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Clearfield and Bellwood-Antis met for the first time in a regular-season football game last fall since the Bellwood-Antis merger took place way back in 1937.
The two Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference opponents opened last season with a donnybrook at Clearfield High School, in which the Blue Devils prevailed, 28-21.
The victory did not come without a price tag, however, for Bellwood, which sustained several key injuries in a physical game that impacted the remainder of the Blue Devils' season.
"That was a really big win for us as a (Class) 2A school beating a (Class 4A) school,'' ninth-year Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said. "But that game also kind of took its toll on us. We had a lot of injuries in that game, and that kind of derailed some of the things that we wanted to do during the rest of the season.''
Bellwood still reached the District 6 Class 2A playoffs, however, losing a semifinal round game to eventual district champion Richland, and the Blue Devils boast a solid nucleus of returning skill players this season, which kicks off Friday night with a visit from the Clearfield Bison.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on the John R. Hayes Field at Bellwood-Antis High School's Memorial Stadium.
The Blue Devils, who finished last season with a 7-5 record, have a talented senior backfield tandem comprised of Alex McCartney, who rushed for 1,371 yards on 245 carries and 22 touchdowns in 2025, and Chase Plummer, who ran for 836 yards on 123 carries and nine scores.
McCartney said that avoiding the injuries that Bellwood sustained in last year's game with Clearfield will be crucial.
"We won the battle last year, but we lost the war, due to injuries,'' McCartney said. "The key for us this year will be simple -- do our jobs and stay healthy.''
Senior Bradyn Partner, who alternated between the quarterback and running back spots last year for Bellwood, threw for 745 yards and six TDS and rushed for 122 yards and three scores a year ago.
The versatile Partner will be a full-time running back this year, and junior Brendan McNelis will be the team's full-time quarterback after getting experience at that position last year.
"We're lucky -- we've got some really good skill kids coming back,'' Lovrich said. "We've changed some guys' positions a little bit to take advantage of all of the skill sets that they have.
"Right now, Brendan McNelis is going to be our quarterback, and we've switched Bradyn Partner, who was our quarterback last year, to a running back/wide receiver role, which he has played in the past. We think we're going to have a better all-around team with Bradyn using his different skill sets out there than he would use just playing the quarterback position.''
The Blue Devils will also again have the potential to throw the ball, with senior wideout Jeffrey Waite (16 receptions for 276 yards and two touchdowns last year) and senior tight end Ethan Shawley (15 catches for 326 yards and two scores) returning as receiving targets.
Senior Bryson Hescox is the Blue Devils' lone returning veteran on both the offensive and defensive lines. Hescox will return at guard on offense and tackle on defense.
"Our leadership players taking a big step up (will be a key for us this season),'' Hescox said. "I'm taking on a big role on both lines and making sure that everybody is ready there on Friday.''
Clearfield lost several key players from last year's 8-4 team that made it to the District 8-9 Class 4A championship game a year ago, but fourth-year Bisons' head coach Myles Caragein is optimistic about his team entering this season.
"We're looking forward to a positive year,'' said Caragein, who was a former standout defensive lineman at the University of Pittsburgh. "We have a bunch of younger kids stepping up into starting roles and we're excited to see how they grow throughout the season, and how they do.''
The Bisons' quarterback to start the season will be junior Bo Aveni, who had limited snaps at the position as a backup last season. Junior Elijah Glunt returns at wideout after making 14 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown last season.
Clearfield boasts experience on both its offensive and defensive lines. On the interior offensive line, senior Brayden Wills and juniors Matt Pearce, Colby Custaney and Tim Taylor all have either past starting or some playing experience, and senior Ryan Ludwig gained some experience at tight end last year.
"We have a good bit of our line returning, and we're going to rely on those players to establish a good run game with a mix in the passing game for us,'' Caragein said.
Wills, Pearce, Custaney and Taylor all also have experience on the defensive line.
Caraegin said that Bellwood will present a physical challenge.
"They're a physical team with a couple of really good running backs and some good athletes,'' Caragein said. "I think that it's going to be a physical game with both teams running the ball a lot.''
Lovrich expects a stiff challenge from Clearfield Friday.
"They always seem to just reload, they never have a down year,'' Lovrich said. "They've had good numbers in their program, with 50 to 60 players, and they've had a lot of kids playing junior varsity football for them over the last couple of years.
"We know that the newer kids they're going to have in the game Friday are going to be ready to play - they know that this is their opportunity,'' Lovrich added. "Their program has had a great tradition and their guys want to continue that tradition this year.''
All of which should make for an intriguing matchup Friday.
"We're just really excited,'' Lovrich said. "We had a good two weeks of (summer) camp and a good scrimmage against Penns Valley last Saturday. We're hoping to go out there and give it our best game Friday, and this will be a great high school football game to start the season.''
Clearfield at Bellwood-Antis
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Bellwood-Antis High School's John R. Hayes Field at Memorial Stadium.
Coaches: Myles Caragein is 28-9 in his fourth season at Clearfield; Nick Lovrich is 61-28 in his ninth season at Bellwood-Antis.
Last season: Bellwood-Antis won, 28-21 in the season-opener at Clearfield.
Noteworthy: Last season's football game was the first-ever between Bellwood-Antis and Clearfield since the Bellwood-Antis merger in 1937. The two schools met in a football game in 1913, when Clearfield traveled to the original Bellwood High School and won a 17-12 decision.