CLARION, Pa. – Connor Simmons broke the program record for career touchdown passes with a 12-yard strike in the fourth quarter, and the Golden Eagles held on for a wild 41-35 win over the Gannon Golden Knights at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Clarion (4-6, 3-4 PSAC West) will close out their season next week when they host West Chester on Senior Day.
 
Simmons went 25-of-34 for 313 yards and five touchdown passes, with the final one serving the dual purpose of giving the Golden Eagles a two-score advantage and breaking Chris Weibel's 18-year-old record.  The 66th touchdown pass of his career, Simmons surpassed his head coach and put Clarion ahead 41-28 with just 2:23 remaining in regulation.
 
The receiver on the play made his own slice of Clarion history as well.  Matt Lehman hauled in the pass and dragged a tackler into the endzone for the 25th receiving touchdown of his career, tying Terry McFetridge for the record at Clarion.  The senior finished with six catches for 99 yards and a score.
 
Clarion and Gannon recorded only 367 and 369 yards of total offense, respectively, but miscues on both sides enabled the two teams to light up the scoreboard.  The Golden Eagles were the beneficiary of 17 points off turnovers while the Golden Knights added 14 of their own.
 
In fact, Clarion's winning score coming as the result of Tyrone Cromwell's third interception of the year.  Cromwell leapt in the air and picked off Tyler Palka at the Gannon 45 to set things in motion.  A key moment came when Delrece Williams bullied his way for three yards on a 3rd-and-2 from the Gannon 30 to get a fresh set of downs, and Seneca Williams pulled a similar feat when he held onto the ball despite a vicious hit to convert a 3rd-and-5 in the red zone. 
 
Two plays later, Simmons hit Lehman for the score, and the Golden Eagles took a 41-28 lead.  Gannon scored quickly to cut it to 41-35 and attempted an onside kick, but they were unable to recover it as the Golden Eagles ran out the clock for the win.
 
The Golden Knights led by a 21-17 score entering the halftime break, but a pair of touchdown passes to Kevin Genevro gave the Golden Eagles a 10-point advantage at the end of the third quarter – and again, turnovers were a factor.  Gannon fumbled on their first drive of the second half as quarterback Zach Phillips and running back Isaiah Young botched a handoff, with Adam Lynch diving on the loose ball at the Gannon 23.  Simmons threw a perfect strike to Genevro on the next play to give Clarion a 24-21 advantage. 
 
The second score was slightly more unlikely, as a perfect Jarod Morrison punt put Clarion on their own 1-yard-line to start.  Simmons came out firing from the start, lobbing a deep ball to Lehman that was caught at the Clarion 38 to open things up.  A roughing the passer penalty tacked on 15 more yards as Clarion entered Gannon territory in one play.  The Golden Eagles drove to the goal line and Genevro scored his second on the day, diving for a toss in the back of the endzone to make it 31-21.
 
Gannon scored their first touchdown of the game thanks to a Clarion miscue, intercepting Simmons and scoring on a two-yard fun by Tyler Johnson.  The Golden Knights led 14-3 at one point before Clarion responded to make it 17-14, with Genevro and tight end Gage Clark each hauling in a touchdown pass.