Bellefonte football ready for rematch with Clearfield in district semifinals
The last time Bellefonte met Clearfield, Red Raiders quarterback Dylan Deitrich turned in perhaps the most impressive individual performance in the area this season.
Deitrich rushed for 203 yards and accounted for seven touchdowns in a victory that etched his name in the county’s record books. But heading into Bellefonte’s rematch with Clearfield in the District 6 Class 4A semifinals on Friday night, the quarterback and his teammates aren’t putting much stock into their historic 55-28 win over the Bison (6-4) on Sept. 29. Their mentality this week: Don’t take anything for granted.
“Go as hard as you can possibly go every day because this week could very well likely be our last week if we take it for granted,” Deitrich said. “So we’re just trying to go out every day, practice as hard as we can, get better. We beat ’em once, but that doesn’t mean anything now.”
The Red Raiders (8-2) earned the No. 1 seed in the district playoffs after a memorable run to a share of the Mountain League title. They ran away from teams behind Deitrich and an explosive offense, playing with the stands packed for their home games. Bellefonte will now play front of the fans at Rogers Stadium once more with a trip to the district championship on the line.
Winning the program’s first district title since 1999 has been one of the team’s goals since the preseason. And as the Red Raiders started preparation for their playoff opener, they put their unforgettable regular season behind them.
“I think they’re focused on what’s going on,” Bellefonte coach Shanon Manning said. “You’re in a program that hasn’t had a lot of success for the last few years and, each year’s gotten a little bit better. I felt kind of guilty as a coach telling ’em basically, ‘Hey, get over having a great season. It’s time to move on.’”
The Red Raiders also know they can’t look past a dangerous opponent led by Clearfield quarterback Isaac Rumery. Manning said Rumery is the best quarterback Bellefonte faced all season and added he might be the best they see in a long time. Deitrich agreed with his coach’s assessment, and his numbers are certainly attention-grabbing.
Rumery has completed 63.7 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,442 yards (244.2 per game) with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The quarterback can make a precise throw on a 10-yard out route on one play and complete a 60-yard bomb on another.
“He can get the ball out of his hands lightning fast,” Bellefonte defensive coordinator Terry Bumgardner said. “Our guys need to be on point with what we’re doing in the secondary and our reads and who we’re matching up against every play. If you have a lapse of focus with a quarterback like that, it’s six.”
The Red Raiders coaches have looked at the film of the first matchup with Clearfield, taking a closer look at what the Bison tried to do and making adjustments for this week’s game. They’ve also watched Clearfield’s recent games to see how their opponent has changed.
If anything, Manning said, Rumery has become even more efficient.
But this matchup isn’t all about how the Red Raiders defense performs, another sign of the program’s steady rise into a league champion and top seed.
“We had to rely on our defense,” Bumgardner said, recalling previous years. “Offensively we struggled for a couple years, and this year, it’s been easier for me because it’s not so much how many plays we have to make on defense — it’s how many plays we make as a team. We have a good offense. We’ve been playing solid in special teams.”
While Bellefonte prepares for Rumery and the Clearfield offense, the Bison will need to game plan for Deitrich and the Red Raiders. Clearfield couldn’t stop Deitrich on the ground in the regular-season game, and few teams have had much success slowing down the Red Raiders offense.
Both teams will make adjustments after studying the September matchup, but that won’t be their only focus.
“This time of year, you’re going to know what your opponent does, but it’s also about what do you do?” Manning said. “What do you do well? What are we doing well? What can we do well with what they give us or what they present?”
This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Bellefonte football ready for rematch with Clearfield in district semifinals."