this year for 723 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also ran for 302 yards and six scores.

Lezzer is the leading receiver with 14 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He is one of four Bisons receivers over 100 yards. Trey Jordan has eight catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Swales has 11 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown and Robbie Myers has eight grabs for 107 yards and three scores.

St. Marys has been almost exclusively a running team this year having run for 2,292 yards and passed for just 407.

A lot of that is because starting quarterback David Aul was hurt in the final scrimmage of the preseason and played hurt for the first four games. St. Marys went 4-0 in those games, but in the fourth, a win over Clarion, he left and hasn’t played since. St. Marys has suffered going 1-4 in those five games.

But Aul is supposed to return in the championship game. Before getting hurt he was 9 of 17 for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

With Aul back at quarterback, Justin Quiggle moves back to running back, his natural position. Quiggle has rushed for 355 yards and three touchdowns on the year and also threw for 223 yards and caught eight passes for 77 yards and two scores.

Quiggle will be joined in a three-back backfield with Cody Baker (1,216 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Brian Merritt (271 yards, 2 touchdowns).

NOTES - A Clearfield win would be the 204th of 27th year head coach Tim Janocko's career tying him for the District 9 record with Coudersport's Paul Simcoe. Janocko is 203-93-3 in his career. Simcoe, who is still an assistant coach at Coudersport, had a head-coaching record of 204-78-8