October 31st, 2007 Clearfield Bisons (6-3) at Penns Valley Rams (8-1)SPRING MILLS — It's often said that there's a first time for everything.
That old adage will be true on Friday night. When the Clearfield
Bisons travel over the mountain to face once-beaten Penns Valley, it
will be the first time ever that the Bisons have faced the Rams in the
Tim Janocko Era.
"I've been here 28 years and we haven't played them," Janocko said.
That will all change on Friday night. The Bisons will face a
formidable foe in the Rams, whose lone loss came at Tyrone in Week 3.
The Rams lost that game, 10-3. Since then, they've rolled off six
consecutive victories. The Bisons have won four straight.
There's another old adage that says, something's gotta give. Also true
this week.
"I think we've improved every week. It's a grind, but you just keep
trying to get better every week. The kids have worked hard to do that,
and that's a credit to them," Janocko said.
The Rams are coming off another overtime win, a 13-7 victory over
Juniata Valley last week. The Rams have now won three games in OT this
season. Those three have come over the past four weeks. They defeated
Philipsburg-Osceola (13-10), Bellwood-Antis (16-13) and the
aforementioned win over the Green Hornets (13-7). Sandwiched in
between all the OT games was a 34-0 drubbing of Mount Union.
Penns Valley had just 26 yards in total offense last week, but the
game was played in a downpour that left the field with the consistency
of chocolate pudding.
In Clearfield, the Bisons rolled to a 49-26 victory over Huntingdon.
The weather was bad, but the field held up well.
"It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be," Janocko said of the
rains that drenched the area. "We were expecting some heavy downpours,
and we didn't get them. We were fortunate."
The Rams like to run the football, and that usually means senior
tailback Taylor Wingard gets the call. The 6-foot, 185-pound back is
tough to bring down in the open field.
"The tailback, No. 40 (Wingard), is probably one of their better
players. They have a couple of different kids at quarterback, and they
give you different looks," Janocko said.
He's been impressed with what he's seen on film thus far.
"They bring size. They're one of the biggest teams we're going to see
all year. Bigger than Hollidaysburg, bigger than Indian Valley.
Incredible size for a high school their size (Class AA)," Janocko
said.
Offensively, the Rams like to run the football, but they also are
capable of putting the ball in the air, when the weather permits, of
course.
"They do a little bit of everything. They run some dive option they
run some power-I. It's more of a power running game with a little
play-action pass. They spread it around quite a bit. They throw to
different receivers," Janocko said.
The Bisons are headed to the District 9 Class AAA playoffs no matter
the outcome on Friday night. But a win is important, according to
Janocko.
"It's important we play well because a win gives us a home playoff
game in the first round. If we lose, we go on the road," Janocko said.
The Bisons will need another big game from quarterback Jarrin Campman.
He's really stepped up his game during Clearfield's four-game winning
streak. Against the Bearcats, he was 19-of-27 throwing the ball for
255 yards and three TDs, while rushing 19 times for 76 yards and three
scores.
"He's been outstanding and he's getting better every week," Janocko
noted. "We ask him to do things and we add more every week. He's been
a big plus for us."
Kickoff from Spring Mills is set for 7 p.m.
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