Clarion Golden Eagles (1-1, 0-0 PSAC West) vs. Lock Haven Bald Eagles (1-1, 0-0 PSAC East)
Saturday, September 16 // 1:00 pm
Clarion, Pa. // Memorial Stadium


Quick Notes

• The Golden Eagle football team plays the second of back-to-back games at home on Saturday afternoon, when Clarion welcomes Lock Haven to Memorial Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
• This will be the 69th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bald Eagles, with Clarion owning a dominant 51-16-1 edge in the all-time series, including 11 straight wins going back to the 2007 season.
• Lock Haven is making their first trip to Memorial Stadium since the 2019 season, when the Golden Eagles won a 48-20 decision.
• Clarion played their 2023 home opener last weekend, falling by a 21-7 score to Bloomsburg at Memorial Stadium.
• The Golden Eagles held Bloomsburg to 315 yards of offense, their best defensive total since allowing just 308 yards to Seton HIll last season.
• Running back Khalil Owens notched 188 combined rushing and receiving yards against the Huskies, the second-best total of his career and most since the 2021 season.
• Defensive lineman Alex Huzicka blocked a field goal attempt by Bloomsburg's Brendan McGonigle in the third quarter, extending Clarion's streak of seasons with a blocked kick to five straight years.
• Wide receiver Corahn Alleyne ranks 13th in the nation with an average of 166.0 all-purpose yards per game, and is one of the conference's most dangerous kick and punt returners.
• Clarion is one of the least penalized teams in the PSAC through two weeks, with the offensive line leading the way; the men in the trenches have had just two penalties accepted this year.

Series History

• This will be the 69th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bald Eagles, with Clarion owning a dominant 51-16-1 edge in the all-time series with Lock Haven. The two were former PSAC divisional rivals until 2012, with Lock Haven moving to the East division in the 2013 season.
• The first meeting between the teams came almost a century ago, with Clarion defeating Lock Haven 13-0 in the 1928 season finale. The 1929 Sequelle yearbook lauded Lock Haven as having "played excellent football," but also declared it "a most renowned climax for the football season of the Clarion State Teachers' College"
• Clarion won 16 straight meetings between 1961-78, and are currently enjoying an 11-game win streak that stretches back to the 2007 season. Since 1960, the Golden Eagles are 24-1 in home games against Lock Haven, with the sole loss coming during the 2007 season.
• In the last meeting between the teams, the Golden Eagles delivered head coach Raymond Monica his first victory at Clarion's helm, winning 44-7 at Lock Haven last year. Zach Benedek went 14-of-19 for 228 yards and two touchdown passes and also ran for another, while Khalil Owens and Corahn Alleyne combined for three rushing scores. Clarion rushed for 270 yards and forced two Bald Eagle turnovers.
• The last meeting in Clarion was on Sept. 14, 2019, when the Golden Eagles won their home opener with a 48-20 effort over the Bald Eagles. Quinn Zinobile and Terrell Ford each pulled down two touchdown receptions, and three different Golden Eagle quarterbacks - Michael Proios (3), Jeff Clemens (2) and Tanner Jones (1) - threw for six combined scores.

Scouting the Bald Eagles

• Lock Haven was predicted to finish eighth in the PSAC East division in 2023 after going 1-10 overall and 0-7 in their division during the 2022 season. They return six starters each on offense and defense, and welcome more than 40 new additions to the 2023 roster.
• The Bald Eagles are under the direction of head coach Dan Mulrooney, now in his second year as the program's head coach. Before coming to Lock Haven Mulrooney led a turnaround at Division III Anna Maria College, taking them to a 7-3 record and the program's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2001. 
• The season started with a victory in the home opener as Lock Haven trounced Pace in a 58-7 win at Hubert Jack Stadium. The Bald Eagles scored two defensive touchdowns in the first four minutes and quarterback Danny Sanchez accounted for four total touchdowns - three passing and one rushing.
• The Bald Eagles were on the road last week, falling in a 41-29 shootout at Mercyhurst. Lock Haven trailed 41-17 in the fourth quarter but Sanchezz connected with Chris Collier and T-iar Young on long touchdown passes to cut the deficit to 12 points.

PSAC Announces Preseason Coaches Poll

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced the results of their preseason coaches poll on August 10. The Golden Eagles were predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2023.

2023 PSAC Football West Division Preseason Poll

1. IUP (6)
2. Slippery Rock (2)
3. California
4. Gannon
5. Edinboro
6. Seton Hill
7. Clarion
8. Mercyhurst

2023 PSAC Football East Division Preseason Poll

1. Shepherd (5)
2. Kutztown (2)
3. West Chester (1)
4. East Stroudsburg
5. Millersville
6. Shippensburg
7. Bloomsburg
8. Lock Haven

About the Coach

Raymond Monica, a two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Coach of the Year with more than 30 years of experience at the college level, became the 14th coach in Golden Eagle history on Feb. 17, 2022. He enters his second season at the helm of the program in 2023. 

Last Week

The Golden Eagles moved the ball effectively for much of the afternoon but were unable to take advantage in the red zone, as Clarion dropped a 21-7 decision to Bloomsburg at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. They largely kept the Huskies in check, but a trio of ill-timed big plays allowed Bloomsburg to come away with the road win.

The offensive totals between the two teams were nearly identical. Clarion slightly outgained Bloomsburg 321-315, though that was largely the result of more sustained drives by the Golden Eagles; Clarion rans 14 more plays on offense than the Huskies, and time of possession skewed toward them with a time of 32:52.

The Huskies took an early 7-0 lead on an interception by Tom Goetz that was fumbled into the end zone, with Nate Capers falling on the ball for the score. Clarion erased that deficit later in the first half with a methodical 80-yard scoring drive that included a 29-yard catch-and-run by Khalil Owens that set up a seven-yard rushing score by quarterback Will Alexander. Bloomsburg capitalized on a couple of big plays to build a 21-7 lead, and despite getting deep into Husky territory a number of times in the fourth quarter Clarion could not punch it in again.

Owens finished the game with 188 combined rushing and receiving yards, including 126 yards on the ground. Corahn Alleyne had 49 combined rushing and receiving yards but was deadly in the return game, averaging nearly 30 yards per kick return and 17 yards per punt return. Griffin Buzzell had a team-high nine tackles, including a tackle for loss.

Force on the Ground

The Golden Eagle rushing attack ranked fourth overall in the PSAC and tops in the PSAC West division in 2022, with the team averaging 161.5 yards per game on the ground. Clarion's 4.4 yards per carry average last year ranked second only the Shepherd, and the team's 17 rushing touchdowns ranked fifth overall and third in the West division behind Slippery Rock and California (Pa.).

Clarion is off to a similar start in 2023. They seventh in the PSAC but second in the West division with an average of 139.5 rushing yards per game, with an average of 4.0 yards per carry. Primary ball carrier Khalil Owens is coming off a game where he ran for 126 yards and is averaging 4.7 yards per carry for the season. 

More on Owens' Day vs. Bloomsburg

• Owens ran for 126 yards against Bloomsburg on Sept. 9, marking his fourth game over 100 rushing yards in a Golden Eagle uniform and the first since his 124-yard game against Lock Haven on Sept. 17, 2022.
• The 126 yards gained on the ground are the most for Owens since his went off for 179 yards rushing against Edinboro on Nov. 6, 2021. His 188 combined rushing and receiving yards are also his greatest total since that same day, when he had 194.
• Owens' 126 yards rushing against Bloomsburg is tied for the best single-game total in the PSAC through two weeks. In a strange coincidence, the other player to tie that total is the Huskies' Kaleb Monaco, who did it in the same game.

Alleyne Playing with Purpose

Receiver Corahn Alleyne ranks among the national leaders in all-purpose yardage through two weeks, thanks to his ability to contribute on offense and special teams. Alleyne enters the game against the Bald Eagles with an average of 166.0 all-purpose yards per game and has racked up 1,401 all-purpose yards in just nine games played as a Golden Eagle. 

On special teams, Alleyne has two of the four best single-game punt return totals in the PSAC, with his 51 yards against Bloomsburg last week the second-best mark in the league. He also has the third- and fourth-longest punt returns in the PSAC to date, including a season-long 32-yarder against Lincoln (Pa.) in the opening game. Alleyne has the third-longest kick return in the PSAC to date with a 47-yarder against Bloomsburg.

Not Seeing Yellow

In 2022 Clarion was one of the best teams in the conference at not harrming their own cause with penalties. The Golden Eagles ranked fourth in the conference and second in the PSAC West division in fewest penalties against, committing an average of just 5.1 infractions per game. Consequently, their average of just 45.4 penalty yards lost per game ranked third in the conference and 20th in the nation. 

Through two weeks of the season, Clarion has had just 10 penalties accepted against them for a toal of 86 yards. The former number is the lowest among all PSAC schools that have played two games this season, and the penalty yardage number is third-best behind Shepherd and East Stroudsburg. Conversely, Golden Eagle opponents are averaging nearly that many penalty yards per game when playing Clarion, at 81.5 yards per game. 

Keeping Things On Schedule

Through two weeks, the Golden Eagle big men have done a good job of keeping the offense on schedule and their team ahead of the chains. The Clarion offensive line has had only three penalties against in two games and only two of those were accepted; last week against Bloomsburg, there were no accepted penalties against the Golden Eagles.

Tyler Wilson Named PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week for Sept. 5

Golden Eagle punter Tyler Wilson earned the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week award for Sept. 5 after his performance in the Golden Eagles' win over Lincoln, helping Clarion win the field position game and even directly aiding their second touchdown of the game. Wilson punted six times for a 39.7 yards per kick average, depositing four kicks inside the 20-yard line without a touchback. In the first quarter he launched a 60-yard punt that was downed at the Lincoln one-yard line; on the very next play, Lions quarterback Isaiah Simmons fumbled in his own end zone, with Brady McKee falling on the ball for a Clarion touchdown.

The Defense Tacks On

A key play in the Golden Eagles' win over Lincoln on Aug. 31 was Brady Mckee's fumble recovery for a touchdown, with the linebacker falling on the ball in the end zone to help Clarion to a 14-0 first quarter lead over Lincoln. The Golden Eagles finished with two defensive scores last year, though both were interceptions returned for touchdowns. McKee's fumble recovery for a touchdown was the first for Clarion since Vaughn Wallace returned a fumble 48 yards for a score against Gannon on Sept. 28, 2019, a span of 28 games. 

Next Week

The Golden Eagles open PSAC West play with back-to-back road games, starting with next week's game at Gannon. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Erie.