Football | 11/12/2014 12:19:00 PM

            The 2014 Football Season finale is at hand. Clarion will host Kutztown this Saturday, November 15, in a game that will also serve as Senior Day for the Golden Eagles. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for Noon.
 
            All the game action between Clarion and Kutztown can be heard on the Golden Eagle radio 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.
 
            Ten Clarion Senior football players will don the blue and gold for the final time in their careers and will be honored in pre-game ceremonies. Seniors in alpha order are: Ryan Barrick (OT- 6-6, 280, Easton), Mike Deitrick (TE- 6-4, 250, Upper St. Clair), Tyler Edwards (OG- 6-4, 310, Ambridge), Julian Howsare (DE- 6-3, 255, Altoona), Matt Kundick (OG- 6-2, 300, Beaver), Caleb Mancini (WR- 5-11, 190, Beaver Falls – Blackhawk), Zach Newquist (NG- 6-4, 300, Indiana), Brian Palmiere (LB- 5-10, 220, Tarentum - Deer Lakes), Matt Shuey (DL- 6-3, 275, Johnsonburg) and Bobby Thomas (RB- 5-11, 205, Reading – Exeter).
  
            Clarion opened its 2014 football season losing a hard-fought 27-13 decision at FCS opponent Saint Francis on Sept. 6, then came back strong the next two games against Millersville and Cheyney. Clarion dropped the Marauders 55-16 and then ran past Cheyney 27-6. Clarion has lost seven straight to Gannon (33-7 - Homecoming), at Mercyhurst (28-0), Family Day to Edinboro (56-28), at Seton Hill (30-16), #27 Cal (43-32), at IUP (31-0) and last week to PSAC-West champion Slippery Rock (45-8).
 
            The Golden Eagles were 4-7 overall and 2-5 in the PSAC-Western Division in 2013 and 2012, while Clarion was 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the West in 2011 and 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the West in 2010.
 
            Clarion's top year under Foster came in 2009 when Clarion was 8-3 overall, 6-1 in the West and finished the year ranked 8^th in the final NCAA Division II East Region Poll. Foster was named the PSAC-Western division "Coach of the Year" for his efforts. Foster enters the game with a career record of 29-69.
  
            Jim Clements, who is in his first year leading Kutztown, has the Golden Bears at 5-5 overall and finished 5-4 in PSAC-East play. Kutztown opened the season with a 37-26 loss to Slippery rock, defeated IUP 44-7, lost to Gannon 37-28, defeated Cheyney 74-0 and Millersville 54-7, then lost to West Chester 29-7 and undefeated Bloomsburg 31-13. The Bears bounced back to defeat East Stroudsburg 31-16 and Lock Haven 19-0, before losing last week to Shippensburg 37-32.
 
            Clements came to Kutztown from Delaware Valley, where he had an eight year head coaching record of 66-24. A three-time MAC "Coach of the Year", Delaware Valley his teams qualified for the NCAA Playoffs three times from 2009 – 2011.
  
            Clarion leads the overall series between the two schools 15-7 dating back to 1941. Since 1998 Clarion and Kutztown have dueled to a 7-6 record, with the most recent game coming in the 2013 season opener when Clarion won in exciting fashion 39-38 in overtime. Clarion booted a field goal to tie the game on the final play to make it 32-32, then second in the overtime period, but converted the PAT after Kutztown did not convert, giving Clarion the win.
 
            Clarion rallied from a 20-0 halftime deficit at Kutztown in 2008 to win 26-20. Other Clarion wins came in 2005 (29-23 in 4 overtimes – a PSAC record for most ot's in a game), 2002 (31-7), 2001 (36-7), 1999 (31-21) and 1998 (23-16).
 
            Kutztown has wins in 2009 (25-6), 2007 (35-13), 2006 (27-10), 2004 (25-14), 2003 (20-19),2000 (17-14).
 
            The game between the two schools with the most on the line came back in 1980 when Clarion downed Kutztown 15-14 in the PSAC title game at Clarion.
  
            The Clarion offense returns 8 starters on a unit that averaged is averaging 273.2 yards of offense (#15 in PSAC) in 2014. The running game is getting 86 yards (#14 in PSAC) and the passing game is netting 174.7yards per game (#13 in PSAC).
  
            Sophomore transfer Connor Simmons (So. New Palestine, In.), has started seven games this season and is expected to start on Saturday. He has completed 102 of 218 passes for 1,471 yards and 9 td's with 8 int', along with 40 rushing yards and 5 td's. Simmons passed for 376 yards versus Cal three weeks ago, the 7^th most in a single game in Clarion history.
 
            Darelle Carson (So. Pgh-Perry), the starter at Mercyhurst and the team's first two games, has completed 25 of 73 passes for 276 yards and 1 td. He has also rushed for 118 yards. Last year he started the team's final 9 games and completed 85 of 195 aerials for 1,170 yards and 5 td's, while also running for 564 yards and 6 td's on 157 tries.
  
            Returning to catch passes for the Eagles will be senior tight end Mike Deitrick (Sr. Upper St. Clair), and wideouts Matt Lehman (So. Lower Burrell/Burrell) and Caleb Mancini (Sr. Beaver Falls/Blackhawk).
 
            Deitrick, a senior co-captain, has caught 19 aerials for 150 yards and 1 td. He led the team in 2013 with 24 catches for 239 yards and 2 td's. He has 61 career catches for 600 yards and 5 td's.
 
            Lehman, only a sophomore, leads the team with 23 catches for 482 yards in 2014 and 36 career catches for 641 yards and 1 td. Mancini has 11 catches for 160 yards this year and 32 for 436 yards in his career.
 
            Also expected to contribute to the offense is tight end Zach Deitrick So. Upper St. Clair) who has 12 grabs for 251 yards and 4 td's this season, Jaron Moorer (Jr. Rochester, N.Y.) with 7 catches for 219 yards and Gage Clark (Fr. Natrona Heights – Highlands) with 8 grabs for 123 yards.
  
            Senior running back Bobby Thomas (Reading/Exeter Twp.) and freshman Delrece Williams (Fr. Homestead/Steel Valley) lead a strong backfield in 2014. Thomas has rushed for 286 yards and 2 td's on 93 tries. In 3 years he now has 397 rushes for 1,579 yards (#12 in school history) and 12 td's, along with 28 catches for 237 yards. Thomas had 759 yards and 7 td's on 180 carries and has a single game high of 156 yards in 2012 against LIU-Post, and 147 vs L.H. in 2013.
 
            Williams has had a quality 2014 season. He missed the Cal game and only returned kickoffs at IUP, but returned to the lineup last week. The team's leading runner has 82 carries for 370 yards and 6 td's, plus 6 catches for 8 yards and 26 kickoff returns for 658 yards. A senior at Steel Valley High in the Fall of 2010, Williams set the WPIAL regular season rushing record of 2,149 yards in 9 games. He had a season total of 2,388 yards and a WPIAL leading 34 td's.
  
            The "O" line will has talented starters in guards Matt Kundick (6-2, 280, Sr. Beaver) and Tyler Edwards (6-4, 300, Sr. Ambridge), and tackles Shane Cress (6-3, 280, Jr., Mars) and Ryan Barrick (6-6, 280, Sr. Easton).  Red-shirt freshman Jake Heigel (6-3, 270, Fr. DuBois/Brockway) has also started a 7 games at right tackle when Barrick was out with an injury. Center Cameron Cress (6-3, 270, Jr. Mars), who was injured against Cal, may be out the rest of the year with a foot injury. Red-shirt freshman Josh Wiskeman (Fr. 6-2, 255, Leechburg/Kiski) will start at center.
  
            Clarion's defense has improved in 2014 with nine starters and a host lettermen returning. In the opening ten games Clarion has limited its opponents to 361.1 yards of total offense (#6 in PSAC), including 159.5 yards rushing (#10 in PSAC) and 201.6 yards passing (#5 in PSAC).  
  
            The Golden Eagles have a strong defensive line in 2014, paced by two-time Third Team FB Gazette All-American Julian Howsare (Sr. Altoona) at defensive end, All PSAC-West selection Matt Shuey (Sr. Johnsonburg) at defensive tackle and Kwame Bell (6-3, 265, Jr. Philadelphia) at end.
 
            Howsare, the PSAC-West Defensive P.O.W. against Millersville, has opened the season with 78 tackles, 9 sacks and 14 tfl's, 2 fumbles recovered, 2 fumbles caused, 3 break-ups and 2 blocked kicks. The 2013 PSAC-West Defensive POY, Howsare posted 83 tackles, 18 tfl's for -75 yards, 10 sacks for -58 yards, 4 blocked kicks, 4 break-ups, 2 int's and 2 fumbles caused. He recorded 14 tackles, 4 tfl's and 1 sack vs Gannon, had 2 int's and a blocked kick vs Slippery Rock, and 10 hits, 3 tfl's, blocked 2 kicks and recovered 1 for a td against Seton Hill.
 
            In 2012 Julian he posted 58 tackles, 14 sacks for -89 yards and 16 tfl's for -102 yards. He also had 4 fumbles caused, 3 break-ups, and 1 blocked kick. In his career Julian has notched 248 tackles, 55 tfl's for -253 yards, 37 sacks for -203 yards, 8 fumbles caused, 9 blocked kicks, 12 break-ups and 3 int's.
 
            Shuey meanwhile has posted 38 hits and 15 tfl's and 5 sacks in 2014  Last year he had 31 tackles, 3 sacks for -39 yards, 9 tfl's for -49 yards and 1 fumble recovery a year ago. Posting 31 hits and 7 tfl's in 2012, Shuey has a career total of 113 stops, 33 tfl's (-115 yards), 8 sacks, 3 break-ups and 2 fumbles caused.
 
            Bell is having a standout season in 2014 posting 50 stops, 14 tfls for -78, 9 sacks for -57, 3 fumbles caused and 2 recoveries. He has 56 career tackles, 15 tfl's, 9 sacks.
 
            Plenty of talent returns up front with noseguards Andrew Fragale (Jr. Emporium/Cameron County) and Zach Newquist (Sr. Indiana), along with Brandon Short (Jr. New Brighton) and Matt Koerper (So. Seven Fields/Seneca Valley).
 
            Fragale, who has 33 stops and 4 tfl's in 2014, had 36 tackles, 5 sacks (-26 yards), 14 tfl's (-35 yards), 2 fumbles caused and recovered in 2013. His career numbers total 92 hits, 10 sacks for -45 yards, 26 tfl's for -69 yards, 5 fumbles caused, 2 recovered and 1 break up. Newquist, who missed the first 4 games, has 17 tackles, 1 sack. In 2013 he made 32 stops, 3 sacks, 7 tfl's, 3 break-ups and 1 fumble caused. His career numbers include 60 tackles, 10 tfl's, 6 sacks, 4 break ups, 1 fumble caused.
 
            Short, who missed the Cal and IUP games, is healthy again.He was the PSAC-West P.O.W. versus Seton Hill with 11 tackles, 6 tfl's, 2 sacks, and has 38 jolts, 15 tfl's and 8 sacks, while Koerper has collected 28 stops, 1 sack and 5 tfl's. Last year he had 19 tackles, 1 sack and 3 tfl's.
  
            The Clarion linebacking corps will be led by the return of veterans Brian Palmiere (Sr. Tarentum/Deer Lakes), Rocco Yauger (Jr. Penn Trafford) and Jared Davis (Jr. Pgh-Allderdice). Palmiere has 44 hits and 3 tfl's in 2014. In 8 games in 2013 he had 24 tackles and 2 tfl's. In 2012 Palmiere led the Golden Eagles with 89 tackles, plus added 3 sacks and 8 tfl's with 2 fumbles caused. In his career Brian has collected 200 tackles, 25 tfl's (-65), 8 sacks (-42), 3 fumbles caused, 1 recovered and 1 break-up.
 
Yauger meanwhile has 69 hits and 2 tfl's this season. He had 57 stops and 1 int a year ago, and now has 190 tackles, 11 tfl's (-15), 1 sack, and 1 int in two seasons. Davis, who gained starting experience a year ago, has 34 tackles and 4 tfl's this season. He had 29 hits, 2 tfl's and 1 fumble recovery in 2013.
  
            The Golden Eagle secondary is having a strong season led by free safety Cory McNamara (Jr. Ontario, N.Y.).
 
            McNamara, a junior, moved to strong safety from corner to anchor the defense. Last year he led the Golden Eagles with 87 tackles and 12 pass break-ups (Ranked #2 in the PSAC) with 1 interception and 1 tfl.  He has 58 tackles, 3 int's, 1 break-up and 1 fumble recovery this year. In two seasons Cory has 176 tackles, 14 break-ups, 5 int's and 4 tfl's.
 
            The safety spots are covered by Travis Day (Jr. Jeannette/Hempfield), Chris Liberto (Jr. Springdale), Connor Scott (So. Pgh. Upper St. Clair), along with Tyler Tucker (So. Westside, Tx.) and Jerome Matthews (Jr. Pgh- Schenley).
 
            Day, who moved to safety from running back, has had a strong season collecting 57 tackles, 2 tfl's, 3 break-ups and 1 int this season.  He also returned 9 punts for 76 yards. He carried the ball 66 times for 303 yards and 4 td's last year, while also catching 6 passes for 82 yards. He also rushed 62 times for 295 yards and 3 td's in 2012 while also posting 6 catches for 57 yards. Day's career numbers show 128 carries for 598 yards and 7 td's, with 12 catches for 139 yards.
 
            Chris Liberto (47 hits, 6 tfl's) also moved over to safety from running back the last two years. Scott meanwhile has made a strong contribution with 27 hits, 2 tfl and a 15-yard int return for a td against Millersville.
 
            Tucker gained starting experience last year but has missed 3 games this season. He has 7 tackles this season, while posting 24 tackles, 2 tfl's and 1 break-up in 2013. Matthews has 24 hits, 1 tfl and 2 fumble recoveries, returning a PAT for a two-point conversion.
 
            The corner positions will have Cory Lauer (Jr. Franklin Regional) Myles Edmonds (Fr. Odenton, Md./Arundel), Adam Lynch (So. Pgh-Brashear), and Kwaku Asamoah (Jr. Indiana) all seeing plenty of time. Lauer has 38 tackles and 6 break-ups, Edmonds has 37 stops, Lynch 27 tackles and 4 break-ups and Asamoah 9 jolts. Lauer had 12 tackles last year, Lynch notched 29 hits, 3 int's for 36 yards and 3 break-ups and Asamoah with 20 hits and 2 break-ups.
 
  
            The Clarion special teams will be anchored by sophomore Scott Ayers (Bethesda, Md.) and special teams snapper Eric White (Jr. Clearfield).  Ayers is averaging 37.3 yards per punt and is 12 for 15 in PAT's. White, Clarion's snapper for punts and PAT's/Field Goals, is a third year starter on special teams. Placekicker Phil Esposito (So. Brockway)  is back for his third game after missing the first eight.
  
            The Kutztown offense is averaging 398.2 yards (#8 in PSAC) of total offense per game including 146.7 rushing yards (#8 in PSAC) and 251.5 passing yards (#9 in PSAC) per contest.
 
            Kutztown's offense is led by quarterback Chad Barton. The junior has hit on 206 of 354 passes for 2,488 yards and 26 td's with only 6 interceptions.
 
            Using a three, wide receiver set, Nathan Hollander, Kellen Williams,, Kodi Reed and Anthony Kelly all make strong contributions. Hollander has 60 catches for 457 yards and 2 td's, while Williams has latched onto 51 aerials for 768 yards and 7 td's, with Reed grabbing 35 pigskins for 460 yards and 3 td's and Kelly clutching 23 passes for 456 yards and 9 td's.
 
            The running game is led by Terry Williams and James Wah Jr. Williams has rushed for 606 yards and 7 td's on 104 attempts, while Wah has 476 yards and 3 td's on 119 tries.
 
            Placekicker Alec Rosenfeld is one of the top kickers in the region booting 12 of 13 field goals and 234 of 36 PAT's.
  
            Kutztown's defense is giving up only 309.9 yards of total offense per game (#2 in PSAC) including 113 rushing yards (#6 in PSAC) and 196.9 passing yards (#4 in PSAC) per game.
 
            Up front tackles Eric Condron (30 hits, 5.5 tfl's, 2 sacks) and Zach Greenwald (32 stops, 6.5 tfl's) and ends Michael Gallagher (32 tackles, 5 tfl's) and Ronny Tomasetti (33 hits, 5 tfl's, 3.5 sacks) lead the way.
 
            In the middle, linebacker Sam Dougan (83 tackles, 11 tfl's) is the team's leading tackler, with Zachary Delp (76 stops, 9 tfl's) right behind.
 
            The secondary has English Peay (55 hits, 1 int, 14 break-ups) and Darryl Mintz (28 jolts, 1 int) at the corners, with Drake Brumfield (61 hits, 3 int's), Jalen Nieves (70 tackles, 2 int's) and Kurt Kenny (28 stops) at the safeties.
 
            CLARION NOTES – CLARION LEADS SERIES 15-7 --- 2013 CLARION 39 KUTZTOWN 38 (OT) – Season opener in 2013 – Game had 4 lead changes in regulation … Clarion trailed 25-9 in the third quarter when qb Ben Fiscus tossed a 14-yard td pass to Mike Deitrick to make it 25-15 … Fiscus capped an 80-yard drive at 12:43 of 4^th with 1 yd td run (25-22) … Mark Nicholas caught 13 yard td pass from Fiscus with 5:26 left for 29-25 lead. Kutztown Alex Tonnies 3 yard td pass from Alec Werner on 4^th down – with 24-seconds left gave KU 32-29 lead… Fiscus 37-yards to Nicholas, 13 yards to Mancini set up 45-yard field goal attempt with 8 seconds left… Kick was blocked – recovered by Mike Deitrick with 1 second left … Phil Esposito hits 42-yard field goal on last play to tie at 32-32… Kutztown scores in OT on Reed 11-yard pass from Werner, but PAT failed … Fiscus scores on a 10-yard run and Esposito PAT gives clarion 39-38 win… Total offense – Clarion 413, KU 370 – Fiscus 19 of 28 passing for 292 yards, 3 td's… 67 rushing yards, 2 td's … Kutztown's Alex Werner hit 40 of 57 passes for 394 yards and 4 td's … Alex Tonnies school record 17 catches, 123 yards, 1 td. … Kutztown won 25-6 in 2009 … KU led 7-0 at halftime on a Dontay Wilson 14 yard run … KU kicker Matt Dineen booted a 21-yard field goal at 4:04of the third to make it 10-0… Clarion tight end Matt foradora caught an 8-yard td pass from Tyler Huether at 2:06 of the third – but a blocked PAT return for KU made it 12-6 Bears …. KU added two field goals and a td run in the fourth to put the game away … Huether completed 27 of 47 passes for 242 yards and 1 td & Jacques Robinson caught 10 passes for 84 yards … Wilson rushed for 90 yards and 1 td and QB Shane Martin rushed for 1 td and passed for 140 yards for KU … Clarion won 26-20 in 2008 –  … Down 20-0 at halftime, qb Gino Rometo scored on a 1 yard run with 8:19 left in the third .. Eddie Emmanuel scored on runs of 4 and 15-yards in the third quarter, and then Rometo scored the game-winner with 4:14 left on a 1-yard run. The winning drive went 93 yards in 13 plays .. The game was not decided until the final seconds… the Clarion "D" made a goal line stand to win the game … Kutztown had first and goal at the Clarion 1 but failed to score… LB Joe Fox made the sack of Kutztown qb Shane Martin at the 2 to preserve the win … Rometo completed 13 of 21 for 121 yards … Emmanuel rushed 25 times for 113 yadrs and 2 td's … KU's Dontay Wilson rushed for 104 yards and 1 td …  KU won the 2007 meeting 35-13, but the game was pretty evenly played ... Clarion led 316-306 in total offense, but several key mistakes proved costly... KU opened the scoring on a Tom Cressman 23-yard interception return for a td in the first... Clarion qb Tyler Huether hit Herb Carraway on a 65-yard td to tie the game 7-7 ... Two missed first half field goals proved costly - and KU took the lead for good on an 18-yard td pass from Kyle Spotts ... A Clarion fumble deep in its ow territory in the second helped set up a KU td that put the Bears up 21-7 in the second... Clarion kicked a field goal before halftime to make it 21-10... Another third quarter field goal made it 21-13 in the third, but spotts hit Will brown for a 32-yard td that broke the game open... Spotts passed for 209 yards and 4 td's, 2 to Elfren Quiles ... Clarion's Eddie Emmanuel rushed for 107 yards, while Huether passes for 197 and 1 td... In 2006 where KU defeated Clarion 27-10, Clarion outgained Kutztown 324 - 323 ... Clarion had 186 rushing and 138 passing - Kutztown 96 rushing, 227 passing ... Clarion took a 10-6 lead in the second quarter when qb Mark Rupert hit Dane Williams on a 25-yard td pass ... Late in the half Clarion had a 3-yard punt giving Kutztown field position at the Clarion 44, which turned into 2-yard td run by Maurice Adams with 26-seconds left before half ... Adams came out and returned the second half kickoff 85 yards for a td that proved to put the game out of reach... Emmanuel had 88 rushing yards & Odom caught 6 passes for 71 yards ... Adams rushed for 68 and 1 score, while Elfren Quiles caught 7 passes for 120 yards and 1 score... In Clarion's 4 overtime win in 2005 (29-23), Eagle qb Brandon Dando scored the game-winner on a 3-yard run in the 4^th OT, then the defense held… Clarion outgained Kutztown 385-188 yards… Dando completed 15 of 28 passes for 143 yards, plus ran for 2 td's… Tyrone Buckner gained 106 rushing yards on 39 attempts … Kutztown QB Spotts completed 21 of 41 passes for 152 yards and 1 td … Maurice Adams gained 62 yards on 19 carries… In 2004's 25-14 loss at Kutztown, Clarion made three turnovers that led directly to 21 second half Kutztown points ... Marcus Lowe rushed for 86 yards and 2 td's on 20 carries. Brandon Dando completed 11 of 22 passes for 141 yards and Joe Farkas caught 3 passes for 72 yards. Bo Busch led the "D" with 10 tackles, Tim Connelly had 8 stops and 4 tfl's... Kutztown's Bria had 118 yards and 1 td rushing ... Kutztown outgained Clarion 292-251 in total yardage... In 2003's 20-19 loss to Kutztown the Golden Eagles outgained Kutztown 449-216 and outrushed the Bears 317 - 22... Clarion fumbled 8 times and lost 6, plus missed the game tying PAT, which were the keys to the game ... Felton Woulard completed 7 of 16 passes for 132 yards and Ron Rivage caught 4 passes for 102 yards... Brandon Sweeney led the team with 96 rushing yards and 2 td's, with Woulard getting 89  and Glenn Lovelace 12 carries for 82 yards... Kutztown qb Jeremy Copleand completed 10 of 26 passes for 194 yards and 2 td's... Bria gained 61 yards on 27 carries... Trevor Smith caught 7 passes for 174 yards and 2 td's, including a 77-yarder... In Clarion's 31-7 win in 2002 the Eagles rushed for 306 yards on 62 carries ... Adam Almashy rushed for 40 yards and 2 td's, plus threw for another to lead the way ... Robert Walker gained 86 on 20 carries, while Brandon Sweeney had 66 on 12 tries and Frantz Charles added 40 on 6 carries ... Clarion senior offensive tackle Reggie Wells headed the offensive line that day ... Wells has retired from the NFL this season after 10 seasons … He played in 119 career games while starting 93 … He played mostly for the Arizona Cardinals as a starting left guard (2002-2009) – helping them to an NFC Title on Jan. 18, 2009 with a 32-25 win over the Philadelphia Eagles … AZ lost in the Super Bowl to the Pgh Steelers 27-23 on Feb. 1, 2009…. Wells was the Captain of the Offense in the Super Bowl. He played in Philadelphia in 2010, Carolina in 2011 and finished with San Diego in 2012… In Clarion's 1980 PSAC title game win over Kutztown 15-14, the Golden Eagles dominated the statistics of that game outgaining KU 373-114 and outrushing KU  256-31, but won the game in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard Bill May field goal with 12:55 remaining… the defense made the points stand up not letting KU past its own 40 yard line in its final possessions… Jay Kumar led Clarion with 130 rushing yards and John McCullough had 124 … QB Bob Beatty hit on 10 of 22 passes for 117 yards and 1 td … a 7-yard td pass to Kumar in the third quarter.