CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion football team fought through a lengthy lightning delay as well as a tough opponent, falling 41-27 to California (Pa.) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  The Golden Eagles (4-2, 2-1 PSAC) will go on the road to face IUP next week in a noon kickoff.
 
The high-powered Vulcan offense proved a difficult test, scoring 41 points in part because of 128 rushing yards as well as a 10-of-15 day converting third downs.  The Golden Eagles had one of their better offensive outputs themselves, scoring 27 points and recording 418 total offensive yards.  However, turnovers played a key role in the final outcome, with Clarion committing three and California none.
 
Mylique McGriff returned after missing all of the previous two games to injury, going off for a game-high 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.  The sophomore running back ripped off a 55-yard run in the third quarter to set himself up for one of his two scores, representing the longest rush of the season for the Golden Eagles. 
 
Dana Jackson had his first career 100-yard receiving game, pulling in four passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.  The score came on a 68-yard reception in the fourth quarter, Clarion's longest play from scrimmage this season.  Jeff Clemens started at quarterback, finishing 13-of-25 with two touchdowns and two interceptions.    
 
Defensively, Layne Skundrich swarmed the ball on every defensive snap, finishing with a career-high 17 stops as well as a tackle for loss.  Alec Heldreth finished with six tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.  The Golden Eagles were held without an interception on defense for the first time since the season opener against Shippensburg.
 
The Vulcans struck first, scoring on their first drive of the game after Nelson Brown broke through on an eight-yard run.  Clarion countered with a methodical drive of their own, traversing 75 yards on eight plays.  Clemens hit Marcus McCoy for a 53-yard reception on 3^rd-and-11 from his own 24-yard line, flipping the field and putting the Golden Eagles in position to score.  Devin Clark got his team inside the 10 with a bruising run to the right side, and McGriff punched it in two plays later.  California got its hands on the ensuing point-after try to keep the 7-6 lead. 
 
The Vulcans scored once again in the first quarter, an 11-yard pass from Noah Mitchell to Craig Thompson with 21 seconds remaining in the period.  Little did the teams know that lightning would soon blow towards the stadium, causing close to a two-hour delay in the game.  After play resumed the Vulcans scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, taking a 28-6 lead at the break.
 
Clarion started the second half on the right foot, receiving the ball and promptly putting together a scoring drive.  McGriff broke off a 55-yard run on 3^rd-and-4 from his own 40-yard line, getting tackled by Lamont McPhatter just five yards from the goal line.  He converted another third down a few plays later, getting through the line for his second score of the game. 
 
California added two field goals to extend their lead before scoring the backbreaker in the fourth quarter, a one-yard rushing touchdown by Nick Grissom that made it 41-13.  Clemens put Clarion back in the scorebook four plays later when he found Jackson for a 68-yard touchdown pass, and later connected with Khalil Webster in the back of the end zone to set the final deficit at 41-27.