The battle for the “Milk Jug” – Clarion versus Slippery Rock – the third edition – is set for Saturday, October 13 at Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 1pm.
 
            All the game action between Clarion and the Rock 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.
 
FOSTER IN 7^TH SEASON/ CLARION POSTS 3-8 MARK IN 2011
2009 EAGLES 8-3 - 2^ND IN PSAC-WEST – 8^TH IN SUPER REGION 1
 
            Clarion head coach Jay Foster, in his seventh season leading the Golden Eagles, has his team off to a 3-3 start to the 2012 season and is 1-2 in the PSAC-West. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 41-22 loss to #16 ranked California on Homecoming. Clarion won its two previous games including an exciting 31-27 come from behind win over East Stroudsburg and a 13-7 win on the road at Gannon. Clarion opened the year with a thrilling 7-0 win over WVIAC foe Fairmont State. A game televised live on ROOT Sports on Thursday, August 30, Clarion took a 7-0 lead in the third quarter when junior qb Ben Fiscus hit freshman Mark Nicholas on a 27-yard td pass. The defense went on to pitch a shutout – including a goal line stand in the final 30-seconds – to post the victory. The Golden Eagles had eight turnovers in game 2 in its 46-26 loss at LIU-Post, despite outgaining the Pioneers in total offense 538-375. Clarion then dropped a hard-fought 22-14 decision at Mercyhurst in the PSAC-West opener for both schools before the win last week at Gannon.
 
            The Golden Eagles were 3-8 in 2011 and posted a 2-5 mark in the rugged PSAC-Western Division. The Golden Eagles won three of their final six games, including wins over Lock Haven (54-6), Gannon (28-21) and Millersville (34-20). Other close losses include a 42-38 setback in the final seconds against Mercyhurst after leading 38-14 in the third quarter, and close losses to Fairmont State (31-17) and Edinboro (21-10).
 
The 2010 Eagles were 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the rugged PSAC-West, while the 2009 squad was 8-3 overall, 6-1 in the West and earned an 8^th place ranking in the NCAA D-II East Region final poll. Coach Foster was named the 2009 PSAC-West “Coach of the Year”. Foster enters the game with a career record of 22-50.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK 2-4 OVERALL/1-2 IN PSAC WEST
 
            Slippery Rock is off to an unusual 2-4 overall start and 1-2 mark in the PSAC-West under veteran head coach Dr. George Mihalik. The Rock opened 2012 with a 52-6 win over Seton hill and a 55-35 loss to Shippensburg. After defeating Gannon 38-18, Slippery Rock has lost three straight to Mercyhurst (38-23), Kutztown (56-49) and IUP (33-16).
            Coach Mihalik is in his 25^th year leading Slippery Rock football and has a remarkable career record entering Saturday's game of 163-102-4. The Rock tied for first in the PSAC-West last year with a 6-1 divisional mark and posted an 8-3 overall record. He led his teams to four straight PSAC-West titles from 1997-2000 and three NCAA Division II Playoff appearances during that time.
 
 
SR LEADS OVERALL SERIES 43-24-3/2-0 IN “MILK JUG GAME”
            Clarion and Slippery Rock started a new tradition in 2009 when it adopted “The Milk Jug Game” to the rivalry between the two schools. “The Milk Jug” is a traveling trophy, awarded immediately after the game to the head coach and players of the winning team. That school has the “Jug” for a year and brings the trophy to the next game site, where it will be displayed for presentation following the next game.
 
            Half of the “Milk Jug” is gold with a blue “C” for Clarion, and the other half is white with a green “S” for Slippery Rock. The winning school will post the year and score on their side of the jug after each game.
 
            Last year Slippery Rock defeated Clarion 27-13 at the Rock, while the 2011 game saw SR placekicker Kurt Brackman boot a 32 yard field goal with 1:41 to play to send the Rock to a 16-13 over Clarion at Memorial Stadium.
 
Slippery Rock leads the series between the two schools by a 43-24-3 margin in games dating back to 1928. Clarion won the 2009 game 27-10 at Slippery Rock. SR won the five previous meetings including a 49-14 win in 2008 at Clarion, a 41-18 win at Slippery Rock in 2007, a 31-7 win at Clarion in 2006, a  28-10 victory in 2005 and a 31-14 win in 2004. Clarion won the 2003 meeting by a narrow 19-17 final. SR has won 8 of the last 10 meetings and 15 of the last 20 dating back to 1992. The five Clarion wins came in 1992 (49-37), 1993 (29-24), 1996 (54-28), 2003 (19-17) and 2009 (27-10). SR wins were 41-17 in 1995, 28-7 in 1997, 28-14 in 1998, 45-7 in 1999, 27-14 in 2000, 33-24 in 2001, 21-14 in 2002, 2004-2008 and 2010.
 
 
 
CLARION OFFENSE AVERAGING 400.5 YARDS & 18.8 PPG IN 2012
 
            The Clarion offense rolled up 505 yards vs Cal, 514 against ESU and 538 yards against LIU-Post earlier in the season. The Eagles are now averaging 400.5 (#8 in PSAC) yards of total offense per game including 184.7 rushing yards (#5 in the PSAC) and 215.8 passing yards (#8 in the PSAC).
 
QB BEN FISCUS LEADS OFFENSE
 
            Junior signal caller Ben Fiscus (Jr. Indiana), the PSAC-West Offensive Player of the Week” vs ESU,  leads Clarion's offense. Fiscus has rushed for 489 yards and 3 td's (record 88 yd td run at LIU-Post), while completing 108 of 199 passes for 1,295 yards and 9 td's. He set clarion records last week for completions (36) and attempts (64), while passing for 410 yards (4^th most in school history) against Cal. Since earning the starting qb spot midway through 2010 Fiscus has rushed for 1,808 yards (10^th at Clarion) and 14 td's on 373 attempts. Next up on the list is Demetric Gardner (1,961 yards – 1998-01). He has now passed for 3,156 career yards (270 of 532) and 21 td's.  In 2011 Ben was Clarion's leading rusher and ranked 10^th in the PSAC in rushing with 737 yards and 5 td's on 155 attempts (10 games). He also hit on 100 of 207 passes for 1,148 yards and 5 td's. He rushed for 204 yards and 2 td's against Lock Haven. The backup is Anthony Omogrosso (So. Beaver Falls).
 
REID, NICHOLAS, PERRY & BECOATE LEAD RECEIVERS
 
            Ready to catch passes from Fiscus will be junior Jon Reid (Stafford, Va.), Aaron Barlow (Sr. Ambridge), Anthony Becoate (Sr. McKeesport), Mark Nicholas (Fr. Export/Franklin Regional) and Nick Perry (Fr. Bumpass, Va.).
 
            Reid leads the team with 33 catches for 538 yards and 2 td's, and also led the team in 2011 with 24 grabs for 281 yards and 2 td's. Reid caught 9 aerials for 212 yards against LIU-Post this year, the 212 yards tied for third most in a single game with Tom Kurts who had 212 vs Shippensburg in 1967. Barlow has 22 catches for 234 yards, while Becoate has 11 catches for 106 yards and 1 td. He clutched 13 aerials for 186 yards and 1 td last year and now has career totals of 39 catches, 495 yards, 5 td's. Nicholas and Perry are true freshmen. Nicholas has 4 catches for 39 yards and 2 td's, while Perry has 12 grabs for 116 yards and 2 td's.
 
            Also expected to see action are Caleb Mancini (So. Beaver Falls/Blackhawk) and Garrett Sigler (Fr. Ford City), along with tight ends Rob Irwin (Jr. Bellefonte), Mike Deitrick (So. Upper St. Clair) and Evan Mastele (Jr. Pgh – North Catholic).
 
THOMAS LOOKS TO KEY RUNNING BACKS IN 2012
 
            Former safety turned running back Bobby Thomas (So. Reading/Exeter Twp.), has had a very successful debut in 2012. Thomas leads the team with 113 rushes for 502 yards and 3 td's (Ranks #6 in PSAC at 100.4) while also catching 5 passes for 47 yards. Thomas missed the Cal game, but could return this week. Thomas rushed for 158 yards and 1 td at LIU-Post. Last year at safety he posted 38 tackles and 1 tfl as a red-shirt freshman. He will be backed up by Travis Day (Fr. Hempfield) with 101 yards and 1 td and   Chris Liberto (Fr. Springdale).
 
FELKER, VERCELLI, PERFILIO LEAD OFFENSIVE LINE
 
            The “O” line has three talented starters returning in captain and tackle Mike Felker (6-4, 280, Jr. Gibsonia/Pine Richland), guard Andrew Vercelli (Sr. Gibsonia/Deer Lakes) and center Terrance Perfilio (Jr. Farrell). Felker in his third season as a starter and 2010 PSAC-West selection, while Vercelli was a PSAC-West choice in 2011. Perfilio had several starts at center a year ago and is a 2-year letterwinner. Also starting up front are Ryan Barrick (So. Easton)  at tackle and either Matt Kundick (So. Beaver) or Eli Rupert (Sr. Indiana-Apollo Ridge) at the other guard spot. Also seeing time will be Tyler Edwards (So. Ambridge) at tackle, Shane Cress (Fr. Mars) and at guards and Andrew Moore (Jr. Brashear) and Cameron Cress (Fr. Mars) at center.
 
8 STARTERS RETURN ON IMPROVED EAGLE DEFENSE
 
            The Golden Eagles return 8 starters from last year's unit, as well as some quality young players to provide quality overall depth for 2012. Clarion is yielding 342.8 yards per game (#4 in the PSAC) including 137.5 rushing (#7 in  PSAC)  and 205.3 passing yards (#5 in the PSAC). 
 
DEFENSIVE FRONT LOOKS SOLID
 
            Clarion's defensive line has been strong in the first two games. Paving the way up front are Julian Howsare (So. Altoona), Adam Bostick (Jr. Lititz), Jacob Heintz (So. Pine-Richland), Sean Motley (Sr. West Mifflin), Matt Shuey (So. Johnsonburg), Andrew Fragale (Fr. Emporium/Cameron County and Ryan Slack (Sr. Norwin). Howsare had 4 sacks and 8 hits against ESU and won his second consecutive PSAC West P.O.W. Award.  Howsare has 28 hits, 8 tfl's and 7 sacks this year, to go with 29 tackles, 4 sacks and 7 tfl's last year. Bostick has 15 tackles, 4 tfl's, 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 1 interception. Heintz (16 hits, 5 tfl's), Motley (2 tfl's, 1 sack), Shuey (16 stops, 3 tfl's), Fragale (17 hits, 5 tfl's, 3 sacks) and Slack (2 tfl's).
 
SIPES & PALMIERE ANCHOR CLARION LINEBACKERS
 
            The strength of the Clarion defense might well be in its linebacking corps. It doesn't get much better than Nate Sipes (Sr. Curwensville) and sophomore Brian Palmiere (So. Tarentum/Deer Lakes). Sipes has 38 hits and missed the Cal game. Palmiere leads the team with 46 tackles and 4 tfl's. Sipes was an All PSAC-West selection in 2011 leading the team and finishing #3 in the PSAC with 99 tackles. He also chipped in with 4 tfl's, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 break-ups. Palmiere meanwhile had a strong season as a true freshman posting 43 hits, 5 sacks, 12 tfl's, 1 fumble recovery and 1 fumble caused in 9 games.
 
Also expecting to see some time are Jared Davis (Fr. Pgh – Allderdice) and Rocco Yauger (Fr. Penn Trafford). Yauger has 26 stops and 2 tfl's.
 
STIMAC & PARONISH LEAD TALENTED EAGLE SECONDARY
 
            Senior corner Anthony Stimac (East Brady/Karns City) and safety Andrew Paronish (Sr. Hastings/Northern Cambria) lead a quality secondary in 2012. Paronish, the PSAC-West “Defensive Player of the Week” against Fairmont, has 24 tackles, 2 fumbles caused, 2 int's and 1 fumble recovery. He had 41 stops, 2 tfl's, 1 fumble recovery and 1 fumble caused in 2011 and has career numbers showing 135 tackles, 4 int's, 2 tfl's.
 
Stimac, a team captain in 2012, is third on the team with 30 hits. He is a three-year starter who holds the Clarion record for longest interception return for a td, which was a 100-yard return at Slippery Rock a year ago. Stimac had 54 hits, 2 int's, 2 tfl's and 2 beak-ups in 2012. In his career he has posted 118 tackles and 2 int's.
 
            Also leading the secondary are transfer Kyle McWreath (So. Washington/Trinity HS),  Mike Zak (Jr. Orchard Park, N.Y.), Peter Rivera (So. Allentown/Bethlehem Catholic), Malik King (Fr. Coraopolis/Cornell), Matt Long (Jr. Pgh – North Catholic), Tyler Tucker (So. Westside, Tx.) and Kwaku Asamoah (Fr. Indiana). Zak has 9 tackles, 1 tfl and 1 fumble caused, with Long collecting 29 jolts, 4 tfl's and 3 break-ups. McWreath has 21 stops and 3 tfl's, King 18 hits and 1 int and Asamoah 5 tackles.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS WELCOME BACK CONWAY
 
            The Clarion special teams will be anchored again by punter Nathan Conway (Jr. Lock Haven/Central Mountain), who will also double as the Clarion placekicker in 2012.
 
            Conway, in his third year as the starter (2009, 2011) at punter, is averaging 36.3 yards per punt. Last year he averaged 35.2 yards per punt, but the average was a bit deceiving – pointed out coach Foster. Conway booted 16 punts inside the 20, and had 14 punts fair caught.  He averaged 37.9 yards per punt as a freshman in 2009.
 
SR OFFENSE AVERAGING 368.5 YARDS PER GAME
 
            The Slippery Rock offense is extremely potent averaging 35.5 points (#5 in PSAC) and 368.5 yards per game (#11 in the PSAC). The Rock is getting 185 rushing yards (#4 in the PSAC) and 183.5 passing yards (#10 in the PSAC) per game.
 
            The offense will be led by either Jared Buck or Nigel Barksdale at quarterback. Buck has completed 54 of 91 passes for 576 yards and 6 td's, while Barksdale has hit on 32 of 62 passes for 458 yards and 4 td's. both can run. Barksdale has 236 rushing yards and 3 td's, with Buck getting 189 yards and 4 td's on the ground.
 
            The running game is potent behind Akeem Satterfield who has 498 yards and 4 td's on 84 carries.
 
            The receiving corps is talented with LaQuinn Stephens-howling (23 grabs, 277 yards, 3 td's), Ken Amos (14 receptions, 237 yards, 1 td), john Schademan (12 catches, 224 yards, 3 td's) and Jaimire Dutreuille (8 grabs, 70 yards) leading the way.
 
 
ROCK DEFENSE YIELDING 403.7 YARDS PER GAME
 
            The SR defense is yielding 403.7 yards (#9 in PSAC) and 34.3 points (#13 in PSAC) per game. Opponents are rushing for 159.2 yards (#8 in the PSAC) and passing for 244.5 yards (#10 in the PSAC) per outing.
 
            SR's defense up front will look to Tony Papley (28 stops, 5 tfl's), Jack Charles (16 tackles, 2.5 tfl's), Kevin Kulka (15 hits, 1.5 tfl's) and Jeff Thompson (22 stops, 4.5 tfl's) to lead up front.
            The linebackers are led by Gary Allen (50 stops, 3 tfl's), Quindell Dean (43 hits, 5.5 tfl's, 1 int) and Bob Westerlund (20 hits).
            The secondary has strong safety Marquis Knight (44 stops, 1 int), free safety Derek Morgan 17 tackles), and corners Anthony Saunders (38 hits, 2 int's) and Brandon burley (21 jolts).
 
CLARION NOTES:   CLARION - SR SERIES:   2011 – SR won 27-13 – A very close game throughout – Clarion corner Anthony Stimac returned an interception a Clarion record 100 yards to open the scoring … SR led 13-6 at halftime and 20-6 in the fourth quarter when the Eagle Special Teams came up with a blocked punt (by Julian Howsare) – with Mike Deitrick recovering and returning the ball 34 yards for the td… A late SR td put the game away … Fiscus hit 12 of 30 passes for 137 yards and rushed for 25 yards …SR qb cody Endres hit on 27 of 35 passes for 305 yards and 3 td's …
2010 – SR Won 16-13 … SR PK booted a 32-yard field goal with 1:41 to play to win the game… down 10-3 in the third – Clarion tied the game on a Ben Fiscus 1-yard run late in the third … SR went ahead on a Brackman field goal, and clarion tied the game with a 33-yard field goal from Robert Mamula with 5:31 left – setting up Brackman's game-winner… Clarion's Fiscus came on in the third quarter and rushed for 147 yards and 1 td … SR's Akeem Satterfield rushed for 102 yards on 24 carries … Ryan Sabo completed 12 of 22 passes for 137 yards …  2009: Clarion won 27-10 – Last year Clarion's Alfonso Hoggard rushed for 205 yards and 2 td's to help lead Clarion to victory … He had a school record 84-yard td run in the third quarter to ice the game… Clarion had 347 yards of offense to SR's 230… the Rock was held to 33 rushing yards on 24 attempts… 2008 SR won 49-14 ... SR led 14-0 at halftime, but 21 third quarter points helped the Rock to the win ... Huether was 26 of 45 for 224 yards and 2 td's - plus 3 int's ... Huether ran for 93 yards ... Jacques Robinson had 8 catches for 78 yards and 2 td's ... SR rushed for 451 yards ... 179 & 2 td's from Scott-Mitchell, 129 and 2 td's from Ryan Lehmeier and 129 and 2 td's from Corey Manful ... 2007 - SR defeated Clarion 41-18  at SRU - but not before Clarion jumped out to a 9-0 lead on a Nick Sipes 30-yard field goal and an Eddie Emmanuel 1-yard run ... QB Tyler Huether hit on 23 of 34 passes for 303 yards ... SR's Ryan Lehmeier rushed 23 times for 210 yards and 4 td's to lead the Rock ... 2006 - Clarion lost 31-7, but trailed only 10-7 at halftime ... SR scored 21-unanswered points in the second half ... Clarion's Eddie Emmanuel scored the first td on a 2-yard run to take a 7-0 lead .... Emmanuel ran for 170 yards and 1 td on 25 carries ... SR's Nate Crookshank passed for 155 yards and 2 td's to lead the Rock ... In 2005 Clarion lost 28-10 to SR at Memorial Stadium… Clarion led 10-7 in the second when James Charles recovered a fumbled punt in the endzone and Kyle Snoke booted a 37-yard field goal… SR All-American Josh Kniess ran 49-yards for a td before halftime to give the Rock a 14-10 lead they never relinquished… Kniess rushed for 273 yards and 3 td's … Nate Crookshank completed 12 of 22 for 132 yards… In 2003 SR defeated Clarion 31-14 … Clarion held a 14-10 second quarter lead but couldn't hold it ...Kniess rushed for 3 td's (one in 2^nd qtr., 2 in the third) to put the game away... Clarion rushed for 186 ... Glenn Lovelace gained 75 yards with 1 td ...SRU rushed for 201 - Josh Kniess with 111 yards on 31 carries and 3 td's... Clarion rallied from a 17-7 second quarter deficit in 2003 to defeat SR 19-17 at the Rock ... Mark Hofmeister's 49-yard field goal prior to halftime cut SR's lead to 17-10 ... Bo Busch returned a blocked punt 7 yards for a td, then Hofmeister booted an 18-yard field goal with 10:47 left to win the game ... Clarion posted 251 yards of offense including 141 rushing and 110 passing ... Brandon Dando completed 14 of 25 passes for 110 yards and 1 td, plus ran for 41 yards ... Pierre Odom had 7 catches for 53 yards ... the Eagles blocked 2 punts and 1 field goal attempt on the day ... SR's Kniess had 92 yards and td on 20 carries ... In 2002 Clarion lost a 21-14 game to Slippery Rock at Clarion's Memorial Stadium... The Rock jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead, then hung on to win... Clarion held SR to -18 rushing yards for the entire game on 34 carries ... In the second half Clarion outgained SR 137 to -3 yards, but Clarion just couldn't overcome the first period deficit... Robert Walker ran for 58 yards and 1 td on 17 carries and Brandon Sweeney gained 53 on 8 tries... Adam Almashy completed 8 of 16 passes for 66yards... Clarion NG Troy Bowers had 12 tackles, 5 tfl's and 2 sacks ... In 2001 at Clarion the Eagles lost 33-24 and outgained SR 455-267, had a 20-10 advantage in first downs and a time of possession advantage of 33:06 - 26:54... Clarion rushed for 318 yards including a single game Clarion record of 257 yards by Demetric Gardner ... Almashy hit on 8 of 19 passes for 137 yards and 1 td ... Slippery Rock got a big performance from Dorrian Glenn who gained 200 yards and 3 td's on 28 carries ... His 44 yard td to open the game and 25 yard td run on fourth down to close the game were huge plays ... Clarion won at Slippery Rock in 1996 when the Eagles notched a 54-28 victory ... In that game the Eagles rushed for 407 yards ... Ron DeJidas ran for 231 yards and 2 td, plus caught a td pass ... Steve Witte also dashed for 143 yards and 2 td's, grabbed 4 passes for 70 yards, and returned a kickoff 43-yards late in the game for a td ... Clarion had 577 yards in that game and SR had 453 for a combined total of 1,030 yards of total offense… In 1992's 49-37 Clarion win at SR, the two teams combined for 1,036 yards, 86 points and 910 passing yards between the two teams … Clarion qb Tim Myers tossed a school record 6 td passes, including 3 to Marlon Worthy who caught 4 passes for 172 yards and 3 td's, plus returned a punt 67-yards for a td… SR qb John Linhart passed for 502 yards and 4 td's in a losing effort … Greg Hopkins caught 16 passes for 202 yards and 1 td on the day.