It's ALF (Autumn Leaf Festival) time in Clarion and the Golden Eagles hope to use the Festival and Homecoming Day to their advantage when the Golden Eagles host Lock Haven this Saturday, October 8 at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 pm. The ALF Parade starts at Noon.
 
Clarion enters the game with an 0-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in the PSAC-West after dropping a 27-13 decision at Slippery Rock on Saturday. Lock Haven is 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the West after losing a 54-13 decision to California at home on Saturday.
 
            All the game action between Clarion and Lock Haven can be heard on the Golden Eagle Football network, which includes WCCR-FM, 92.7 in Clarion and WKQW-FM, 96.3 in Oil City, as well as on the internet at Redzonemedia.com with Mike Kalinowski providing the play by play and Joe Lodanosky offering color commentary.
              Sixth year head coach Jay Foster enters Saturday's Homecoming Day game against LH with an 0-5 record in 2011. On the road in three of the first four weeks of the season, Clarion traveled to Slippery Rock last week and lost 27-13. Two weeks ago at California the Vulcans won 40-13 and three weeks ago Shippensburg defeated Clarion 54-24, although Brandon Akins rushed for 101 yards and 2 td's and Patrick Graham-Murphy returned a kickoff 68-yards for a touchdown. In the home opener three weeks ago the Eagles lost to #9 rated Bloomsburg 45-10 at Memorial Stadium, and in the season opener on Thursday, September 1^st, Clarion lost a 31-17 decision at Fairmont State despite outgaining the Falcons 426-316.
 
            Clarion's 2011 strength of schedule should be noticed. Clarion's opponents to date have a combined record of 20-5 (80%) including Fairmont State (4-1), Bloomsburg (5-0), Shippensburg (3-2), Cal (4-1) and Slippery Rock (4-1).
 
            The Golden Eagles were 4-7 season in 2010 with a 3-4 mark in the rugged PSAC-Western Division. The season began with an 0-5 start, and three of those games saw Clarion have a chance to win in the final minutes.
 
            Clarion rebounded in the second half of the year winning four of their final six contests posting victories over Lock Haven (49-6), IUP (21-14), Gannon (11-10) and Millersville (49-10).
 
            Coach Foster, who was the 2009 PSAC-West “Coach of the Year”, led the 2009 team to an 8-3 overall record, a second place finish in the PSAC-West with a 6-1 mark and earned an 8^th place ranking in the NCAA Div. II Super Region 1 final poll. Jay's overall record at Clarion is 16-44.
              Lock Haven started the 2011 football season on a 32-game losing streak, but had high hopes for a new start under first year head coach John Allen. An assistant coach at Lock Haven from 1996-2003, coach Allen has a strong football background, especially after working at Penn State from 2008-11 as the Nittany Lions coordinator of Player Development.
 
            Lock Haven lost its opening game of the season to Millersville 21-20, then traveled to Kutztown and lost 49-6. Two weeks ago the Bald Eagles lost 42-3 at Mercyhurst, then returned home last Saturday to lose 54-13 to California. Last year the Bald Eagles were 0-11 under coach John Klacik, who coached the Bald Eagles for six seasons.
              Clarion leads the overall series between the two schools by a 43-16-1 margin, dating back to 1928, where Clarion won the initial meeting 13-0. Clarion won last year's game 49-6 at Lock Haven's Hubert Jack Stadium., while posting a 24-0 win at Memorial Stadium in 2009 and in 2008 won by a 24-21 margin at Lock Haven. LH won the meeting in 2007 by a 17-14 score in overtime at Clarion and the 2006 contest 14-7 at Hubert Jack Stadium. Clarion won 16-0 at Memorial Stadium in 2005 and the Bald Eagles won in 2004 in an exciting 16-13 overtime decision. Clarion won the 2003 game 22-9 margin. Clarion has a 10-5 record in the last 15 seasons. Other Clarion wins came in 2002 (34-31), 2001 (13-0), 2000 (42-20), 1999 (44-41 overtime), 1996 (57-3) and 1995 (49-32). Lock Haven wins came in 2006 (14-7), 2004 (16-13 ot), 1998 (35-28) and 1997 (33-32).
              The Clarion offense is ranked #12 in the PSAC after five games averaging 303.4 yards per game, including 151.8 on the ground (#9 in PSAC) and 151.6 passing (#12 in PSAC).
 
            Sophomore signal caller Ben Fiscus (So. Indiana) has completed 70 of 144 passes (48.6%) for 705 yards and 2 td's in 2011. He has also rushed for 195 yards and 2 td's. Last year he passed for 705 yards and 7 td's, while rushing for 582 yards and 6 td's. He set a school record against Lock Haven finishing the game completing 16 of 16 passes for 187 yards and 4 td's. Backup Eric Coxon (Jr. Pgh. Brentwood) completed 7 of 13 passes for 53 yards at Shipp two weeks ago.
              Wideouts ready to catch passes from Fiscus will be juniors Tarrean Barrett (Scranton) and Robert Tantlinger (Franklin) and sophomore Jon Reid (Stafford, Va.). Tight ends Anthony Becoate (So. McKeesport), Rob Irwin (So. Bellefonte) and Mike Deitrick  (Fr. Upper St. Clair) will also be ready to latch onto passes.
 
            Barrett leads the receiving corps with 19 passes for 159 yards, Tantlinger has 10 catches for 129 yards and 1 td and Reid has 14 grabs for 156 yards and 1 td. Becoate has 8 catches for 94 yards, Irwin 4 for 30 and Deitrick 5 for 37 yards.
 
            Senior captain Matt Ward (Murrysville) was injured in the Fairmont State game and has been out of action since. He will likely miss the Lock Haven game as well. He had 4 catches for 24 yards in game one. Last year he grabbed 28 passes for 277 yards and 1 td  and now has 71 career catches for 728 yards and 2 td's.
              Junior John Fuhrer (Jr. Pgh – Keystone Oaks) and sophomore Brandon Akins (Erie/Strong Vincent) have provided a solid 1-2 punch at running back in 2011. Fuhrer has rushed 51 times for 228 yards and 1 td, while Akins has 57 carries for 266 yards and 2 td's. He is averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Fuhrer rushed for 58 yards and 2 td's last year, while rushing for 200 yards and 2 td's in 2009.
              The “O” line will have three talented starters returning in center and captain Vince Bazzone (6-2, 265, Sr. McKeesport), and tackles Mike Felker (6-4, 275, So. Gibsonia/Pine Richland) and Elijah Morres (6-5, 285, Sr. Brookville). Bazzone and Morres are three year starters, while Felker earned All-PSAC honors last year as a freshman. Senior Bob Beidl (Clarion/Clarion-Limestone) and Andrew Vercelli (Jr. Gibsonia/Deer Lakes) will be the starting guards. Eli Ruppert (Jr. Indiana/Apollo Ridge), Ryan Barrick (So. Easton) and Terrance Perfilio (So. Farrell) are also seeing time on the offensive line.
              Clarion has nine starters returning to its 2011 defense which ranks #16 in the PSAC in total defense yielding 478.8 yards per game. The Golden Eagles are giving up 276.6 rushing yards per game (#16 in PSAC) and #8 in pass defense (202.2 yards per game).
              Up front senior All-Region defensive end and captain Barrington Morrison (Sr. Pgh – Penn Hills) is having another standout season. Morrison already totals 9 tfl's for -24 yards including 3 qb sacks, plus has 28 tackles (17 solos). He had 40 tackles in 2010 and led the PSAC with 12 sacks and 4 fumbles caused and was second in the league with 20 tfl's. In his career Morrison has 48 tfl's for –163 yards and 21 qb sacks for -104 yards. He also has 6 fumbles caused, 5 break-ups and 1 fumble recovery.
 
            He is joined up front by John Hackel (Sr. South Park),  Braheem Foy (Jr. Philadelphia/Frankford) Ryan Slack (Jr. N. Huntingdon/Norwin), Adam Bostick (So. Lititz.Manheim Twp),  Josh Stegena (Sr. Munhall) , Sean Motley (Jr. West Mifflin) and Julian Howsare (Fr. Altoona).
 
            Hackel, who missed the SR game and will likely miss this week, has 12 tackles (2 tfl's), Stegena 19 hits, Foy 17 stops and 3 tfl's, Howsare 16 hits, 3 tfl's, Bostick 4 jolts and Slack 2.
              The linebacking corps will feature the return of Reggie Robinson  (Sr. Pgh – Brashear), Mike Verdun (Sr. Greensburg), transfer Nate Sipes (Jr. Curwensville) and freshman Brian Palmiere (Tarentum/Deer Lakes). Sipes leads the team and ranks #3 in the PSAC with 48 tackles, Robinson has 25 hits and 8 tfl's, Verdun has 8 stops and  Palmiere 12 tackles, 2 tfl's.
              Captain Shawn Sopic (Sr. Curwensville) (56 hits, 7 break-ups – 2009) has returned in 2011 after missing 2010. Shawn has contributed 29 tackles and 1 tfl in 2011 and now has 194 career tackles, 15 break-ups, 4 int's and 6 tfl's in his career.
 
            Also back in the secondary are sophomore Jay Pettina (So. Indiana), senior James Eckels  (McKeesport), Aaron Gluvna (Jr. Corry), Chris Wilson (Sr. Philadelphia/Frankford) and Anthony Stimac (Jr. East Brady/Karns City). Pettina and Wilson missed the SR game, but hope to return against LH. Pettina has 15 stops, 2 tfl's and 1 break-up, while Stimac has 23 hits and returned an interception a school record 100-yards against SR last week. Eckels has 24 jolts, 1 tfl and 1 break-up, with Wilson has collected 19 tackles and 1 int. Red-shirt freshman Caleb Mancini (Beaver Falls/Blackhawk) has 7 hits, junior Patrick Graham-Murphy (Pgh – Brashear) has 16 tackles and 1 interception and Andrew Paronish (Jr. Hastings/No. Cambria) has 4 stops.
 
            The punting chores are handled by Nathan Conway who is averaging 37.3 yards per punt, while the placekicking chores belong to true freshman Tyler Ruark (Whiteford, Md.). He has made three of six field goal attempts this year.
              Lock Haven's offense is ranked 14^th in the PSAC getting 238 yards of total offense per game. The Bald Eagles are getting 73.8 yards rushing per game (16^th in PSAC) and 164.2 passing yards per game (9^th in PSAC).
 
            Calling the signals for Lock Haven is senior quarterback Jarryd Burkett, who has completed 56 of 101 aerials (55.4%) for 645 yards and 4 td's.
 
            His top targets will be Jesse Hoover (15 catches, 204 yards, 2 td's), Devin Sims (13 catches, 236 yards, 1 td), Jerome Charles (10 grabs, 36 yards) and Jay Hartman (8 catches, 85 yards, 1 td).
 
            The top running back is tailback Brandon Brader, who has rushed 87 times for 365 yards. He is averaging 91.2 yards per game.
              Lock Haven's has improved. The Bald Eagles are giving up 207.5 rushing yards (#14 in PSAC) and 227.0 passing yards (#11 in PSAC) per game.
            Up front Lock Haven is led by defensive end Ben Snyder, who has 16 hits and 4 tfl's, and nose tackle Skyler Wool (1.5 tfl's).
 
            The linebacking corps will be led by senior Ibrahim Smith (27 tackles), Ryan Good (14 hits) and James Goins (13 jolts).
 
            The secondary has top tackler in safety Raymond Mosby (28 hits, 1 int), Tyrai Anderson (11 stops), Marc Olivo (7 hits) and James Wilburn (10 tackles, 1 tfl).
 
            CLARION NOTES:   CLARION – LOCK HAVEN SERIES – 2010 – Clarion won last year's game 49-6 at LHU … Fiscus completed 16 of 16 for 187 yards and 4 td's … Fiscus also ran for 78 yards and 1 td … Jacques robinson grabbed 7 passes for 84 yards and 1 td and broke the Clarion career receiving record in that game… Burkett completed 13 of 24 passes for 134 yards and 1 td … Jay Hartman caught 4 for 66 yards and 1 td … Barrington Morrison had 3 tfl's – 2 sacks in that game … 2009 – Clarion won 24-0 … Alfonso Hoggard ran for 114 yards and 2 td;s … Tyler Huether hit on 14 of 21 passes for 133 yards and 1 td … Jacques Robinson had 5 grabs for 55 yards and 1 td… LH  qb Jarret Kratzer was 22 of 38 for 184 yards … the LH running game netted a minus 7 yards on 26 attempts  - 2008 - Clarion rallied for the game's final 10 points to win a 24-21 decision at Lock Haven ... Eddie Emmanuel scored on a 4-yard run with 27-seconds left in the third, and Robert Mamula booted a 27-yard field goal with 3:30 to play to claim the win ... Clarion outgained LH 472-188 ... Huether completed 19 of 33 passes for 219 yards and 1 td, plus ran for 94 yards... Emmanuel rushed for 91 yards and 2 td's ... 2007 Clarion lost 17-14 in overtime ... Clarion tied the game 14-14 with 3:58 left on an Eddie Emmanuel 1-yard run ... Nick Sipes' 47-yard field goal attempt in ot was just short ... Marc Domonkos booted a 35-yarder to win the game ... Huether passed for 245 yards and ran for 54 yards ... Hoggard caught 9 passes for 66 yards... LH - led by Ibrahim Smith who rushed for 139 yards and 2 td's, including a 64-yard td ... In 2006 Clarion lost 14-7 at Lock Haven ... Clarion outgained LH 281-186 ... LH jumped ahead 7-0 before halftime and 14-0 to open the third quarter ... Clarion scored on a 32-yard pass from Huether to Odom but it was not enough ... Emmanuel rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries ... Huether completed 10 of 26 for 137 yards and 1 td, Odom caught 5 for 75 and 1 td ... DiPaolo was 7 of 17 for 115 yards and 1 td, plus ran for 12 yards... In 2005 Clarion won 16-0 at Memorial Stadium … Clarion outgained LH 269-107 … Michael Byrd rushed 39 times for 90 yards and 1 td … Erik Yonish completed 9 of 12 passes for 76 yards, plus ran 50yards for a td, and Kyle Snoke booted a 31-yard field goal … The “D” held LH to 44 rushing yards … Jimmy Simmons had 5 tfl's, Gourley 11 stops and Morris hits and 3 tfl's … In 2004 at Lock Haven the Bald Eagles won in overtime 16-13... Clarion rallied to tie the game 10-10 with 20-seconds left in regulation on an 11-yard pass from Dando to Joe Farkas... Clarion got to the 3 in the overtime, but had to call on Kyle Snoke for the field goal and a 13-10 lead... LH QB Tim Storino hit Rafael Smith on a 24-yard pass to the 1, then Travis Diehl scored from there to give LH the win ... In 2003 Clarion won 22-9 over Lock Haven... The defense had a big game posting 6 interceptions... Troy Bowers returned an int 22-yards for a score... With the game tied 9-9 in the fourth, Marcus Lowe scored on a 1-yard run (4:59 left) and Felton Woulard scored on an 8-yard run (0:44 remaining)... Bo Busch and Jabari Weatherspoon had 2 interceptions each... In 2002 Clarion topped Lock Haven 34-31 at Lock Haven... Clarion scored 27 second half points including 20 in the fourth to seal the win... QB Adam Almashy ran for 163 yards and 1 td, plus passed for 66 yards... Robert Walker also ran for 151 yards and 1 td as Clarion rushed for 468 yards, the second most in school history... LH QB Tim Storino passed for 290 yards and 2 td's ... Burkely grabbed 5 passes for 124 yards and 1 td.... In 2001 Clarion topped Lock Haven 13-0 at Lock Haven ... Demetric Gardner ran for 112 yards and 1 td ... Adam Almashy completed 13 of 20 passes for 164 yards ... Clarion had 427 yards, while Lock Haven had 106 yards of offense ... Clarion won (42-20 in 2000) and (44-41 in 3 overtimes in 1999) -  Both games were in Clarion due to new PSAC schedules taking over ... In 2000 Clarion rushed for a school record 443 yards including 177 and 2 td's by Robert Walker and 169 by fullback Tab Musser ... In 1999's Senior Day game, Clarion placekicker Frank VanWert booted a 34-yard field goal in the third overtime to give Clarion a 44-41 win...