More on this game will be posted when it becomes available

DUBOIS – Clearfield’s failed two-point conversion pass in overtime allowed Shamokin to get an improbable 27-26 over the Bisons in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs Friday night at Mansell Stadium in DuBois.

Shamokin (6-7) trailed 20-7 going to the fourth quarter but rallied for a pair of final-quarter touchdowns including one with 37 seconds left to force overtime.

The Indians then scored on a third-and-goal, 15-yard run by Draven Miller on the first possession of overtime. The extra point made it 27-20.

Clearfield (11-2), which had a chance to win the game late in regulation but threw an interception at the Shamokin 3-yard line with just over seven seconds to play, got back within a point when Curtis Frye hit Beau Swales with a 9-yard touchdown pass on second-and-goal on the Bisons overtime possession to close Clearfield to within 27-26.

District 9’s all-time winningest coach Tim Janocko, then gambled and decided to go for the win instead of the tie and another overtime session, and Frye’s pass out of the shot gun was incomplete giving Shamokin the win.

Clearfield led 14-7 at halftime and took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove down the field taking the 20-7 lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Christian Lezzer with 6:36 left in the third quarter.

Shamokin, though, started its comeback on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Yost to Devin Madara with 10:40 to play.

Clearfield’s defense then came up with a stop deep in Bison territory interception a Yost pass inside the 30-yard line with eight minutes left. But a Clearfield drive stalled at the Indian 25-yard line giving Shamokin the ball back there with 3:30 to play.

Shamokin then drove down the field, and thanks to a couple of Clearfield penalty had first-and-goal at the 9-yard line with 52 seconds to play.

A sack pushed Shamokin back to the 15, but a penalty on Clearfield gave the Indians a chance that Yost capitalized on with a touchdown pass to Ryan Burns with 37 seconds to play.

Clearfield wasn’t done driving to the Shamokin 31-yard line with 24 seconds to play after a Frye pass to Swales.

But Frye was stopped for no gain on a first-down run, and on second down with 14.3 seconds to play Frye threw a jump ball to Lezzer that was picked off at the 3-yard line by Shamokin with just under eight seconds to play necessitating overtime.

Clearfield scored in the first quarter when Swales ran for a 6-yard score, and both teams had second-quarter touchdowns.

The Bisons came on a 35-yard Frye to Lezzer pass, and Yost tossed a 3-yard scoring pass to Robert Bainbridge for Shamokin.

Frye finished the game 6 of 11 passing for 136 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Swales had 124 yards rushing on 23 carries and two catches for 38 yards and the score. He finished the season with 1,975 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns and had 166 receiving yards and two scores. Lezzer added 64 yards rushing and 84 yards receiving on three catches.

Yost was 8 of 16 for 104 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for Shamokin. Miller had 15 carries for 83 yards.

The game was marred by penalties, as their were 20 flags for 173 yards including 13 for 117 on Clearfield. The Bisons were flagged five times for 51 yards in the fourth quarter including a couple of personal foul calls on the game-tying drive that were disputed by the Clearfield faithful.

NOTES – It was the fourth PIAA overtime game involving a District 9 team and the third time a District 9 lost. It was the first overtime PIAA contest involving a D9 team that only went one overtime. The first was in 1999 when Bishop Carroll knocked off Cameron County 35-34 in two overtimes in the Class A quarterfinals. Then, in 2005, Coudersport beat Kennedy Catholic 48-42 in two overtime in the Class A quarterfinals. In 2009, Bedford knocked off Karns City 28-26 in the second round of the Class AA playoffs … Shamokin, who will play Allentown Central Catholic in the quarterfinals, has won four of five since starting the season 2-6.  

SHAMOKIN 27, CLEARFIELD 26, overtime

Score by Quarters

Shamokin 0 7 0 13 7 – 27

Clearfield 7 7 6 0 6 – 26

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

C – Beau Swales 6 run (Spencer Herrington kick), 2:29

Second Quarter

S – Robert Bainbridge 3 pass from Tucker Yost (Jonathan Vanaskie kick), 11:54

C – Christian Lezzer 35 pass from Curtis Frye (Herrington kick), 7:13

Third Quarter

C – Lezzer 4 run (kick blocked), 6:36

Fourth Quarter

S – Devin Madara 22 pass from Yost (kick blocked), 10:40

S – Ryan Burns 7 pass from Yost (Vanaskie kick), 0:37

Overtime

S – Draven Miller 15 run (Vanaskie kick)

C – Swales 9 pass from Frye (pass failed)

                                                S                      C

First Downs                            14                    16

Rushes-Yards                          38-154             49-200

Passing Yards                         117                  136

Passing: Comp-Att-Int            9-18-2              6-11-1

Total Yards                             271                  336

Fumbles-Lost                          2-1                   3-2

Punts-Avg.                              2-39.5              5-34.0

Penalties-Yards                       7-56                 13-117

Individual Stats

Rushing – Shamokin: Draven Miller 15-83, Ryan Burns 6-28, Josh Dunn 3-27, Erik Taylor 1-18, Zach Tillett 5-10, Anthony Anonia 1-1, Jarrod Shurock 1-minus 5, Tucker Yost 6-minus 8. Clearfield: Beau Swales 23-124, Christian Lezzer 15-64, Curtis Frye 10-9, Ryan Hertlein 1-3.

Passing – Shamokin: Tucker Yost 8-for-16, 104 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, Devin Madara 1-for-1, 13 yards, Ryan Burns 0-for-1, 1 interception. Clearfield: Curtis Frye 6-for-11, 136 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception.

Receiving – Shamokin: Ryan Burns 2-38, Devin Madara 3-36, Zach Tillett 2-34, Jarrod Shurock 1-6, Robert Bainbridge 1-3. Clearfield: Christian Lezzer 3-84, Beau Swales 2-38, Trey Jordan 1-14.