It’s game week again and Bradford High football coach Steve
Ackerman hasn’t been sleeping very well.
For most people that would be bad, for Ackerman it’s actually a
good thing.
“I’m back in the mode,” he said Thursday night. “The last two
weeks I’ve been sleeping at night, but this week I’ve been up at
night and not sleeping. It’s nice to be back in that game
mode.”
“Game mode,” as Ackerman puts it, is for tonight’s rematch
between his Owls (7-2) and the Clearfield Bisons at Clarion
University for the District 9 Class AAA title. Kickoff is set for 7
p.m, but this time the loser goes home and waits for next year.
In the season opener back in September, Ackerman’s Owls
manhandled the Bisons to the tune of a 56-35 margin. Headed into
the fourth quarter, Bradford led by 42 points.
“I sure don’t see that type of game happening again,” Ackerman
admitted, referring to the blowout.
“In that first game we showed up ready to play and with a lot of
incentive. Our kids knew we had not won in Clearfield in a long
time (1975) and they went into that game thinking they were not
going to lose in Clearfield and they didn’t.”
Now comes the second meeting with the district title at stake as
well as the right to advance to the opening round of the state
playoffs. Forgetting that first game has been stressed during
practice the past three weeks.
“I feel the coach coaching staff has done a decent job keeping
our kids focused on this game,” Ackerman explained. “We’re taking
nothing for granted. I expect this to be a typical
Bradford-Clearfield game; close and tight to the vest. That’s how
we figure it’s going to be and we have to be ready to play
football.”
“The season opener was something that happenedthree months ago
and it would be foolish for us to walk into Clarion and think it
will be easy. We’re ready to go, but Clearfield is ready to play
football, too, and they’ve gotten a lot better since then.”
Bisons head coach Tim Janocko certainly doesn’t want to see a
repeat of the first game and he’s well aware that things have
changed since then.
“We’re happy to be 7-3 and we have improved, but we know
Bradford has improved, too,” he observed.
One area in particular where the Bisons have shown improvement
has been the running game.
“Clearfield’s running game is better than when we first played
them,” Ackerman stated. “It’s a lot more potent than it was in the
first game.
“Their passing game is still strong with Andrew Janocko at
quarterback. It’s probably as good as I’ve seen it since I starting
coaching.
“Janocko likes to throw to the Kephart kid (Doug) and Jury
(Adam) had one heck of a year at tight end. He (Janocko) likes to
throw equally to both of them.
“Not much is going to change for either team, but obviously both
of us are going to add a few new wrinkles,” he added.
A mixed bag of weather is in the forecast with rain and/or snow
possible at times. There won’t be a problem with mud, however,
because Clarion’s Memorial Field has an artificial turf surface
which will improve overall playing conditions.
“We’re not going to depend on the weather to help us, but
obviously if it is bad, it will affect them more than us,” Ackerman
noted. “Our kids like the turf and with our speed, it will
certainly help us. Clearfield has some speed, too, so it’s like six
of one and half a dozen of the other.
“Our kids have shown more purpose in our practices this week.
They know what this game means and they’re looking forward to it,”
he added. “It will be a matter of staying focused and playing the
game.”
