Seven games into the season, and the Central High School football team is still undefeated just like the Scarlet Dragons were a year ago at this time.
However, the Dragons dropped two of their last three regular-season contests in 2008, and they'll end this year with the same trio of challenging opponents beginning with Saturday night's homecoming game at Roaring Spring Athletic Field against perennial District 9 power Clearfield.
"These last three games will be huge challenges each week,'' said Dragon coach A.J. Hoenstine, whose team will follow that up with visits from 5-2 St. Marys and 6-1 Tyrone. "We need to worry about this week's opponent, Clearfield, first. Then we can worry about the next two.''
The Bisons will bring a 4-3 overall record into the Mountain Conference Nittany Division tilt. Clearfield cruised past Penns Valley last week, 42-6.
Clearfield is high-powered, averaging better than 31 points per game and only having been held to fewer than three touchdowns once all year. Quarterback Curtis Frye already has more than 1,300 yards passing and is a threat to run as well, while Trey Campman has hauled in 38 receptions. Derek Morgan has rushed for more than 500 yards.
"They do a lot offensively,'' said Hoenstine, whose team lost in Clearfield last year, 49-21.
Central has yet to give up more than 15 points in a game.
The danger for the Dragons is the big game looming with Tyrone in two weeks. Hoenstine can't afford for his team to look beyond the two District 9 teams it plays before that.
"We can't overlook them. Tyrone, along with Forest Hills, has kind of set the standard for double-A teams in this area, but we'll worry about them when we play them,'' Hoenstine said.
This is the third year that Central has played its homecoming game on Saturday instead of Friday. The last two years, the Dragons won afternoon games vs. Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech and Bald Eagle Area. This is the first time the game will be a 7 p.m. kickoff.
"Our community support is always good, but it's a little extra special being the only game going on,'' Hoenstine said. "The kids get up for it.''
