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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
There will probably be loads of highschool soccer head teaching expertise on the sector tonight at Grey Memorial Area when Tyrone hosts Clearfield in a Mountain League matchup at 7 p.m.
Seventy-one years to be precise.
Clearfield’s Tim Janocko and Tyrone’s John Franco are the faces most related to their respective packages’ histories.
Janocko has led the Bison to 25 consecutive profitable seasons and has gone 291-119-3 in 36 years. Clearfield has gained 10 video games 11 totally different instances below Janocko since he took over as head coach in 1985.
Franco has had a unique path in his 35 years with two stops at Altoona and Tyrone and a brief stint at Penn Cambria in between. He’s skilled his most success with the Golden Eagles the place he’s gained 199 of his 260 video games, together with the 1999 PIAA championship. General, Franco is 260-132-2.
Each coaches joked that the very fact they’ve ties of their profession information offers away how lengthy they’ve been at it for the reason that PIAA eradicated ties in 1995.
“I’ve been at Clearfield for 40 years,” Janocko stated. “I graduated from Penn State and was an assistant at Clearfield for 4 years, and that is my thirty sixth yr as a head coach. I’ve been right here a very long time, and John has had nice success at Tyrone and gained a state championship there. It’s sort of neat.”
Tyrone was scheduled to journey to Clearfield final season, however the sport was postponed resulting from COVID-19 and by no means rescheduled. The Bison gained 28-14 in 2019, Franco’s first yr again with Tyrone since he led the Golden Eagles to the 2011 PIAA championship sport.
“Tim is considered one of my finest mates within the teaching occupation,” Franco stated. “We just about got here into teaching about the identical time. We have been each younger and getting began, and we all the time met one another at clinics and camps. We had a liking for one another, and we’re all the time speaking Xs and Os and the way to coach quarterbacks and the various factors that go into constructing a program. We’ve remained finest mates for the final 40 years. I’ve a ton of respect for Tim, and I feel he’s probably the greatest coaches this space has ever seen.”
The respect is mutual.
“I’ve recognized him for a very long time, and I clearly have a whole lot of respect for John as a coach,” Janocko stated. “I take into account him pal. He’s a soccer man, and we all the time had that in widespread. He has a storied profession, and he and I’m going means again to when he was at Altoona — the primary time.”
Clearfield has dominated the Mountain League for a lot of the final decade and is 9-1 towards Tyrone within the final 10 matchups.
A lot of the Bison success this yr facilities round standout quarterback Oliver Billotte.
“(Billotte) is among the finest within the state. He’s excellent,” Franco stated. “He’s a superb passer, however he could also be a greater runner. I feel he’d be one of the best blocker they may have, too. On the opposite aspect of it, he’s in all probability their finest defensive participant. You don’t discover many quarterbacks that may line up at defensive sort out or defensive finish. He does all of it. He’s a sport changer. Tim has an ideal scheme to make the most of his expertise.”
Clearfield owns lopsided victories over DuBois, Bald Eagle Space and Penns Valley thus far this season.
“Oliver is a hard-working child with nice bodily attributes who can do a whole lot of various things,” Janocko stated. “He can influence the tempo of the sport on either side of the ball.”
Tyrone is coming off its first win of the season, 21-0 over Bellefonte, after losses to rival Bellwood-Antis and Juniata Valley. Each of the groups that beat the Golden Eagles are 3-0.
“These sophomores and juniors are very success-oriented, they usually aren’t used to taking part in opposition that’s extra proficient than them, a minimum of at this level,” Franco stated. “For them to give you a win and a number of other sophomores play key roles was necessary. We would have liked them to have some success and take that first step. Profitable all the time offers you basis to construct on, and we’d like that at this level.”
When Central left the Mountain League for the Laurel Highlands Athletic Convention this season, it left Franco and Janocko because the oldest coaches within the league.
Each assume the opposite may find yourself teaching longer.
“Tim is a pair years youthful than me, however I feel I’m in higher form than him,” stated Franco with amusing. “Who is aware of? He’s obtained a very nice state of affairs there. They handle him fairly nicely, so it’s going to be powerful to outlast him, little question about it.”
For Janocko to outlast his pal and counterpart, nevertheless, he may want to teach one other 4 a long time.
“I feel John will probably be there when he’s 100,” Janocko stated. “I feel John will coach eternally.”
