CLEARFIELD, Pa. (D9/EYT) – The Bison of Clearfield Area High School snapped the Central Clarion Wildcats’ winning streak at four and continued their perfect season in a 38-7 home victory on Friday night at Bison Stadium.
(Stats provided by Dustin Parks from Gant News)
“I thought that we really stepped up to the challenge,” said Central Clarion coach Dave Eggleton. “Up front, I thought we held our own on the defensive line and we came out ready to play. That is a really good football team in Class AAA and one of the best teams in the state. So, I really can’t say enough about the effort we gave tonight.”
Clearfield picked up 346 yards on the ground while adding 169 yards through the air.
The story of the ballgame was the rushing attack led by Clearfield senior quarterback and Kent State commit Oliver Billotte. He rushed 11 times for 146 yards and scored four touchdowns on the ground.
“We were down a few guys, but we had a few others really step up,” said Eggleton. “Once we look at the film, I think there are a lot of positives we can take away from this and use going into the playoffs.”
Central Clarion (4-5) could not establish a running game and once falling behind, they went to the air where they had much more success. Freshman quarterback Jase Ferguson finished the game 15 of 22 for 169 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
“Up front, they were tough to run against,” Eggleton said. “That is probably the best defensive line we have seen all year. They have the Bellotte kid, who is going Division I, and two or three other kids who are just big, strong, and athletic kids. It made us one dimensional, so going into the playoffs, we have to be more balanced.”
Billotte kicked off the scoring at the 3:42 mark in the first quarter as he got loose for a 73-yard touchdown run to make it a 6-0 lead. Billotte helped extend the Bison lead to 12-0 as he rushed for a 4-yard score with 8:20 left in the second quarter. After a successful point after try from senior kicker Luke Sidorick, the Bison led 13-0.
Central Clarion rallied and scored their lone points of the game on the next drive as Ferguson connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass with wide receiver Christian Simko. After a successful point after from senior kicker Charlie Franchino, the Wildcats trailed 13-7 with 6:16 left in the half.
The Bison responded and took the momentum into the half as Billotte scored his third rushing touchdown of the first half on a 120yard scamper to make it a 19-7 game with just 56 seconds to go in the half.
Out of halftime, Clearfield wasted little time extending their lead as just 50 seconds into the half, Billotte connected with senior wide receiver Nate Natoli on a 60-yard touchdown pass. After a failed two-point conversion, the Bison held a 25-7 lead.
Clearfield (10-0) was able to add a second touchdown of the quarter as Billotte would once again find the end zone via the ground on a 1-yard keeper with 1:46 left in the third quarter. After a missed point after, Clearfield now led 31-7.
In the fourth quarter, Clearfield used the clock to their advantage with some long drives and added another touchdown at the 6:47 mark as Billotte connected with fellow senior Karson Kiline on a 7-yard out route for a touchdown. After an extra point from Sidorick, the Bison led 38-7, which would ultimately be the final count of the contest.
