A 3-hour bus trip isn’t your ideal way to end a football season, but that’s what the James Buchanan Rockets are in for Friday.

The Rockets will make the 165-mile trek north to finish out their 2019 season to take on the Clarion Bobcats at 7 p.m. at Clarion University Memorial Stadium.

JB (3-6) is coming off a 36-6 loss to Maryland School for the Deaf last Friday.

Clarion, out of District 9, is 8-1 after beating Brockway 63-13 last Friday. Except for a lop-sided 42-0 loss to Ridgway three weeks ago the Bobcats offense has put up some big numbers.

Clarion has scored 42 or more points in every game except 2 (the loss to Ridgway and a 29-12 win over Brookville).

The Bobcats are led by QB Calvin German, RB Austin Newcomb and WR Ethan Burford. German has completed 59-of-111 for 1,498 yards and thrown 20 TDs and only 3 INTs. Newcomb has rushed for 937 yards and 15 TDs.

Burford may have the best stats of the trio as he has caught 26 passes for a whopping 888 yards (that’s astounding 34.2 yards/catch average) and scored 13 TDs. He has 5 games with 100 or more yards receiving, including in an earlier 47-28 win over Kane he had 4 catches for 163 yards and scored 2 TDs.

If you don’t count the forfeit win over Ceasar Chavez that the Rockets received 2 weeks ago, they have lost 5 straight. In those 5 games JB has been shutout 3 times and only scored 12 points.