SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – The Golden Eagle football team concluded their 2021 season on Saturday afternoon, falling by a 55-0 score to eighth-ranked Shepherd at Ram Stadium. Taking on one of the top teams in the nation, Clarion (0-10) was unable to contain the high-powered Ram offense.
Kareem Hamdan had a record-breaking day at the linebacker position, recording 19 total tackles – 17 solo - against the Rams. It marked the best single-game tackles total for a Clarion player in a record search dating back to 1999, the furthest year where the number is recorded. The previously single-game record was 18 tackles by Scott McGrady, who made 18 stops against West Chester in 2002. That put Hamdan at exactly 100 total tackles on the season, making him the first Golden Eagle to hit triple-digits in tackles since Layne Skundrich posted 106 tackles in 2017.
Another area where the Golden Eagle defense excelled on Saturday was in forcing turnovers. They picked off quarterback Tyson Bagent once and also forced a pair of fumbles, recovering one. Hamdan and
Amari Johnson both popped the ball out in this one, with Hamdan giving Clarion possession on a force in the second quarter. He knocked the ball loose from Ty Hebron after a six-yard gain, with
Drew Blon swooping in from the safety position to scoop up the loose ball. Blon also recorded an interception on the very first offensive drive for Shepherd, snagging a pass in the red zone and returning it to the 13-yard line. It was Blon's third interception of the season, and the third in as many weeks.
Elsewhere on the defense,
Jake Tarburton finished with four tackles, including two sacks. Blon also broke up a pair of passes.
On the offensive side of things,
Khalil Owens finished with 40 rushing yards on 18 attempts, including a long run of 17.
Zechariah Sanderson completed eight of 16 passes for 53 yards and an interception, the only turnover of the day for Clarion.
The Golden Eagles held the high-powered Ram offense to just seven points in the first quarter, a 15-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown. The Rams tacked on 17 points in the second quarter to take a 24-0 lead into the break, and then outscored Clarion 31-0 in the second half. Included in that total were two safeties and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.
