FAMILY DAY KICKOFF 6PM
CLARION HOSTS MANSFIELD SATURDAY NIGHT
Two weeks ago Clarion topped Kutztown 29-23 in a PSAC record four overtime game. After an off week last Saturday, the Golden Eagles return to action this Saturday, September 17th, when Clarion hosts Mansfield at 6pm at Memorial Stadium.
The “Family Day” contest can be heard on the Golden Eagle football network which includes WCCR-FM, 92.7 and WKQW-FM, 96.3, as well as on the internet at Redzonemedia.com with Mike Kalinowski describing the action.
CLARION 1-1 IN 2005
Clarion enters the game with an 1-1 record in 2005 having lost at #7 ranked West Chester 43-14 in the opener, the rallied for a 29-23 win over Kutztown in a PSAC record four overtimes at Memorial Stadium.
LUKE IN HIS 12TH YEAR AT CLARION
Clarion head coach Malen Luke is in his 12th season directing the Golden Eagle football team. He has a career record of 55-67 at Clarion while leading the Golden Eagles to PSAC-West titles in 1996 and 2000. The 1996 squad finished 11-3 and lost in the NCAA D-II semifinal game to Northern Colorado 19-18 in the final seconds. The 1996 team was the Lambert Cup winner in the East and finished the season ranked 8th in the country. Luke’s Eagles were also a strong 7-4 in 2000 and in 2002, while Malen was voted the PSAC-West “Coach of the Year” in 1996 and 2000. Luke’s 18-year collegiate record stands at 92-88.
MANSFIELD 0-2 OVERALL/SHIFFER IN SECOND YEAR WITH MOUNTAINEERS
Mansfield is 0-2 to start the 2005 season. The Mountaineers lost their season opener by a 41-33 margin at West Virginia Wesleyan, then lost their home opener to California last Saturday 88-12. The Mountaineers are led by second year head coach Jim Shiffer, a 1988 Mansfield grad who played at Mansfield from 1986-88. His assistant coaching stints prior to Mansfield include 1993 at Pitt, 1994-2001 at Millersville and 2002-2003 at Kutztown. Last year Mansfield was 1-9 overall, while in 2003 Mansfield exploded onto the PSAC-East scene with an 8-3 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the East.
CLARION LEADS SERIES WITH MANSFIELD 9-2
Clarion leads the overall series between the two schools by an 9-2 margin dating back to 1928. Clarion lost the 1928 game (20-0) and in 1929 (13-0), and then have reeled off nine straight wins. More recently the Eagles won 34-20 at Mansfield a year ago (2004), 69-26 at Mansfield in 1926, and 17-0 at Memorial Stadium in 1997.
CLARION OFFENSE AVERAGING 329.5 YARDS T.O.
Clarion enters Saturday’s game against Mansfield ranked #9 in the PSAC in total offense getting 329.5 yards per game and #7 in scoring with 21.5 points per game. The Eagles rank #6 in rushing offense with 177 yards per game and #11 in passing with 152.5 yards per contest.
YONISH/DANDO COULD START AT QB
The starting quarterback will be a question mark on Saturday. Erik Yonish won the starting job and completed 5 of 13 passes for 103 yards and 1 td, plus ran for 14 yards against West Chester. He left the game with an injury and missed the Kutztown game. Coming off the bench was veteran qb Brandon Dando who was the PSAC-West offensive “Player of the Week” for his performance against Kutztown. He connected on 15 of 28 passes for 143 yards and rushed for two td’s, including the game winner in the fourth overtime. In two games he has completed 21 of 46 passes for 202 yards, while rushing for 62 yards and 2 td’s.
BUCKNER/MURZYNSKI CLARION’S TOP RUNNERS
The running game will likely fall on the shoulders of sophomore Tyrone Buckner and freshman Dave Murzynski. Buckner carried 39 times for 106 yards and 1 td against Kutztown and now has 57 attempts for 160 yards and 2 td’s on the season. Murzynski toted the pigskin 20 times for 99 yards and 1 td versus Kutztown.
The fullback position will see either senior Dave Coyle , talented sophomore Michael Byrd and sophomore Josh Province all in the game. Byrd grabbed 4 passes for 75 yards and 1 td against West Chester. Province caught 5 passes for 31 yards against Kutztown.
YOUNG RECEIVING CORPS READY TO CONTRIBUTE
The receiving corps will likely have junior Jewell Stephens (5 catches, 50 yards), red-shirt freshman Anthony Easterling (4 catch, 57 yards), transfer Vince Kirk and freshman Matt Foradora (1 catch, 12 yards), all ready to catch passes. Senior tight end Greg Mahaffey and junior John Dominic expect to see time.
“O” LINE LED BY SNYDER & DELIERE
Clarion’s “O” line looks very strong up front with the return of All-Region center Zack Snyder (Jr. 6-5, 310) and All-Region guard Eric Deliere (Sr. 6-2, 305). Starting tackle Steve McCartney (Sr. 6-4, 275) and sophomore tackle Bill Johnson (6-5, 310) expect to start up front, along with guard Michael O’Brien (So. 6-5, 280) who moved over from the defensive line. The projected starting line would average 6'4" and 296-pounds.
CLARION DEFENSE CONTINUES STRONG PLAY
Nine starters and 14 lettermen return for a tough Clarion defense that has led the PSAC in tfl’s for the past five seasons. Clarion had 110 tfl’s in 2004, 106 in 2003, 113 in 2002 and 102 in 2001 and 128 in 2000.
In 2005 Clarion’s defense is ranked #6 in total defense giving up only 333.5 yards per game, while ranked #11 in scoring defense yielding 33 points per game. The Eagles are permitting only 96.5 yards per game rushing (#4 in PSAC) and 237 passing yards (#12 in PSAC) per game.
NIEDBALA ANCHORS DOWN LINEMEN
Up front senior Matt Niedbala (3 tackles), red-shirt freshman Deonte Cooley ( 2 hits), plus sophomores Cedric Bowling and Matt Ritter (7 tackles, 1 sack) are ready to lead the way.
RIGBY LEADS OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
Guarding the perimeters will be junior Kevin Rigby (9 stops; 1 int), senior Conrad Warner, red-shirt freshmen Doug Woodruff, Jim McHale, Corey Giles (7 stops, 2 sacks) and sophomore transfer Jimmy Simmons. Ribgy was a third team All-Region selection in 2004.
MORRIS, GOURLEY & LUKE PROVIDE LB STRENGTH
The inside linebacking spots are talented with the return of juniors Matt Morris and Zach Gourley and senior Brock Luke . Morris is the team’s leader with 24 tackles and 6 tfl’s. Gourley has 12 stops, while Luke has 6 tackles. BUSCH HEADS VETERAN SECONDARY
Senior free safety Bo Busch (15 stops, 1 break-up; 2004-119 tackles, 2 int’s, 4 fumbles caused), a third team AP and Football Gazette All-American, leads a very strong secondary. In three seasons he has outstanding numbers including 292 tackles, 10 fumbles caused, 6 int’s and 5 tfl’s.
Senior Jordan Hicks (13 tackles, 2 tfl’s) returns at strong safety, while senior James Charles (3 hits), junior Dwaon Woodard (8 tackles, 3 break-ups, 2 blocked kicks) and sophomore Herb Carraway (3 stops, 1tfl) are back at the corners.SNOKE READY TO BOOT PIGSKIN
Junior placekicker Kyle Snoke, who is 5 of 5 in PAT’s, but 0-5 in field goals, is ready to boot the pigskin. Freshman punter Nick Perla has a 35.6 yard average after two games.
MANSFIELD OFFENSE HAS BALANCE
The Mansfield offense is ranked #6 in the PSAC with 365 yards per game and #6 in scoring with a 22.5 point per game average. The Mountaineers are getting 178 yards rushing per game (#5 in the PSAC) and 187 passing yards (#8 in PSAC) per contest.
HENGEHOLD RUNS THE OFFENSE
Freshman quarterback John Hengehold runs the offense for the Mountaineers. In two games the feshman has completed 33 of 63 passes for 347 yards and 3 td’s, while running for 37 yards on 13 tries. MU has also used Brandon Hunt as the signal caller. In two games he has hit on 11 of 23 passes for 86 yard and 2 td’s.
The running game is led by junior Ernest “Poohbear” McNeal. The #4 ranked rusher in the PSAC, McNeal is averaging 120 yards per game. He has 47 carries for 240 yards and 2 td’s. He rushed for 203 yards on 30 carries with 2 td’s against WV Wesleyan. In 2003, as a freshman, he rushed for 1,684 yards and 17 td’s on 279 carries to average 153.1 yards per game.
Receiving passes from Hengehold will be Rodney Davis (9 catches, 134 yards, 2 td’s), Matt Hildebrand (7 grabs, 59 yards, 1 td) and Jeff Tanner (4 catches, 27 yards).
MANSFIELD DEFENSE RANKED #14 IN PSAC
The Mansfield defense is yielding 647.5 (#14 in PSAC) yards of total offense per game and 64.5 points per game this season. Opponents are denting the defense for 290 rushing yards and 357.5 passing yards per game.
Up front the Mountaineers are led by tackles Brian Smith (3 hits) and Wes Blair (6 stops. 1 tfl), along with ends Keith Slezak (5 tackles) and Nick Roseberry.
The linebackers are led by Andre Turner (14 stops, 1 tfl), Rob Smiley (12 hits) and Jason Zeigler (11 jolts, 1 tfl).
The secondary is led by talented corner Ronnie Montgomery, who has 12 tackles and 1 interception, along with Jon Mattis (1 tfl). Free Safety Ryan Kassak (17 hits) leads the team in tackles, while strong safety C.J. Okogeri (11 jolts, 2 tfl’s) also makes a strong contribution.
CLARION NOTES: Last year’s 34-20 win over Mansfield saw the Eagles down 10-6 at halftime, but rally for the win... Marcus Lowe ran for 170 yards and 3 td’s on only 14 carries ... Dando hit on 9 of 18 passes for 55 yards and 2 td’s ... Clarion had 376 yards of total offense, including 31 on the ground ... Clarion corner Dwaon Woodard was PSAC-West “Defensive Player of the Week” for his contributions ... 7 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 int, 1 fumble recovery, 4 passes broken up and 5 punt returns for 95 yards ... Mansfield had 272 yards of offense including 215 passing and 57 rushing ... “Poohbear” McNeal had 47 yards on 22 carries ... Matt Hildebrand was 14 of 28 for 132 yards and 1 td ... Joe Bennett caught 7 passes for 92 yards and 1 td ... Clarion’s 1996 win at Mansfield (69-26) was the final regular season game of that year which Clarion finished 9-2... An invitation awaited the Eagles to the NCAA Div.II Playoffs including wins over Bloomsburg and Ferris State, before losing in the NCAA semifinal against eventual national Champion Northern Colorado... In the win at Mansfield Clarion posted a single game high of 69 points, matched only 69 the Eagles posted in 1987 at Lock Haven... Clarion was ahead 35-0 at the end of the first quarter... Clarion had 524 yards of offense in that game which included 378 rushing yards ...Steve Witte had 173 rushing yards and 3 td’s on 16 carries, while Ron DeJidas had 131 yards on 16 tries... Chris Weibel, current qb coach, completed 11 of 18 passes for 132 yards and 3 td’s... Current “D” Coordinator Kim Niedbala had 8 tackles, 1 tfl and 1 sack in the contest ... Mansfield gained 407 yards including 312 passing yards... In 1997 Clarion won 17-0, also the season finale where the Eagles finished 3-7 after losing qb Weibel early in the season with a knee injury... QB Jeff Cappa completed 14 of 19 passes for 161 yards, while Keonte Campbell and Kervin Charles rushed for td’s ... Tyler Palisin booted a 30-yard field goal... Clarion had 232 yards of offense to Mansfield’s 211...