DUBOIS - Shamokin's glass slipper still fits.
The Indians overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, tied Clearfield and then won 27-26 in the first overtime.
Shamokin (6-7) will play District 11 champ Allentown Central Catholic, a 61-54 winner over Valley View, in the PIAA Class AAA state quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
"I don't even know what to say," Shamokin head coach Dan Foor said. "For the second week in a row in a playoff game, we're definitely not favored, 11-1 versus 5-7, but our kids are so resilient. They never quit and never panic."
The Bison had Shamokin backed into a corner multiple times and the Indians just kept fighting, and never more so than on third-and-goal from the 15-yard line in overtime.
Not content to just center the ball for a field goal attempt, sophomore fullback Draven Miller shouldered the load, rumbled the 15 yards and dove for the goal line to put the Indians up 27-20.
"I just needed to get in," Miller said "The hole was there and I just needed to punch it in."
The Bison, trailing for the first time all game, came right back and scored in two plays, but their decision to pass for a two-point conversion and the win, missed the mark to give the Indians a comeback win.
Shamokin started the game rather uncharacteristically, by throwing on the first play of the game, but freshman quarterback Tucker Yost was picked off. He atoned with 106 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Clearfield scored the first touchdown when Beau Swales ran in from six yards out with 2:29 left in the first quarter.
But the Indians were able to take advantage of a Swales botched punt-return and score in four plays. Yost found Bobby Bainbridge in the back of the end zone and a Jon Vanaskie kick tied the game.
After a couple punts were exchanged,
Clearfield's offense got on a role again. Swales took a third-and-six handoff 34 yards around the left side and on the next play, with the Indians' defense reeling slightly, Bison quarterback Curtis Frye went up top 35 yards to Christian Lezzer to put Clearfield ahead again.
Vanaskie missed a 37-yard field goal attempt and the Indians went into the half trailing by a touchdown.
Things looked even more bleak for the District 4 champs when the Bison came out and scored on their first possession of the second half. Lezzer ran it in from four yards out to cap a 10-play drive. Michael Yucha blocked the point after and the Bison led 20-13.
The Indians defense rose to the occasion after a Ryan Burns fumble in the red zone negated a drive that had spanned 68 yards.
On the Indians' next possession, Yost and Devin Madara hooked for a 22-yard score, but Vanaskie's extra-point attempt was also blocked.
Shamokin was able to finally tie it with 37 seconds left in regulation when after a series of penalties against the Bison, Yost and Burns connected from seven yards out. Miller ran the ball five times on the drive for 45 yards and converted two third downs on effort alone. Vanaskie's kick found its way through and the Indians' improbably comeback was nearing completion.
"Draven at half time was a little upset," Foor said. "It wasn't because he wasn't getting yards, but because he wasn't getting yards for the team. I told him to bide his time, and I think for the fifth week in a row, we wore them down in the second half. They had a lot of kids going both ways, but you could see it, we started wearing them down. Draven had a huge last drive and on the third-down call in overtime, what an effort to get into the end zone."
That set up the sophomore's heroics in overtime.
After Burns was stopped for a five-yard loss, and Yost threw an incomplete pass, a simple trap play will go down in Shamokin lore.
"We saw that they were really backed up so we ran that trap play and Draven busted it through," Foor said. "The linemen did a great job and our defense played dang tough all game."
"Coach gave me the ball and I knew I had to make the best of it," Miller said. "The blocking was phenomenal."
It's a far cry from a team that was 3-7 in the regular season.
Probably out of every team in Pennsylvania, we have the biggest heart," Miller said.