CLARION, Pa. — It was a thrilling, high octane battle at Al Jacks Field on Saturday afternoon, but Clarion (6-4) was narrowly defeated by IUP (7-2) by a 45-42 score in a game that came down to the final possession.
Clarion's offense exploded for 516 total yards, eclipsing IUP's total yardage by over 80 yards. The Golden Eagles dominated on the ground, racking up 234 rushing yards led by a phenomenal performance from quarterback
Anthony Guercio and running back
Khalon Simmons. Returning to the field for the first time since October 25, Guercio completed 20 of 25 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing 19 times for a game-high 103 yards and two scores. Simmons, meanwhile, racked up 82 combined rushing and receiving yards with two touchdowns, giving him 12 ground scores on the year.
The high-scoring affair was evident from the outset. Clarion wasted no time, with Guercio breaking loose for a massive 69-yard touchdown run to put the Golden Eagles up 7-0 early in the first quarter. IUP quickly responded to tie the score, with Matthew Rueve cappiung a five-play drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass, but Clarion's ground game kept the pressure on. On the ensuing drive Simmons took a direct snap and punched in the first of his two rushing touchdowns in the opening quarter. He later broke off a 21-yard touchdown run with 1:06 remaining in the quarter to give the Golden Eagles a 21-14 lead.
The Clarion lead reached two scores in the second quarter on a beautiful pitch and catch between Guercio and
Davon Jones. Facing a 3
rd-and-6 in Clarion territory, Guercio lobbed a ball downfield to Jones, who blew past the IUP defenders and pulled in the pass in stride for a 57-yard touchdown. That marked Jones' ninth touchdown reception of the season.
Things started to turn as the IUP defense began asserting itself in the second half, limiting the potent Golden Eagle attack to just 14 points while scoring 24 themselves. After tying the game at 28 on a touchdown pass from Rueve to Connor Shamany, the Crimson Hawks' Mekhi Johnson forced a fumble against
Khalon Simmons on the subsequent drive, kicking a field goal to make it 31-28. Their lead was short lived as Guercio scored his second rushing touchdown of the game late, going off the right side for a 15 yard score to make it 35-31.
Another key turnover shorted out a Golden Eagle drive in the fourth quarter. With Clarion trailing 38-35, Jones caught a pass for a big gain but had the ball knocked loose by Noah Johnston near midfield, giving the Crimson Hawks a short field on offense. They capitalized with a touchdown drive, taking a 45-35 lead on Rueve's sixth touchdown pass of the game.
Refusing to quit, the Golden Eagles mounted one final push. Guercio led a swift drive, connecting with
Ray Jackson for a seven-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 45-42 with just under five minutes to play. The defense got a key stop with 2:37 to go, forcing IUP to punt after a three-and out, but Guercio was stopped on fourth down near midfield with less than a minute to play.
Clarion's defense did notch a pair of interceptions, with
Terrell Booth and
Christopher Shackelford both logging takeaways. Shackelford's came at a key moment in the second quarter when he ripped the ball away from a receiver in the back of the end zone, getting a foot in bounds to seal the pick.
