The DuBois Beavers overpowered the Clearfield Bisons in the second half to claim a 35-21 win and retain the King of the Mountain trophy that was introduced to the rival series in 2008.
And with DuBois probably headed to play a District 10 schedule in 2010, it could remain at DAHS for a few years.
The Beavers trailed 13-0 at halftime and looked dead in the water.
But the third quarter was a complete turnaround for DuBois (1-0) as it ran for more than 150 yards in the frame alone and finished with more than 300 yards rushing.
"A lot of people would have thought I'd be yelling and screaming in the lockerroom at halftime with the way we played, but I was so mad, I said very little," Beavers head coach Jason Shilala said. "Offensive line coach Chuck Pasternak did most of the talking, we made some adjustments and we just told the kids what we expected and they went out and did it."
The Bisons (0-1) took their 13-0 advantage to halftime when Derek Danver caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Curtis Frye with 27 seconds left in the half.
It was set up when Bison linebacker Ryan Hertlein stripped the ball from Beavers quarterback Josh Means and Andre Buck recovered it at the DuBois 43.
As bad as things seemed for the Beavers, which gained just 82 yards on 22 first-half plays, the bad feelings were quickly washed away in a tidal wave of a big-play running game and opportunistic passing attack.
In a span of 12 minutes, 26 seconds between the third and early part of the fourth quarter, the Beavers ran 17 plays and amassed 247 yards that included a 10-yard Bison penalty while racking up 28 points.
"We knew our weaknesses were having a young offense and being slow starters, but you can afford a slow start with a finish like that," Shilala said. "It was great because everyone contributed and no one cared who got the credit."
Quarterback Josh Means, running backs Cam Kelly, Braden Bish, Adam Sanko and Shawn Newpher took turns gashing the Bisons defense for double-digit gains on the ground while tight end Dew Spicher caught three passes for 70 yards.
Means, in his first varsity start, hit 6 of 8 passes for 95 yards and ran 15 times for 94 yards with two touchdowns.
Kelly led the runners with 127 yards on 16 runs and two touchdowns. His five-yard run in the third gave DuBois the lead for good and he bolted for a 33-yard TD run to seal the win late in the fourth.
Sanko had 29 yards with a TD run while Bish had 39 yards on just three rushes and Newpher had a 13-yard run and a catch for seven.
And the defense, expected to be a strength for the Beavers, was, particularly in the second half.
Clearfield gained 158 yards on 23 plays in the first half, but just 117 on 30 plays in the second.
"We had a real good first half. We just didn't make the plays in the third quarter and gave them the momentum," Janocko said.
Tony Powers and Kelly also picked off passes in the third quarter that both led to Beavers scores.
The Beavers took the initial second-half kickoff and drove 69 yards in just seven plays. Sanko capped it with a 23-yard TD run up the middle. Means had a 17-yard scramble while Newpher accounted for 20 yards on the drive.
Sophomore kicker Max Hine displayed the promise that Shilala talked about before the season, kicking the first of five extra points to make it 13-7.
The Bisons got the ball back on their 26 and Campman, lining up in the shotgun, ran all three times. His first two gained seven yards, but the Beavers dropped him for a loss of six on third down and forced a punt.
Starting at the their 40, Means lost a yard on first down. But he quickly made up for it by throwing a 20-yard pass to Spicher to the Bisons 41.
A delay of game was a minor irritation on the next play before Kelly got loose from the right side, then side-stepped a defender near the sideline to get another 15 yards to the 5. Kelly finished the drive on the next play as he ran over a Bisons defender for the score.
Hine kicked the point to make it 14-13.
Then the Beavers defense stepped up with interceptions on back-to-back possessions.
Powers made a juggling grab of a pass thrown by Frye on the sideline for a pick. Bisons head coach Tim Janocko argued that it wasn't a pick, but didn't get any satisfaction.
After a short run by Jon Sunealitis, Spicher hauled in another pass for 24 yards to the Bison 49.
The Beavers used some deception on the next play to help spring Means for a 49-yard TD score. It was a QB keeper the whole way and the majority of the line moved right while Means went left and wasn't touched. After Hine's kick it was 21-13.
Then Kelly played center field to pick off another Frye pass at the Beaver 43.
On second down, Bish barrelled ahead for a 35-yard run and DuBois got 10 more yards as a Bison defender used an illegal horse collar tackle to bring him down.
Means was not touched on the next play as he took it in from 11 yards. Hine kicked the point for a 28-13 advantage.
The Bisons did respond on their next possession as Campman put his receiving skills on display.
With a first down at the 48, Frye threw a deep pass down the right sideline. Powers nearly picked it off, but tipped the ball. Campman, who was behind Powers, leaned and caught the ball while keeping the tips of his toes inbounds for a 32-yard play. Five plays later, he made another great catch for a 10-yard TD.
Once again, Powers was on him like glue, but Campman still made the catch. Frye threw to Derek Danver to make it 28-21 with 7:41 left.
DuBois went three-and-out and punted on the next series, but Means, who averaged 42 yards on three kicks, delivered a great one that was away from Campman and rolled dead at the Bison 36.
A few plays later, Campman caught a pass for 20 yards to the Beaver 41. But then misfortune struck the Bisons as a high snap to Frye went well over his head and resulted in a 25-yard loss back to the Bison 34. Clearfield couldn't dig out of the hole and the Beavers got the ball back at midfield.
Kelly ran four straight times with the last going for a 33-yard TD.
"I think Cam found a home tonight," Shilala said. "He hadn't run well in the scrimmages, but he and all the backs ran well. And the O-line, kudos to them for really stepping up."
The Bisons opened the scoring on their initial drive in the first quarter, driving 74 yards in nine plays. Campman capped with a 3-yard TD run just 3:58 into the game.
Campman was virtually unstoppable from his receiver position, grabbing six passes for 116 yards.
The Beavers have their home opener at E.J. Mansell Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday with Punxsutawney. The Chucks opened their season with a 20-13 loss against Karns City.
Clearfield hosts Philipsburg-Osceola at 7 p.m. Friday. The Mounties beat Bald Eagle Area, 21-9.
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