GREENSBURG, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles football team led at halftime and did an effective job limiting the Seton Hill offense for three quarters, but the Griffins chipped away and eventually broke through in the fourth quarter as Clarion fell 31-16 at Offutt Stadium on Saturday.
 
Clarion's offense moved the ball for much of the game, gaining yards in big chunks through the air and on the ground. The Golden Eagles rushed for 200 yards as a team, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and quarterback Ty Hurst threw for 244 yards and a touchdown. One of those big plays was the Golden Eagles' lone touchdown of the day, a 39-yard strike from Hurst to Trevon Tate down the left sideline to even the score at 7-7.
 
The touchdown drive came after a rollercoaster of action. Ky'Ron Craggette scored his first touchdown of the game with 8:00 left to go in the first quarter, rushing in from two yards out to cap an 80-yard scoring drive. Things went from bad to worse for the Golden Eagles on the ensuing kickoff when Richard Johnson knocked the ball loose from returner Legend Davis's hands, giving the Griffins possession deep in Clarion territory.
 
Shane Kemper seized the momentum back with an outstanding defensive play, setting up Clarion's first score of the afternoon. The Griffins successfully converted a throwback, with Jake Cruz pitching to Cody Rubrecht and the latter throwing a bullet downfield to Ethan Fame for a 23-yard gain. Kemper made the tackle inside the 20-yard line and managed to wrest the ball out of Fame's hands and into his own, returning the lost fumble back to midfield. Logan Kent converted a third down on the next drive, gaining four yards on a 3^rd-and-3 to put his team on the Seton Hill 39-yard line, and on the next play Hurst lofted a beautiful downfield shot to Tate to make it 7-7.
 
Kent had perhaps his best day in a Golden Eagle uniform, rushing 14 times for 98 yards and catching four passes for 36 yards. Trevon Tate went over the 100-yard mark for the sixth time this year, hauling in five passes for 101 yards and the score. Ray Jackson caught five passes for 76 yards, including a handful of key completions along the sidelines.
 
Tate's score proved to be the last time the Golden Eagles reached the end zone, though the defense did an admirable job of keeping the Griffins away from the goal line for a length of time. Adrian Torres derailed a Griffin drive in the second quarter when he jumped in front of a deep pass in Clarion territory, setting up a field goal drive. Hurst connected with Nick Maher for a 28-yard gain and Jackson for a 22-yarder to keep the drive moving, and Hunter Robertson kicked one through from 26 yards out to put Clarion ahead 10-7.
 
The Golden Eagles locked down in their own end near the end of the half, with Seton Hill missing a 38-yard field goal attempt with just over a minute to go. Chunk plays by Kent and Jackson, as well as a 22-yard run by Michael Akinleye, put the Golden Eagles at the 26-yard line with four seconds remaining, and Robertson kicked a 43-yarder before halftime to make it 13-7.
 
Cruz put his team ahead on the first drive of the third quarter, connecting with Todd Phillips for an 80-yard touchdown pass that made it 14-13, but Robertson capped a 12-play, 74-yard drive with a 31-yard field goal to put the Golden Eagles back on top by two points. Neither team scored again until the 8:05 mark of the third quarter, when Craggette punctuated a 57-yard scoring drive with a four-yard rushing score to make it 21-16. Ben Zavatchan added a field goal on the next drive to make it an eight-point game, and Craggette made Clarion pay for an ineffective subsequent drive with a touchdown run with under two minutes.
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