October 11th, 2006
Jay Siegel, sports editor
Clearfield (4-2) at DuBois (0-6)DUBOIS — The Clearfield Area High School football team will try to get
back on the winning track this week.
The Bisons will head down Interstate 80 for a dose of medicine that
will, hopefully, come in the form of the winless DuBois Beavers.
Clearfield is trying to bounce back from a 28-7 loss at the hands of
Huntingdon. That loss snapped a four-game winning streak. It was a
night, quite simply, where nothing went right for the Bisons.
But Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko said that his squad has put that
loss in the past and is eager to play another game.
"It's one week out of the whole season. We didn't get the ball in the
end zone and those things happen against good teams," Janocko said.
"We just need to move on. There's still a lot of football left."
The Bisons are into the homestretch now. With six games under their
belt, there are just four regular season contests left. After DuBois,
Clearfield gets St. Marys and Punxsutawney at home. A Nov. 3 date with
Brockway could get wiped out because of a possible playoff game.
So just where are these Bisons right now?
"I think we're making progress. We're getting as much out of these
kids as we can get out of them. Everyone is working hard," Janocko
said. "They're enjoying their season. We're 4-2. It's a good position
to be in. We have four games left. Hopefully, we can get in the
playoffs."
Against the Bearcats, the Bisons had some mental lapses that allowed
the Bearcats to jump out to a 21-0 lead.
Janocko talked about the problems the Bisons had in the loss.
"Obviously, we need to keep working on our defense. They didn't play
that badly. It was just mental mistakes last week, missed assignments.
Not going to the right place," he said.
But the problems weren't only on defense.
"Our offensive line had a long night. We missed assignments. We've
gotta focus a little bit more," Janocko said.
This week, the Bisons will try to take advantage of a DuBois team that
is down on its luck. The winless Beavers have been outscored, 175-67,
and the Bisons would like nothing more than to add to their misery.
DuBois' struggles start with its quarterback, James Conway. He's one
of the lowest-rated passers in District 9, with a 73.27 passer rating.
So far this season, he's completed just 34-of-79 (43 percent) for 420
yards. But it gets worse — he's tossed nine interceptions and just two
TDs.
Adding to DuBois' misery is the fact that they are without running
back Mark Malacarne, who is out for the season. He rushed for nearly
1,000 yards last year.
"Anytime you lose someone like that, its hard to recover," Janocko said.
DuBois has struggled in all facets of the game, but Janocko said that
his squad is not overlooking the winless Beavers.
"We're not good enough to look past anyone. We're expecting a
hard-fought football game. We wouldn't expect anything less. They play
a AAAA schedule, we're pretty much AA. They're obviously looking for
some success to build on. We know it will be a tough game," Janocko
said.
Clearfield will try to be balanced, but expect to see quarterback
Andrew Janocko airing it out. He's the top-ranked passer in District
9, completing 89-of-154 for 1,308 yards. He's tossed seven touchdowns
and five interceptions. His passer rating is a gaudy 137.64. According
to the website maxpreps.com, Janocko is the No. 2 passer in the state.
Tight end Adam Jury has one-upped Janocko. With his 41 catches for 658 yards, he's the top-ranked receiver in the state, according to maxpreps.com.
"The one huge positive has been our passing game," Janocko said.
"We're putting up some big numbers."
The Bisons are a bit nicked up, but Janocko said that there aren't any
injuries significant enough to keep guys out of the lineup.
"We're a little bit banged up. We're in the same position we were last
year. We play a brutal schedule," he said. "When other teams are
playing down, we're playing up every week."
Kickoff at E.J. Mansell Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
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