ERIE, Pa. – The Clarion defense limited their opponent to 242 yards and 14 points, including a paltry 56 passing yards, but the Golden Eagles were unable to come away with a road win in falling 14-7 at Mercyhurst.  Clarion (4-6, 2-5 PSAC West) will conclude the 2018 season next Saturday when they host East Stroudsburg.
 
The Golden Eagle defense limited the Lakers' ability to punch the ball into the end zone, shutting them out in the second half and holding them to three second-half drives of five plays or fewer.  The Lakers were held to just one drive of 50 or more yards total in the game.  Unfortunately, Clarion was also unable to light the scoreboard in the second half, with Mercyhurst controlling the clock and hanging on for the win.
 
Freshman quarterback Tanner Jones made his first career start and did not take long to make an impact, scoring his first career touchdown on the Golden Eagles' first drive of the game.  He marched the team 75 yards down the field in eight plays before finally taking it into the end zone himself, rushing for a three-yard score that put Clarion ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter.
 
That would be the last time Clarion scored, however, as the next offensive possession featured a missed field goal despite a promising series of rushes from Mylique McGriff that got the Golden Eagles to the red zone.  The Lakers tied the score at 7-7 on a touchdown pass from Doug Altavilla before the end of the first quarter, and they added what eventually became the winning tally on a Garrett Owens rush in the second quarter.
 
Sam Fareri had a game-high 10 tackles, while linebacker Trent Rogers had eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.  Dorian Johnson tied Fareri for the team lead in interceptions with his fourth of the season, picking Altavilla off in the end zone to halt a potential Mercyhurst scoring drive.   Two big special teams plays nearly turned the tide for the Golden Eagles as well, with Chris Gildea recovering a fumble on the Lakers' first kick return of the game, and Luis Alfonso blocked a first half punt that set the Golden Eagles up in Laker territory.