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One week after a dramatic victory to end Tyrone's 35-game regular season win streak, the Bisons stormed the field against Bald Eagle Area, needing only four minutes and one offensive play from scrimmage to jump out to a 14-0 lead before pounding the Eagle's 41-6 on Friday.
Even with so much time left in the contest, virtually all hope for the Eagles was demolished when Scott Nishida busted through the line in the first quarter and blocked a punt from BEA punter Tyler Womer. Jarrin Campman scooped up the loose the ball and waltzed into the end zone for a two-touchdown lead.
"The punt block by Scotty Nishida was huge," Clearfield head coach Tim Janocko said. "When he blocked the punt it kind of took some wind out of their sails. It's kind of routine when Jarrin and Isiah (Morgan) have big nights, but Scotty Nishida really stepped up."
Although it's not as if the Bisons weren't already on a roll. Nick Redden and a group of Clearfield defenders sacked Bald Eagle quarterback Derek Noll to force the Eagle's three and out on the opening drive, and then the Campman connection took the field.
On Clearfield's first offensive play from scrimmage quarterback Jarrin Campman hit his brother, wide receiver Trey Campman, down the left sideline for 34-yard touchdown and the high-octane attack was already on display.
"I don't know if they have a little mental telepathy going on there or what," Janocko said. "Trey had a big night. He got open and Jarrin was able to find him. Our offensive line gave Jarrin time to throw and he made some big plays."
The Campmans hooked up six times on the night for 68 yards. Trey also added 18 yards rushing while Jarrin went 8 of 11 for 105 yards and two touchdowns before sitting out much of the second half.
The Bison offense often overshadows the defense, but on this night the Clearfield stoppers took a back seat to no one. The Bison defensive line got excellent penetration all night, hurrying Noll and creating havoc at the line of scrimmage. Bald Eagle workhorse A.J. Robinson ran nine times for only six yards, and BEA was held to negative-three yards rushing by Clearfield's defensive starters. When all was said and done, Bald Eagle managed only 67 yards on the ground, most of which came with both squad's second-team units on the field.
"Our defensive played well," Janocko said. "That's huge because I've watched them (Bald Eagle) move the ball on some good teams and they have two wins under their belt and they're big and they're physical. So I thought our defense really stepped up to the plate tonight."
Bald Eagle Area struggled to move the ball all evening, picking up only two first downs in the first half. They were also hurt by penalties that came at the most inconvenient moments, including an illegal man downfield flag that negated a touchdown pass late in the first quarter that would have cut the two-touchdown advantage in half.
Running back Isiah Morgan made the score 21-0 with a 19-yard touchdown run with just one second remaining in the first period of play. Morgan finished the game with 114 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
After shutting down the BEA offense to open up the second quarter, Clearfield got the ball back and marched 65 yards to paydirt, capping off the series with a six-yard TD scamper up the middle by Jarrin Campman.
Two plays later Brandon Sass became the hero for the Bisons. Sass picked off a Noll pass to give his team back the ball, and on fourth-and-9 Jarrin Campman lofted the ball over the middle and into the hands of Sass for a touchdown, extending the lead to 35-0.
The Bisons wasted little time moving down the field to start the third quarter, handing the ball off five straight times as they pushed into the red zone. A 14-yard pinballing run by Josh Rippey moved Clearfield across mid-field, and Morgan polished the drive off with a 28-yard dash, heading between the right guard and tackle before shedding tackles and plowing into the end zone. The point after failed, putting the Bisons on top 41-0.
Bald Eagle Area's only score of the game came late in the fourth quarter as both teams began to empty their benches. With time winding down Kory Hicks broke off a big 38-yard run that moved BEA down to Clearfield's 7-yard line. On the next play Coleman Hoffman bounced around the right edge for the score, finalizing things at 41-6.
Clearfield moved to 5-1 with the win and head back home to host Penns Valley (1-5) in Week 7.
