MILLERSVILLE, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles football survived a low-scoring first half to put up 29 unanswered points in the second, shutting out Millersville in the second half en route to a 36-7 win in the 2024 season opener. Clarion held the Marauders to just 120 yards of offense and five first downs over the final 30 minutes of play, stifling the home team defensively while also piling on the points.
Both offenses started the game in a fairly sluggish manner, with the Golden Eagles and the Marauders combining for just 13 first downs in the first half and under 200 yards of offense apiece. Things started to go the Golden Eagles' way in the third quarter, with Clarion posting 145 yards of total offense in that frame; by comparison, they had just 136 total yards of offense in the first half. Clarion finished with better than 400 yards of total offense while limiting Millersville to just 262 yards, creating a margin of 6.4 yards per play compared to just 3.7 for the Marauders.
The sequence that helped break the game open for the Golden Eagles came in the early moments of the third quarter. Facing a 3
rd-and-6 on their first drive of the half, Clarion converted when
Anthony Guercio lofted a ball down the left sideline to
Trevon Tate. Tate adjusted to the pass at his back shoulder for a 26-yard gain, pulling in the pass while falling to the ground at the 50-yard line. Two plays later Guercio hit a wide-open
Ray Jackson for a score, putting the Golden Eagles ahead 13-7.
On the ensuing extra point attempt,
Andrew Kurtas' kick was blocked at the line, but
Mathew McGregor recovered the loose ball and pushed his way into the end zone for two points and an eight-point lead. Clarion kept up the momentum by forcing a three-and-out once the Marauders got the ball back, and the offense made sure that stand counted with a quick scoring strike. Guercio lofted a deep ball to Tate for a 43-yard gain on the first play of the drive, putting the Golden Eagles on the Millersville 2, and the quarterback punched it in on the next play for a score.
Guercio finished the game 9-of-23 passing for 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but he supplemented his work in the passing game with a game-high 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Tate was his most productive target, pulling in five receptions for 118 yards and a score.
Tate's touchdown came early in the fourth quarter after a key defensive sequence. Early in the drive Marauders quarterback Rob Footman Jr. escaped pressure and hit Nakhi Bullock for a 35-yard gain that put Millersville in a first-and-goal situation. The Golden Eagles defense stood tall, halting the Marauders' offensive Footman missed Titus Kruah in the back corner of the end zone. Clarion took over on their own 20-yard line and proceeded to bludgeon the Marauders' defensive front, with
Logan Kent ripping off consecutive runs of 23 and 14 yards to enter Millersville territory. With a 3
rd-and-12 at the 43-yard line, Guercio uncorked a rainbow to Tate for the touchdown to make it 29-7.
The quarterback added one more scoring run late in the game, icing the proceedings with a 34-yard touchdown scamper with 2:17 left to go. Kent, meanwhile, scored his first career touchdown in the Blue & Gold in the first quarter, opening Clarion's scoring with a two-yard touchdown run on fourth down to give his team a 7-0 lead.
Clarion's winning effort was buoyed by the defense, with the Golden Eagles imposing their will on the Marauders. They held Millersville to just 109 rushing yards and 262 total yards of offense, forcing a pair of fumbles and picking off a pair of passes. Both interceptions were courtesy of
Deshaun Blackwell, with the first defusing a Marauders drive that broached Golden Eagles territory in the first quarter. On 3
rd-and-6 from the Clarion 49, McGregor flushed Footman from the pocket and forced an errant throw, with Blackwell winning a jump ball at the 13-yard line for the pick. Blackwell's second interception came late in the fourth quarter, setting up Guercio's final touchdown run.
The Golden Eagle front was able to work their way in the Millersville backfield a number of times, recording five tackles for loss and three total sacks.
Griffin Buzzell led the way with eight tackles, a sack and a TFL, while
Jake Tarburton notched five stops and 1.5 sacks. Millersville's lone score came at the end of the second quarter, when Footman capped a six-play, 80-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Sines.
