CLARION, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles football team lost a high-scoring shootout with Gannon on Saturday afternoon, falling 34-28 to the Golden Knights at Memorial Stadium. Clarion held the ball with just over two minutes to play and had a chance to go ahead but could not finish off the comeback.
 
The teams combined for five touchdowns in the second half, with Gannon going ahead 34-21 late in the fourth quarter to establish what was the only two-score lead of the day for either side. Jay'Den Birch capped a 17-play, 93-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard plunge, giving the Golden Knights a 13-point lead with 2:42 to go.
 
The Golden Eagles needed two quick scores to come back, and they got the first of those two in short order. Logan Kent took the ensuing kickoff 83 yards down to the Gannon seven-yard line, and quarterback Anthony Guercio quickly capitalized by throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Ray Jackson in the back of the end zone. Hunter Robertson's extra point made it 34-28, with just 19 seconds expired on the clock.
 
The next play was a work of art for the Golden Eagles special teams unit. Robertson executed a perfect onside kick, with Jackson falling on the ball at the Gannon 47-yard line. The Golden Knight defense stood tall, though, forcing a turnover on downs on 4^th-and-5 with 1:10 remaining. Gannon kneeled out the clock for the win.
 
It was an offensive showcase between the two teams, with both sides showing the ability to punch the ball into the endzone. Guercio finished the day with four total touchdowns, completing 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 186 yards and three scores, and also rushing 12 times for 37 yards and a touchdown.
 
Early on the Golden Knights showed no lack of ability to move the ball, scoring a touchdown on their opening possession when Jayden Whitaker connected with Donell Mason on a deep ball down the seam to make it 7-0. It stayed a one-score game for the remainder of the quarter after the Golden Eagles forced a turnover on downs, stopping the Golden Knights short on a fake field goal, but Gannon stretched the lead to 14-0 with a touchdown drive midway through the second quarter.
 
It was at that point the Golden Eagles finally struck back, orchestrating a 75-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit in half. A key pass interference call on third down extended the drive and three plays later Guercio found Trevon Tate deep downfield, lobbing a perfect pass for a 41-yard touchdown. Clarion evened up the score on their next offensive drive, with Guercio firing a pass to Davon Jones at the front of the end zone from 17 yards out to make it 14-14.
 
Both sides traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with Whitaker finding Amani Bailey for a six-yard score midway through the period and Guercio rushing in for a score literally at the last second. After a 29-yard scramble by the quarterback put Clarion on the Gannon six-yard line, Logan Kent gained five yards on the first carry of the series, setting up a 2^nd-and-1 near the goal line. Guercio punched it in for his 11^th score of the year, evening the game at 21 before the fourth quarter.
 
Tate finished just five yards shy of his eighth 100-yard game of the season, catching five passes for 95 yards. Griffin Buzzell stacked up 15 tackles and half a sack, while Mathew McGregor had 1.5 sacks on the day.
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