CLARION, Pa. – A strong first quarter by the Golden Eagle football team gave way to a challenging California (PA) team in the final three frames, as Clarion fell by a final score of 59-14 to the Vulcans at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Playing without a couple of key players due to injury, Clarion showed dogged determination in trying to hang with what was predicted to be one of the PSAC West's elite teams. The Golden Eagles looked warm to the task on their first defensive series, giving up a first down to running back Eric McKan III but then stopping the Vulcans at their own 29-yard line. A shanked punt by
Clayton Rosensteel rolled out of bounds at the 32-yard line, giving Clarion a short field.
The Golden Eagles were able to take advantage of the miscue, marching down the field in four plays to take the lead. Quarterback
Will Alexander rushed for nine yards on first down, and
Zack Kindel converted the first down on the next play. Two plays later, Alexander connected with
Regan Schleicher on a post pass from 22 yards out, fitting the ball into a tight window for his first career touchdown pass.
The game was still tied after the end of the first quarter, with Noah Mitchell tossing a three-yard touchdown to JaQuae Jackson with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter to make it 7-7. A combination of Clarion miscues and California big plays turned that into a 35-7 advantage at the halftime break, including two more scores by Jackson and a pick-six by linebacker Matt Tobey.
Clarion's only other score in the game came as the result of a big defensive play near the end of the third quarter. After a good punt by
Jarrett Esposito pinned the Vulcans down inside their own 10-yard line,
Drew Blon dropped running back
Mylique McGriff for a five-yard loss on first down. On 2
nd-and-15 Wyatt Hirt threw to the right sideline but
Connor Lyczek jumped the route, sprinting to the end zone for a pick-six. It was Clarion's first interception returned for a touchdown since Trent Rogers did it against Shippensburg in 2019.
Receiver
Andy Martin finished with three catches for 70 yards to lead the Golden Eagles in receptions and yards. Defensively,
Kareem Hamdan finished with a team-high 10 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss.
