Nov. 8, 2009

Final Stats

(CHEYNEY, PA.): Clarion's Alfonso Hoggard rushed for 102 yards and 3 td's, qb Tyler Huether hit 14 of 17 passes for 175 yards and 1 td and receiver Jacques Robinson caught 8 passes for 104 yards and 1 td as Clarion rolled past Cheyney 32-12 in PSAC football on Saturday. Hoggard's 3 td's gave him 17 on the season, setting a new Clarion single season record.

Held at O'Shields-Stevenson Stadium, Clarion finished its regular season with an 8-3 record and entered the game ranked 9th in the NCAA Division II's Super Region 1 poll. The top 6 teams in the region will be extended an NCAA Playoff bid on Sunday. Cheyney finished the season with an 0-11 record.

Trailing 12-6 late in the second quarter, Clarion's Alfonso Hoggard scored with 10-seconds left before intermission to tie the game on a 3-yard run. The Golden Eagles drove 33-yards in 6 plays, with Hoggard accounting for 28 yards, all on the ground.

On its first possession of the third quarter, Clarion drove 52-yards in 6 plays to take the lead for good. Big plays included Tyler Huether's 22-yard pass to Robinson, and another 21-yard connection to Craig Bunney. Hoggard scored from the 3-yard line, then rushed for the 2-point conversion giving Clarion a 20-12 lead at 10:45 of the third quarter.

Golden Eagle freshman corner Daily Whitten intercepted a Cheyney pass and returned it 29-yards to the Cheyney 20. A 15-yard pass from Huether to Bunney put the ball on the Cheyney 6, and two plays later Huether rushed over from the 2 to put Clarion out in front 26-12. The two point conversion pass failed.

Cheyney qb Angel Rodriguez fumbled at the Cheyney 29 and defensive tackle John Hackel recovered fro the Golden Eagles at the Cheyney 28.

Two plays later Huether hit Bunney for 14 yards to the 10, and Hoggard scored on the next play to seal the Clarion victory with 2:37 left in the third quarter. The two-point conversion failed, but Clarion led 32-12 and that's how the game ended.

"We really finished the regular season on a high note," said Clarion's fourth year head coach Jay Foster. "Winning six games in a row and finishing second in the PSAC-West is a tribute to the hard work and sacrifice of our players and staff. All we can do now is sit and wait and see if we get an NCAA bid. Either way I am proud of our team's accomplishments in 2009."

Clarion's six game winning streak is the first since 1992 when Clarion won six games to finish the season as the PSAC-West Champions on the field. That team was 6-4 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC-West.

Clarion outgained Cheyney on Saturday 298-257.

Clarion's Hoggard had 26 carries for 102 yards and 3 td's. Hoggard finished the regular season with 1,046 rushing yards, only the fourth player in Clarion history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. His 17 rushing td's is a new Clarion record, breaking the old record of 16 shared by Mickey Catello (1966) and Steve Witte (1996).

Senior qb Tyler Huether hit on 14 of 17 passes for 175 yards and 1 td. He finished the season completing 184 of 315 for 2,242 yards and 10 td's.

Junior receiver Jacques Robinson caught 8 passes for 104 yards and 1 td. He finished the season with 70 catches for 819 yards and 5 td's. His 70 catches is a repeat of last year's 70 grabs, which ties for the third best in a single season in Clarion history. He has 163 career catches at Clarion, which ranks him 3rd all-time at Clarion.

Barrington Morrison and John Hackel led the defense with 5 tackles and 2 tfl's each.

Cheyney's Rodriguez completed 10 of 18 passes for 124 yards, and rushed for 44 yards and 1 td.

Clarion got on the board first in Saturday's game when Jacques Robinson caught a 20-yard td pass from Tyler Huether giving Clarion a 6-0 lead at 10:34 of the first.

Cheyney rallied with a Ron Hunter 1-yard td run with 1:41 left in the first to tie the game 6-6, then took a 12-6 lead when Angel Rodriguez scored on a 22-yard run with 12:26 left in the second quarter, before Clarion rallied.

CLARION NOTES: The other 3 1,000+ rushers include Steve Witte's 1,352 and Ron DeJidas 1,231 in 1996, and Elton Brown's 1,214 in 1983... Robinson had 70 catches in his second straight season ... The only better seasons were Alvin Slaughter (85 catches) in 1998, and Marlon Worthy getting 74 catches in 1994.