WINGATE, Pa. – Clearfield football coach Tim Janocko became just the 20th coach in the history of Pennsylvania football to record 300 wins when the visiting Bison edged Bald Eagle Area, 7-3.
“I have been very blessed with a lot of great players and a lot of great assistant coaches,” Janocko said. “It has been a great ride. It was a very emotional time. My whole family was there. My son (Andrew, the QB coach of the Chicago Bears) was able to fly in from Chicago. It was a very, very emotional night. I just thank God for everything.”
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The game’s lone touchdown came on the first play of the fourth quarter when Brady Collins scored on a 6-yard run to give Clearfield a 7-3 lead.
Bald Eagle had a couple of possessions in the fourth quarter to retake the lead, but the Clearfield defense held strong including stopping a Carson Nagle quarterback sneak short of the sticks with 44 seconds remaining to seal the win.
“Our kids played their guts out,” Janocko said. “I am so proud of them. They played a great team on the road again. They did a great job. Now we have something to build on. We played well last week but couldn’t pull it out against a very good football team on the road. But our kids just continue to work hard. They are grinders. That is what we do here at Clearfield. I am just very happy for them. Bald Eagle Area is a very talented team Talent-wise they have as much talent as anyone in our league. So to come on the road and pull out a victory in this fashion is really really something we can build on for the rest of the season/
The Eagles scored their lone points on a Kaden Burns field goal midway through the first quarter.
Collins led Clearfield with 18 carries for 84 yards and the touchdown.
The game was similar to Janocko’s first win as Clearfield’s head coach when the Bisons (yes there was still an s on the nickname back then) beat Bradford 10-8 on Aug. 30, 1985, when Jeff Kavelak hit a 33-yard field goal with two minutes left. Kavelak also threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jacques DeMatteo, who had 81 yards rushing in the game while also catching six passes.
Janocko’s record now stands at 300-118-3 (76.1%) in his 38th season as the Clearfield head coach. He is one of five active coaches in Pennsylvania with 300 wins. His record includes 12 double-digit win seasons and 33 winning seasons, including 26 in a row. Since 1996, Janocko is 231-69 (77%) The Bison last had a losing record in 1995 when they went 3-7. Janocko went 5-6 in that first season but turned things around to 7-4 in 1986. His first double-digit win season came in 1989 (10-1), and his first District 9 title came in 1994 when Chad Kroell, one of the greatest QBs in District 9 history, was at the helm.
