CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle football team went punch for punch with IUP for most of the afternoon, but the Crimson Hawks ultimately pulled away in taking a 39-27 decision at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
 
Clarion honored their seniors in a pregame ceremony and the upperclassmen delivered, led by a standout offensive effort by Corahn Alleyne. Alleyne pulled in just four passes but turned them into huge gains, finishing with 133 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Those touchdowns came from distance as Alleyne racked up 53 yards after catch.
 
The Golden Eagles jumped all on the Crimson Hawks with two touchdowns in the first 5:12 of regulation, but after that point IUP rallied and eventually wore down the Clarion advantage. They outscored Clarion 19-0 in the second and third quarters, though the Golden Eagles matched their 13 fourth quarter points with a baker's dozen of their own.
 
Clarion opened the game by receiving the opening kickoff and promptly pushed the ball down the field for the first score of the game. Quarterback Anthony Guercio made the play of the drive with a 41-yard rush on 3^rd-and-2, getting the ball deep into IUP territory. He then completed a 20-yard pass to Zack Kindel to set up first-and-goal, and the quarterback bounced off left tackle two plays later for a touchdown.
 
The second Clarion touchdown resulted from the game's first turnover. Legend Davis jumped in front of a pass from Karst Hunter at his own 45-yard line, and took it back 10 yards into Crimson Hawk territory. It took all of one play for Guercio and Alleyne to make them pay, lofting an arcing ball down the righthand sideline to Alleyne for a 45-yard score to make it 14-0.
 
IUP responded on their subsequent drive with a 26-yard touchdown run by Dayjur Stewart, and Hunter hit Hilton Ridley for the first of two touchdown connections to tie things up. The Crimson Hawks scored again before the end of the half when Hunter hit Ridley again, this time from 22 yards out, to make it 20-14. The Golden Eagles kept it a six-point game before heading into the locker room, though, as Jake Tarburton and Johnny Hutton stacked up Ridley at the goal line as time expired.
 
The lead ballooned to 26-14 by the end of the third quarter but the Golden Eagles cut it to a one-score game early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Will Alexander – playing for an injured Guercio – carried for a one-yard score to make it 26-20, but the Crimson Hawks scored two quick touchdowns to up their lead to 39-20. That led to a third Clarion quarterback – freshman Ty Hurst – making his first career appearance, and making the most of it. Hurst completed a short pass to Alleyne at the IUP 22-yard line and the senior receiver made everyone miss on the way to the end zone, for his second touchdown of the game.
 
Clarion quarterbacks combined to go 13-of-24 for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, though the Crimson Hawks were able to manage six sacks on the afternoon. Guercio was the leading rusher with 44 yards. Griffin Buzzell led Clarion with nine tackles and a forced fumble, while Johnny Hutton picked off a pass.
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