Trending
By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
After winning their fourth consecutive District 6 Class 3A football championship last Friday, the Central Scarlet Dragons will start their journey in the PIAA state playoffs with a first-round game against District 9 champion Clearfield this Friday night.
Unbeaten Central carries an 11-0 record into the game against Clearfield (8-3). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Mansell Stadium in DuBois.
Central made it to this point by outlasting Penn Cambria, 35-28, in the District 6 championship game at Mansion Park last week. A 15-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Eli Muthler to senior wideout Jacob Benton with 32 seconds left in the game broke a 28-28 tie and enabled Central to advance.
"Winning a district championship is a goal that you start out your season with as a team,'' Central coach Dave Baker said. "Last week's game went down to the wire and could have gone either way. We put together a very well-executed drive both passing and running at the end of that game to win it.''
Senior running back-linebacker Hunter Smith has been a standout on all four of the Scarlet Dragons' District 6 championship teams.
"Winning four district championships in a row is amazing, and it shows how good our coaches have been at developing the players within our system,'' Smith said. "Four district championships is pretty good.''
Yet, a district championship is only the first piece of the puzzle for Central, which has made it to the PIAA state semifinal round in both of the past two years, and a total of four times over the past nine seasons under Baker.
Clearfield will present the first hurdle on Central's state playoff road this year, and the Bison represent a stiff challenge.
They dealt Bald Eagle Area its only loss this season, and then played Central very tough in an Oct. 20 game at the Roaring Spring Athletic Field before the Scarlet Dragons prevailed, 27-21.
"It was a very tough game, it couldn't have been any closer,'' Baker said. "Those guys are very good, and they almost got us at our place.''
Muthler appreciates the challenge that Clearfield poses.
"Clearfield is a very good team, and this is a very important game,'' Muthler said. "We've played them once already this year, and it was a very close game. We expect Friday's game to be a tough game.''
In his first year as a starting quarterback this fall, Muthler has stepped in admirably, completing 160 of 265 passes for 2,621 yards and 30 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 282 yards on 53 carries and three toucdhowns.
"They're a great team, a well-coached team with a lot of great athletes and a great passing attack,'' first-year Clearfield coach Myles Caragein said of the Scarlet Dragons. "(Muthler) is an excellent quarterback who makes great plays, reads the secondary well, throws a great ball, and gives his receivers a chance to make a play.''
The task of defending Central's passing attack is made more difficult by the fact that Muthler has several capable receiving targets. Senior wideouts Jack Dunn (51 catches, 978 yards, 13 touchdowns), Benton (49 receptions, 830 yards, eight touchdowns), and Baron Dionis (25 catches, 351 yards, two touchdowns) lead Central in receiving numbers.
Smith has rushed for 786 yards on 160 carries and 19 touchdowns while catching 17 passes out of the backfield for 189 yards and a touchdown.
"Hunter is a very good back for them,'' Caragein said of Smith.
Nonetheless, Central's bread and butter is its passing attack, which Baker hopes that the Scarlet Dragons can continue to unleash again Friday night.
"We have got to be able to throw the ball down the field to any of our receivers,'' Baker said. "We do other things offensively, but throwing the ball down the field is very, very important for us. Eli Muthler has done a great job this season, and he is a big part of our game.''
Clearfield features a balanced offensive attack that mixes the run and pass very effectively. Senior quarterback Will Domico has completed 100 of 194 passes for 1,591 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also running for 523 yards on 83 carries - a 6.3 yards-per-carry average - and 11 touchdowns.
"He didn't start his career out as a quarterback, but he moved to the quarterback spot because they needed a guy there, and he has been getting better all the time,'' Baker said of Domico. "He's a good runner, and he's a more than adequate passer.''
Junior back Brady Collins leads Clearfield's rushing attack with 713 yards on 99 carries and four touchdowns, and also has 18 receptions for 172 yards and five TDs.
Senior back Carter Chamberlain has rushed for 599 yards on 112 carries and eight touchdowns for Clearfield, whose leading receivers are junior Carter Freeland (45 catches, 850 yards, nine touchdowns) and senior Cayden Bell (16 catches, 250 yards.)
"The first time we played them, they ran the ball pretty well on us at times,'' Baker said. "There were times when they were able to block us effectively, and they were able to put together some good drives and score some touchdowns against us.
"We're going to need to shore up our defense and be able to stop their running game this time,'' Baker added.
Caragein, a former Division I college starting defensive lineman at the University of Pittsburgh, said that the Clearfield players under his direction have made his first year as the program's head coach run smoothly this fall.
"They're a great group of kids that has been working hard and improving each week,'' Caragein said. "We've just got to keep doing what we've been doing these last couple of weeks, keep moving forward, and getting better.''
Friday's game also serves as the District 6-9 Class 3A subregional championship game. The winner will play the District 10 champion, either Hickory or Sharon - in the quarterfinal round at a District 6 site next weekend.
"It was a great game the last time that we played them, and I think, based on that, it will be another great game on Friday,'' Caragein said. "We're just excited to have this opportunity, and looking forward to seeing what happens.''
So is Baker.
"We're just happy to be here, and we would like to advance as far as we can,'' Baker said.
PIAA Class 3A first-round playoff game
Teams: Central (11-0) vs. Clearfield (8-3).
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Mansell Stadium, DuBois.
Coaches: Dave Baker has a 244-211-11 career record in 43 seasons, including a 118-41 record in 13 seasons at Central. Myles Caragein is 8-3 in his first season at Clearfield.
The road to here: Central won the District 6 Class 3A championship game, 35-28, last Friday at Mansion Park. Clearfield defeated Punxsutawney, 20-14, in the District 9 Class 3A championship game on Nov. 3 at DuBois.
Who they get: The winner of Friday's game will advance to the PIAA quarterfinal round to play the winner of the District 10 championship game - either Hickory or Sharon - at a District 6 site next weekend.
Last meeting: Central defeated Clearfield, 27-21. in a regular-season game on October 20 at the Roaring Spring Athletic Field.