LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Golden Eagle football team saw 10 players named to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference all-conference teams in 2025, the best total for the team in more than two decades, the conference announced Wednesday. Clarion boasted five First Team All-PSAC West players, the most for the team since 2000.
 
The PSAC West First Team offense featured three Golden Eagles, with quarterback Anthony Guercio (quarterback), Davon Jones (wide receiver) and Andrew Kurtas (kicker) making the cut. The First Team defense featured two selections, with Griffin Buzzell (linebacker) earning his third straight all-conference recognition while Mathew McGregor (defensive line) logged his first.
 
On the PSAC West Second Team, the offense featured with three selections, two on the offensive line. Khalon Simmons (running back) joined Jacob Domer (offensive line) and Josh Steele (offensive line), while Owen Kling (defensive line) and Frankie Passantino III (punter) were named after the Second Team defense.
 
Ten all-conference selections for the Golden Eagles were the most since 2002, when a dozen Clarion players were recognized. The last time Clarion had as many as five First Team selections was two years prior to that, when they also had five players named. The school record for First Team selections is eight, achieved in 1985 and 1987.
 
First Team Offense
Guercio, a redshirt senior, battled through injuries to post the best season of his collegiate career in 2025. He completed 147 of 221 passes for 2,081 yards, nineteen touchdowns and just five interceptions, while also rushing 111 times for 463 yards and seven scores. His 66.5 completion percentage shattered the previous school record of 60.0 set by Gino Rometo in 2008 and ranked 15^th in Division II this year. Guercio's career 60.1 completion percentage broke the record set by Jim Alcorn from 1966-67. He was twice named the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week in 2025 and earned D2Football.com National Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 23 after an explosive day against Shepherd.
 
One of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, Guercio ranked sixth in the nation in quarterback efficiency at 169.5, and his yards 14.2 yards per completion ranked 17^th in Division II this year. He was second in the conference and 14^th in the nation in total offense with an average of 282.7 yards per game.
 
The top target for Golden Eagles quarterbacks in 2025, Davon Jones was among the nation's most productive receivers, catching 61 passes for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns. He ranked second in the PSAC and 16^th in Division II with an average of 6.1 receptions per game, and his 80.0 receiving yards per game were second in the PSAC and 20^th in the nation. Where he really had a knack was reaching the end zone and moving the chains; of his 61 catches, 42 of them went for either first down or a touchdown.
 
Jones topped the century mark in receiving four times in 2025, including a career-high 147 yards on six catches against IUP on Nov. 8. He had three straight 100-yard games from Sept. 20 – Oct. 11, doing so against Shepherd, Edinboro and Gannon.
 
Rounding out the first team offense is Andrew Kurtas. The junior kicker was one of only two kickers in the PSAC to make 10 or more field goals this year, going 10 of 12 with an 83.3 conversion percentage. Only five kickers in the country converted field goals at a higher rate than Kurtas. He was 40 of 42 on extra point attempts and was effective on kickoffs, booting 18 touchbacks.
 
Of his many contributions in the kicking game, one of the biggest came on Oct. 11, when he made the game-winning field goal against Gannon in Clarion's 48-46 win over the Golden Knights.
 
First Team Defense
Representing the Golden Eagles on the all-conference team for the third consecutive year, linebacker Griffin Buzzell was a force at linebacker once again in 2025, wrapping a celebrated career in the Blue & Gold. The senior ranked seventh in the nation with an average of 11.1 tackles per game and was first in the conference and 11^th in Division II with an average of 5.4 solo stops.
 
It was not just the routine work that stood out about Buzzell, but the splash as well. He ranked among the conference and national leaders with three forced fumbles, and he also contributed four sacks and 5.0 tackles for loss.
 
Joining Buzzell on the First Team defense was Mathew McGregor, a regular disruptor for the Golden Eagles from his defensive end spot. The senior bookend ranked third in the conference with eight total sacks on the year, while his per-game average ranked 23^rd in Division II. McGregor also ranked among the best in the conference in tackles for loss, racking up 12.0.
 
A key contributor on special teams as well, McGregor scored his second career receiving touchdown on Sept. 13 against Shippensburg, catching a pass from Passantino on a fake field goal.
 
Second Team Offense
Three Golden Eagles earned their first ever all-conference honors on the Second Team offense, including a pair of offensive linemen in Jacob Domer and Josh Steele. Domer finished his Clarion career by once again exhibiting his athleticism and intelligence, starting the season as the team's starting center before kicking out to tackle and showing well in both spots. Steele, meanwhile, was solid at guard in all 11 games, capping a 32-game career in the trenches.
 
They led the way for one of the most productive offenses in Super Region One and in program history. Clarion ranked sixth in the region and second in the PSAC with an average of 34.7 points per game, the second-best per-game scoring average in school history behind the 39.1 points per game scored in 1996. The 433.3 yards per game averaged by the Golden Eagles were the third-most for a single season in school history, led the PSAC and ranked 20^th in the nation.
 
Part of that many of those points scored by the Golden Eagles came courtesy of running back Khalon Simmons, who ranked 17^th in the country and second in Super Region One with 13 rushing touchdowns in 2025. The junior toted the ball 125 times for 612 yards, a 4.9 yards per carry average, and he also caught 25 passes for 260 yards and a score.
 
Simmons' 14 total touchdowns were the most for any Golden Eagle in a season since Matt Lehman caught 14 touchdown passes in 2015. His 13 rushing touchdowns rank fourth for a single season in program history.
 
Second Team Defense
Making the all-conference list for the second straight year was defensive tackle Owen Kling, with the senior once again proving hard to handle in the middle of the trenches. The overall numbers – 21 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks – don't tell the story, as Kling anchored a line that ranked sixth in the conference with 25 sacks and fifth with 11 forced fumbles.
 
Complementing the team's historic offense well, Clarion's run defense ranked fifth in the conference, allowing just 131.5 rushing yards per game.
 
Rounding out the Second Team defense was punter Frankie Passantino III. The transfer did well in his lone year in Blue & Gold, averaging 37.1 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards. Passantino downed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line with just one touchback on the year. He also threw a touchdown pass, connecting with McGregor for a score against Shippensburg.
 
Clarion's punt coverage team was one of the best in the country, allowing just an average of 3.33 yards per return. That led the PSAC and was 13^th in Division II.