PIAA Class 3A Preview: Central vs. Clearfield
Tagged under: District 6, District 9, News, Playoffs
Phil Myers | November 16, 2023
Central won the first meeting on October 20th by a score of 27-21. Clearfield holds the lead in the all-time series winning 11 of the 17 games played. Central, though, has won the past 3 contests played including a 35-6 victory last year in the state playoffs.
Central-Martinsburg (11-0) – The Scarlet Dragons are the District Six champions as they defeated Penn Cambria last week 32-28. Central, who is the 7th ranked AAA team according to PFN, has scored 398 points and given up 146 through 11 games. They are coached by Dave Baker.
The Dragons are led offensively by quarterback Eli Muthler who has chucked the ball for 2,621 yards and 30 touchdowns. His main receivers are Jack Dunn and Jacob Benton. Dunn has grabbed 51 passes for 978 yards and 13 TDs, while Benton has 49 catches for 830 yards and 8 scores. The running game is spearheaded by Hunter Smith, who has gained 786 yards thus far. Smith has crossed the goal line 19 times running the ball.
Defensively, Central has registered 29 sacks and an astounding 84 tackles for loss. The Scarlet Dragons have picked off 12 opposition passes with Muthler pilfering 5 himself. Smith has taken down 89 ball carriers to date to lead in that department.
Clearfield (8-3) – The Bison are the District Nine AAA champs as they beat Punxsutawney 20-14 two weeks ago and had a bye last week. Clearfield is coached by Myles Caragein, who took over for D-9 legend Tim Janocko this year. Clearfield has scored 315 points and has allowed 200. They are not ranked, but look to change that by winning this game.
Offensively, the Bison lean more to the running game, while Central is a little more pass heavy. Quarterback Will Domico has thrown for 1,591 yards and 16 TDs. Domico is not afraid to take off running as evidenced by his 523 yards and 11 touchdowns. Running backs Carter Freeland and Brady Collins have combined to gain over 1,300 yards carrying the rock. Together, they have also scored 12 times. Carter Chamberlain is the leading receiver with 45 catches for 850 yards and 9 touchdowns.
The team has sacked the quarterback 22 times this year and has recorded 8 interceptions. Colton Ryan leads the Bison defense with 85 tackles.
For Central to win, they will have to find and exploit a weak spot in Clearfield’s defense, especially with their passing game. The Dragons will need to get some big plays in their passing game too. They’ll also need to balance the attack somewhat with an effective running game to keep the Bison off balance.
For Clearfield to win, they need to do a couple of things. One is control the ball on offense by keeping it away from Muthler and that explosive offense. The other is win the turnover battle. If the Bison can do those two things, they will have an excellent chance of pulling off the upset.
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