TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bald Eagle Area football team takes the field prior to a road football game against Bellefonte on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, at Rogers Stadium.

WINGATE – On Friday night at Alumni Stadium, the Bald Eagle Area football team played host Clearfield (5-2). Both teams went into the matchup coming off successful stints, with the Eagles winning two straight and three of their last four, and the Bison having won four of their last five.

In what ended up being a defensive slugfest, it was Clearfield that ultimately prevailed. Though the Eagles found themselves in the red zone throughout the game and in Clearfield territory with a chance to take the lead late, the Bison held firm, holding BEA to its lowest point total since Week One and taking home a 12-6 victory.

“We drove the ball on them numerous times inside the red zone and just didn’t come away with six, which we’ve got to do a better job all the way around with,” said Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle on the loss.

“We did a good job, but sometimes you have to credit the defense more than the offense. But I was really proud of our kids. I thought it was a great chess match between both teams defensively.”

Trailing by six late, the Eagles worked their way to the Clearfield 30-yard line, 30 yards away from a potential game-winning touchdown. But on a hitch route past the marker, Clearfield defensive back Cash Diehl came away with the game-sealing interception, jumping the route and what initially seemed like an assured completion.

The turnover marked the second of the fourth quarter for the Eagles. The former set the Bison up well within BEA territory, which they took advantage of to break the 6-6 tie with a 14-yard touchdown pass a few plays later.

That sequence was representative of a frustrating day for the Eagles offensively. They lost the turnover battle for the first time since their previous loss to Tyrone and were held to just 139 yards of total offense. And on two drives that made it inside the red zone, they were forced to set for three on both occasions.

“That’s part of the game. When you run into a great team and a very well-coached team, you’ve got to make sure that you capitalize on those opportunities when you can,” said Nagle. “Unfortunately, we struggled at times capitalizing on those opportunities.”

Offensively, the Eagles went with a more condensed approach heavily centered around quarterback Grady Fisher’s running ability, with the senior surpassing 100 yards on the ground for the second time this season on a career-high 31 attempts. Apart from him, Kollin Cunningham and Sam Clark combined for 15 yards on four rushes.

“Our game plan coming in was to chew up the clock, make this a fourth-quarter game and try to win it at the end,” said Nagle. “Clearfield is very physical at linebacker and very good in the secondary.”

Defensively, the team did a good job keeping an offense that had averaged 36 points in its last two games at bay, with Clearfield’s only two scores coming on a long run early and a shortened drive late.

Sophomore Drew Nagle finished with a team-high 13 tackles, adding 1.5 tackles for loss and breaking up multiple passes. Kaleb Irion recovered a fumble to go along with five tackles, and Kollin Cunningham was another standout, posting eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

“We went from a four-front, to three-front, to five-front, a whole bunch of different things defensively to slow them down,” said Nagle. “It thought we did a really nice job understanding our responsibilities and doing things on the fly.”

The loss stings, putting an end to a two-game win streak for the Eagles. But considering the class discrepancy – with Clearfield at the 4A level – and last year’s outcome being a 41-7 loss, it was still an effort they could be proud of at the end of the night.

Playoff-wise, it does put the team in a tough spot, with it not controlling its own destiny as it battles Bellwood-Antis (3-4) for a spot. But it does have a shot, and it’ll look to put itself in the best position, starting with a road trip to Westmont Hilltop (0-7) in Week 8.

“You’re gonna have times where you’re gonna get down get down and times where you’ve got to fight, and I think the kids are learning that,” said Nagle. “They’ve proved that they’re gonna give everything they’ve got. And I think that next week at Westmont Hilltop, you’re going to see that carry over.”

Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m.

Clearfield 12, Bald Eagle Area 6

Clearfield 6 0 0 6 – 12

Bald Eagle 0 3 0 3 – 6

First quarter

C – Xavier Curry 65 run (2-pt failed), 6:00.

Second quarter

BEA – Jackson Millward 23 field goal, 8:00.

Fourth quarter

BEA – Millward 25 field goal, 11:00.

C – Curry to Cooper Broad 12 pass (2-pt failed), 4:00.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Bald Eagle Area, Grady Fisher 31-101; Kollin Cunningham 4-13; Sam Clark 1-2. TOTAL 36-115.

PASSING – Bald Eagle Area, Grady Fisher 6-9-1 23 yards.

RECEIVING – Bald Eagle Area, Luke Hosband 2-12; Jackson Millward 2-7; Kollin Cunningham 1-4; Isaac Johnson 1-0.