Game 3 // Clarion Golden Eagles (0-3, 0-0 PSAC West) vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (1-2, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, Sept. 23 // 1 p.m. // Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium (5,000)

Radio: WKQW 96.3 FM // WCCR-FM 92.7 FM
TV: PA SportsFever (check local listings)
Video: ESPN3 / WatchESPN
 


Live Stats // Live Video // Live Audio
 
Clarion Game Notes
 

• The Clarion Golden Eagles will kick off PSAC West division play when they host the Mercyhurst Lakers at Memorial Stadium
• This game closes out a three-game homestand for the Golden Eagles
• Saturday's game will be carried on PA SportsFever and will be available for stream on ESPN3
• This will be the 10th meeting between the two teams, with Mercyhurst leading the all-time series 5-4
• Clarion has won each of the last two meetings between the teams, including a 35-34 road win last year
• Receiver Greg Leonard shattered his previous career-highs in catches and receiving yards against Shippensburg, finishing with seven grabs for 157 yards
• Linebacker Layne Skundrich recorded his third straight double-digit tackle game, notching 13 stops against Shippensburg
• Running back Kyle Evans ranks 10th in the PSAC in all-purpose yardage with an average of 142.7 yards per game
• Freshman tight end Jimmy Murphy made an impression on Saturday against the Raiders, recording three catches for 47 yards, including a 31-yard catch and run
• Linebacker Samuel Payne returned to the lineup against the Raiders and finished with nine tackles in his first game action of the year.
• Last week's game was the first of the year in which the Golden Eagles did not force a turnover
• Junior offensive lineman Zack Morris was a Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 selection in 2016, and was one of only two Clarion offensive linemen to start every game last year
• An extremely young team in 2017, the Golden Eagles have 31 players with either freshman or sophomore eligibility on their offensive and defensive two-deep
• Clarion has once again renewed its fruitful partnership with Sports Fever and will have two games televised locally and streamed nationally on ESPN3 - 9/23 vs. Mercyhurst and 9/30 at Edinboro
• Starting in 2017, all five Golden Eagle home contests will be available as free web streams via ClarionGoldenEagles.com

 
The Lead
The Clarion Golden Eagles close out a three-game homestand with their first divisional game of the season when they host Mercyhurst at Memorial Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
 
This week's game will be televised by SportsFever and available as a live video stream via the Watch ESPN app.  A list of channels across the state that are airing the game will be made available later this week.
 
Mike Kalinowski and Joe Lodanosky will have the radio call for the game on 92.9 WCCR-FM and  96.3 WKQW-FM an hour before kickoff.  Live audio streaming will be available via the C93 website and linked on the schedule at ClarionGoldenEagles.com.
 
Scouting the Lakers
Mercyhurst was predicted to finish eighth in the PSAC West division in 2017, one year after finishing 3-8 overall and 1-6 in the division.  They opened the season with back-to-back losses to Hillsdale and Kutztown, though neither loss was by more than one score.  They earned their first win of the year last week with a 25-20 victory on the road at East Stroudsburg.
 
E'Andre Smith is averaging a healthy 82.5 yards per game on the ground, including a 4.9 yards per carry average, though he is yet to reach the endzone.  Quarterback Doug Altavilla has thrown for 455 yards and two touchdowns in three games and has run for another, and has only thrown one interception.
 
Series History
This will be just the 10th meeting between Clarion and Mercyhurst, with the Lakers holding a slim 5-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles.  The Golden Eagles have won each of the last two meetings, a 41-27 home win in 2015 and a 35-34 come-from-behind victory on the road last year.
 
Clarion trailed Mercyhurst 28-7 at one point in the second half of last year's game, before ripping off 28 unanswered points to take a 35-28 lead with 6:08 left in regulation.  Quinlin Lambert contributed to the win with an interception late in the second half to halt a Laker drive, and also blocked a punt in the first half.  Layne Skundrich added 10 tackles.
 
About the Coach
Chris Weibel enters his third season as the program's head coach after spending many of the previous years as an assistant.  Weibel has an overall record of 11-14 at Clarion, including a 7-7 record in PSAC West play.  A 2010 inductee into the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame, Weibel graduated with every major Clarion passing record to his credit.
 
Last Week
The visiting Shippensburg University Red Raiders used a big second half effort en route to a 31-0 victory over the Clarion Golden Eagles Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
The game started as a defensive battle, with each team trading a pair of punts over the first four drives of the game.  Shippensburg broke through for the first score of the game and kept the pressure on en route to the win.
 
One bright spot for Clarion on Saturday was the play of wide receiver Greg Leonard who finished the day with 7 catches and a game high 157 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Layne Skundrich led the Golden Eagles with 13 total tackles.
 
Weibel Names Captains
Head coach Chris Weibel named his two offensive and two defensive captains for the 2017 on Saturday, Aug. 26.  Quarterback Asiantii Woulard and offensive lineman Zack Morris will represent the offense, while defensive back Colton McKay and linebacker Avery Howsare represent the defense.
 
Big Play Greg
Sophomore receiver Greg Leonard shattered his previous career-highs in catches and receiving yards against Shippensburg, finishing with seven grabs for 157 yards against the Red Raiders on Saturday.
 
Leonard has 10 catches for 218 yards and a touchdown so far this year, and leads the team with an average of 21.8 yards per reception.  That average ranks fourth in the PSAC, and second-best among players with 10 or more catches this year.
 
Clarion Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll
In a coaches' poll before the start of the year, Clarion was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2017. 
 
PSAC West (# of 1st place votes)
1) IUP (6)
2) California (2)
3) Slippery Rock
4) Edinboro
5) Gannon
6) Seton Hill
7) Clarion
8) Mercyhurst
 
Where He Left Off
Junior linebacker Layne Skundrich picked up the 2017 season right where he left off from a season ago, recording the game-high in tackles in each of the first three games of the year.  Skundrich finished with a career-high 14 tackles against Bloomsburg.
 
With 13 stops against Shippensburg last week, Skundrich has 37 total tackles and a 12.3 tackles per game average.  That ranks second in the PSAC through three games.
 
Jack of All Trades
Running back Kyle Evans once again showed his ability to contribute in multiple facets of the game, racking up 245 all-purpose yards against Bloomsburg on Sept. 9.  Evans posted 161 combined kick and punt return yards, including the fourth-highest kick return total (146) in the PSAC to date.
 
Field Flipper
New kicker/punter James Metzgar has acquitted himself quite well in his new roles this year, proving dependable both in putting the ball through the upright as well as pinning the opponent deep.  Metzgar leads the PSAC with 10 punts downed inside opposing 20-yard-lines while kicking just two touchbacks in a leage-high 26 attempts.  He has three punts of 50+ yards, including the longest in the PSAC to date with a 63-yard bomb against Shippensburg.
 
As far as kicking is concerned, he is 2-for-2 this year with a long boot of 33 yards against Bloomsburg.
 
Immediate Impact
Transfer defensive lineman Alec Heldreth has already made an impact on the Golden Eagle defense, providing another talented defender to what was already a strong group.  Through three games Heldreth has 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
 
Home Cookin'
For the second straight year, the Golden Eagles will enjoy a three-week stretch of home games, starting two weeks ago against Bloomsburg.  Last year Clarion went 2-1 during their three-game homestand, including wins over Slippery Rock and Gannon.
 
But Now the Inverse...
Clarion will play three straight games away from home to end the season, starting with an Oct. 28 showdown at Slippery Rock.  They then travel to take on Gannon and West Chester, respectively, to close out the slate.
 
Lights, Camera, Action!
Clarion University will continue its fruitful partnership with the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Television Network in 2017, with two contests – 9/9 vs. Bloomsburg and 9/30 at Edinboro – airing live on affiliates across the state of Pennsylvania and made available to millions in the Keystone State.  The selected games will also be streamed on ESPN3 via the Watch ESPN app.
 
Eagle Media to Stream Clarion Home Games
In a joint venture between Eagle Media Productions and the athletic department, all Clarion home football games in 2017 will be available via free video streaming.  Viewers will be able to access the video streams via the schedule page on ClarionGoldenEagles.com.
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles go on the road to face Edinboro for their first away game in more than a month.  Kickoff time is set for 4 p.m.