Shepherd Rams (0-2, 0-0 PSAC East) at Clarion Golden Eagles (3-0, 0-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, Sept. 20 // 1:00 PM
Clarion, Pa. // Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium

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Tickets
Fans can purchase tickets for the game online at the provided link.

Parking
There is a $5 parking charge for fans parking in the main lot at Memorial Stadium, which can be purchased before arrival at the ticket link. Only credentialed media and game personnel are permitted to park in the upper lot of the stadium. Students MUST park in the main lot.

Quick Notes

• The Golden Eagles will try to improve to 4-0 for the first time in a decade on Saturday when they host Shepherd at Al Jacks Field on Sept. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
• This will be the sixth ever meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Rams, with Shepherd winning all five previous meetings between the teams.
• Clarion improved to 3-0 last week with 31-24 home win over Shippensburg, marking their first 3-0 start to a season since winning seven straight games to open the 2015 campaign.
• The win over the Raiders marks Clarion's first three-game win streak since winning four straight during the 2018 season en route to a 4-1 start.
• Punter Frankie Passantino III was the PSAC West Special Teams Athlete of the Week for Sept. 15 after punting well and successfully executing a fake field goal in the win over Shippensburg.
• Passantino currently leads the PSAC in punts downed inside the 20-yard line (6) and has kicked just one touchback.
• Quarterback Anthony Guercio broke into the top-five in program history in career rushing touchdowns against West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 4, scoring his 20th touchdown on the ground in that game.
• Guercio earned PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week honors after throwing for 125 yards, rushing for 104 yards, and accounting for five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) against West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 4.
• Running back Khalon Simmons ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run against Shippensburg, the longest rush of his career and the longest for any Golden Eagle since the 2023 season.
• Guercio and Simmons are tied for the PSAC lead in rushing touchdowns with four apiece.
• Clarion is achieving an average of 19.7 first downs per game, their best rate since 2019, and are limiting opponents to 14.3 first downs per game.
• The Golden Eagles' 6.0 yards per play average is their best since 2015, and their 194 plays run in three games is second behind only Gannon (198).
• The Clarion defense has forced the most third downs (43) of any team in the conference, and are allowing opponents to convert at just a 27.9 percent rate.
• The Golden Eagles are holding opponents to an average of just 3.7 yards per play this season, the second-best average in the conference behind IUP (2.9).
• Through three games the Golden Eagles lead the PSAC and rank seventh in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 55.3 yards on the ground per game.
• Defensive back Zay Brisbane was all over the field in the win over Wheeling on Aug. 28, making four tackles and breaking up four passes, en route to earning PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors.

 
Series History

• This will be the sixth-ever meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Rams, with Shepherd winning all five previous contests between the two teams.
• The first two meetings between the Rams and Golden Eagles came in the 1998-99 seasons, and then the teams did not play against until 2019.
• In the most recent meeting between the teams, Clarion dropped a 27-9 decision to the Rams that was much closer than the final score indicated. The Golden Eagles trailed 14-9 with 1:05 remaining and possession of the football, but back-to-back offensive drives ended in pick-sixes for Shepherd. Luke Shaffer made 11 stops and 1.0 TFL, Jake Tarburton had a pair of sacks, and Ryan Stahl made 2.0 TFL and one sack.
• The teams have not met in Clarion since 2019, with the Rams beating the Golden Eagles 40-24 on Sept. 21. Clarion led 10-6 midway through the second quarter before Shepherd kicked into gear, with future NFL quarterback Tyson Bagent throwing for 394 yards and five touchdown passes.

 
Scouting the Rams

• Shepherd was predicted to finish fourth in the PSAC East division in 2025 after finishing with a 6-5 record in 2024.
• The Rams return multiple All-PSAC East honorees on offense, including Malakai Brown, Jordan Barnett and offensive linemen Brandon Carr and Ty Lucas.
• Carr was named to D2Football.com's Preseason Elite 100 Watch List as a second team selection.
• Shepherd has gotten off to an 0-2 start in 2025, falling in road games at Frostburg State (41-27) and at #4/9 Slippery Rock (35-28), with the latter coming in overtime. They will play their first home game of the season next weekend against PSAC East power Kutztown.
• Grant Swinehart leads the PSAC in rushing at 113.0 yards per game and is rushing for 7.5 yards per attempt. He broke off a 71-yard run against Frostburg State in the opener and had 91 last week against The Rock.
• The Shepherd offense is one of six in the PSAC to average 6.0 yards per play or better, but they are also one of six PSAC teams to allow 6.0 yards per play or more.

 
Golden Eagles Picked Seventh in PSAC West

• The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced their 2025 preseason football coaches' poll on August 7. Clarion was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in 2025.
• Clarion returns 13 total starters from last year's team that went 3-8 overall with a 1-5 record in the PSAC West division.

 
2025 PSAC Football West Division Preseason Poll
 

1. Slippery Rock (4)
2. IUP (3)
3. California (Pa.)
4. Gannon
5. Seton Hill
6. Edinboro
7. Clarion

 
2025 PSAC Football East Division Preseason Poll
 

1. Kutztown (7)
2. East Stroudsburg (1)
3. West Chester
4. Shepherd
5. Bloomsburg
6. Lock Haven
7. Shippensburg
8. Millersville

 
About the Coach
Raymond Monica, a two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Coach of the Year with more than 30 years of experience at the college level, became the 14th coach in Golden Eagle history on Feb. 17, 2022. He enters his fourth season at the helm of the program.
 
Al Jacks Field Dedicated on August 28

• As a coach, administrator and professor, the late Al Jacks was an indelible part of the Clarion community for six decades. Now, his name will officially become a permanent part of Clarion athletics, when the playing surface at Memorial Stadium is officially renamed Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium.
• With Jacks at the helm of the football program, the Golden Eagles went 128-46-5 for a .729 winning percentage, and his 128 wins rank eighth all time for a head coach at a PSAC school. The team captured six PSAC West division titles (1966, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1978, and 1980) and three PSAC Championships (1966, 1977, 1980). Clarion's 1980 team was named the ECAC "Team of the Year."
• Jacks was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame – now named for another Clarion graduate, Robert "Tick" Cloherty – in 1979, and in 1980 the Golden Eagles were named the ECAC Division II Team of the Year. In Fall 2022 he went into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
• The Golden Eagles did Coach Jacks justice with a shutout victory over Wheeling.

 
Larry Wilson Comes to Clarion

• The Golden Eagles will feature a new offensive coordinator in 2024 as veteran assistant coach Larry Wilson joins the staff. Wilson was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at IUP from 2022-24, and he made an immediate impact upon his arrival at IUP.
• The Crimson Hawk offense ranked among the top five in the PSAC in nearly every major statistical category, including third in scoring offense (31.6), third in passing offense (249.1), fourth in rushing offense (161.7) and second in total offense (410.8).
• Prior to that he spent 17 years at California (Pa.), Including a stretch where the Vulcans hit double figures in wins six times, made five straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances and three consecutive national semifinals.

 
Golden Eagles Return Trio of 2024 Captains
The Golden Eagles selected their 2024 captains at the conclusion of last season, with three of the five players returning to the fold in 2025. Quarterback Anthony Guercio and linebackers Griffin Buzzell and Dillon Tingle were selected as captains, alongside Trevon Tate and Jake Tarburton.
 
Egan, Shaffer Recognized for Strong Spring Season

• Clarion head coach Raymond Monica handed out Most Improved awards at the conclusion of the 2025 spring practice schedule, honoring one player apiece on offense and defense.
• The offensive representative was wide receiver Holt Egan. The most improved defensive player over the spring was linebacker Luke Shaffer.

 
Buzz at Linebacker

• Linebacker Griffin Buzzell earned his second consecutive Second Team All-PSAC West honor, as the linebacker continued his development into a leader not just on the defense but for the team. He ranked fourth in the PSAC with 90 tackles while also contributing 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.
• The senior 'backer is off to a quick start in 2025, ranking fourth in the conference with an average of 10.0 tackles per game. He ranks second in the league with two forced fumbles.
• The team's best run stopper through the first three games of the year, Buzzell has made a team-high 22 tackles on rush plays.

 
The Offense by the (Conventional) Numbers

• Through three games, the Golden Eagles lead the PSAC West division and rank third in the overall conference with a scoring average of 37.7 points per game.
• That jibes well with their total offensive numbers; the Golden Eagles are first in the west and fifth overall with an average of 385.0 yards per game.
• Clarion and East Stroudsburg are tied for the conference lead with 16 total touchdowns this season, and the Golden Eagles are just one total point behind the Warriors (114-113) thus far.
• The Golden Eagles rank fifth in the conference and second in the PSAC West in third-down conversion at 45.2 percent, and they're possessing the football for 30:59 per game.

 
The Offense by the (Nerdy) Numbers

• The offense has been effective at getting yardage in big chunks; through three games the Golden Eagles have totaled 21 "explosive" runs (10+ yards) and 10 "explosive" pass plays (20+ yards) for a total of 31 "explosive" plays. In essence, 16 percent of the Golden Eagles' offensive snaps this year have been explosive plays.
• Clarion is achieving an average of 19.7 first downs per game, their best rate since 2019 and the fourth-best average in Super Region 1. The 2019 offense averaged 20.2 first downs per game after 11 contests.
• The Golden Eagles' 6.0 yards per play average is their best since 2015, when they averaged 6.5 yards per play.
• Clarion has run 194 offensive plays in three games, second behind only Gannon (198) in the PSAC.

 
Digging Into Defensive Stats

• Through three games the Golden Eagles defense has allowed an average of just 14.7 points per game, third in the conference to Kutztown (7.0) and IUP (11.5).
• In those three games, the Golden Eagles have allowed just five opponent trips into the red zone, surrendering two touchdowns and one field goal in that span.
• Where the Golden Eagles have been especially stout is on rushing defense, though this can in part be attributed to jumping out to leads early in their first three games; Clarion is allowing just 55.3 yards per game on the ground, the best mark in the PSAC and seventh in the nation.
• No defense in the conference has forced their opponents into more third downs than Clarion, at 43. Opponents are converting at just a 27.9 percent rate, the fourth-best percentage in the PSAC.

 
Simmons Busting Out on Offense

• Through three games, running back Khalon Simmons is tied for the lead in the PSAC with four rushing touchdowns, matching totals by teammate Anthony Guercio as well as Shepherd's Jordan Barnett.
• Simmons ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run against Shippensburg on Sept. 13, the longest run of his career and the longest run for any Golden Eagle since the 2023 season.
• In the last five seasons, there have only been seven runs of 44 or more yards by a Golden Eagle:

 
                  Khalon Simmons vs. Shippensburg (9/13/25) - 44 yards
                  Anthony Guercio at Edinboro (10/21/23) - 55 yards
                  Khalil Owens vs. Bloomsburg (9/9/23) - 45 yards
                  Zach Benedek at Mercyhurst (10/15/22) - 55 yards
                  Khalil Owens at Mercyhurst (10/15/22) - 56 yards
                  Corahn Alleyne vs. Gannon (9/24/22) - 65 yards
                  Khalil Owens at Edinboro (11/6/21) - 52 yards
 
Guercio in 2024

• The 2024 season featured an explosion from quarterback Anthony Guercio. He threw for 2,001 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, and then ranked second in the PSAC in total touchdowns with 12 rushing scores on the year.
• That was complemented by 645 rushing yards, giving him an average of 264.3 total offensive yards per game to rank third in the PSAC and sixth in Super Region 1.
• Guercio's 12 rushing touchdowns were the most for any Golden Eagles since Alfonso Hoggard's school record 17 touchdowns in 2009, and are tied for fifth in a single season in program history.
• When it came time to make a big play on the ground, Guercio was tops on the team in 2024. He led the team with 44 rushes for either first downs (32) or touchdowns (12). Logan Kent was second on the team with 15 such plays.

 
Making His Case

• Anthony Guercio has continued his torrid pace in 2025, ranking among the leaders in the region and the nation in putting points on the board.
• Guercio has accounted for 66 total points this year, including four rushing touchdowns and seven passing touchdowns. That ranks first in Super Region 1 and sixth in NCAA Division II.
• In three games Guercio has thrown for seven touchdowns, which is just four scores behind his career-high of 11 touchdown passes set last season.
• The senior quarterback has been more selective about taking off on the run so far in 2025, but when he does it usually pays dividends; of his 25 designed or scramble rushing attempts (not sacks), he has rushed for four touchdowns and 10 first downs.
• Guercio ranks fourth in the PSAC and 10th in Super Region 1 in total offense at an average of 259.0 yards per game.

 
Guercio Named PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week for Sept. 8

• For the second straight week a Golden Eagle was on the PSAC weekly award list, as Clarion's Anthony Guercio earned PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week honors for Sept. 8.
• Guercio accounted for five touchdowns in just 33 minutes of total game action against West Virginia Wesleyan, leading the Golden Eagles to a 48-20 win over the Bobcats on the road. He finished 11 of 15 passing for 125 yards and three touchdowns, tossing two scores to Davon Jones and one to Holt Egan, and also took off for touchdown runs of 37 and nine yards - all in the first half.
• Guercio exploded on the ground against the Bobcats, rushing for 104 yards. Clarion led the Bobcats 41-0 after the first half and were ahead 48-0 with nearly 13 minutes left in the third quarter before emptying the bench.

 
Climbing the List

• With two more rushing touchdowns against West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 4, Guercio became the fifth player in Golden Eagle history to rush for 20 touchdowns in a career. He is three rushing scores away from tying Hall of Famer Elton Brown (23) on the career rushing touchdown list.
• Last year Guercio finished the season with 12 rushing touchdowns; if he matched that total this year, he would surpass Robert Walker (27) and Alfonso Hoggard (27) for second on the program's career rushing touchdown list.

 
Holt and Catch Fire

• After putting up modest, even minimal numbers, in his first year as a Golden Eagle, Holt Egan has jumped onto the scene as a dangerous target in the Clarion passing game.
• The senior wide receiver has 11 receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season, catching scoring passes against Wheeling and West Virginia.
• Egan ranks eighth in the PSAC in receiving yards per game (69.3) and fifth in yards per reception (18.9).

 
Not So Static Kling

• Defensive tackle Owen Kling was the anchor of the Golden Eagles' defensive line in 2024, earning Second Team All-PSAC West honors.
• The numbers were not gaudy – 16 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks – but the cumulative effect was noticeable as he demanded regular double-teams on the interior.
• Clarion held opponents to a 3.9 yards per carry average for the season.

 
Brisbane Named PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week

• Zay Brisbane was all over the field in the win over Wheeling on Aug. 28, recording four tackles and swatting away a career-high four passes.
• Four passes defended in a single game is the best total for any Golden Eagle defender since the 1992 season.
• For his efforts, Brisbane earned PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors for Sept. 2.
• With three more pass break-ups against West Virginia Wesleyan, Brisbane now leads the PSAC with seven passes defended in just three weeks of action.

 
The Line That Plays Together...

• For the second straight season the Golden Eagles will essentially return their entire starting offensive line.
• Devin Webb, Josh Steele, Jacob Domer, Mark Mizerak Jr. and Ruric Douglas all return to the trenches in 2025.
• Webb was the anchor of that group, starting all 11 games - ten on the interior and one at left tackle in the season finale, en route to a Second Team All-PSAC West selection.
• In 2024 the Golden Eagles finished the year sixth in the PSAC in total offense at 364.9 yards per game.

 
Schedule Breakdown

• For the second straight season the Golden Eagles will play a "Week 0" game to open the season, hosting Wheeling on Thursday, August 28 at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles will play their second straight midweek game seven days later when they take on West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 4.
• The team returns home for two straight PSAC East crossover games against Shippensburg (Sept. 13) and Shepherd (Sept. 20) but then follows with three straight on the road: at Edinboro (Sept. 27), at Gannon (Oct. 11) and at California (Pa.) (Oct. 18). That will push the annual Homecoming game and Autumn Leaf Festival back to the end of the month, with Clarion hosting Seton Hill on Oct. 25.
• The final home game of the season will be against IUP on Nov. 8, sandwiched between road games against Slippery Rock (Nov. 1) and East Stroudsburg (Nov. 15).

 
Defense Pitches Shutout in Season Opener

• Clarion kicked off the season with a rare feat, shutting out Wheeling 34-0 in the 2025 opener.
• The goose egg represented the first shutout for the Clarion defense since Aug. 30, 2012, when the Golden Eagles beat Fairmont State by a 7-0 score.
• That marked a span of 130 games between shutouts, as well as a 130-game span between shutouts at Memorial Stadium.
• The Golden Eagles have not had a road shutout since Sept. 9, 1995 at Westminster.
• Clarion didn't just keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard, but also from doing much of anything on offense. They limited Wheeling to 180 yards of total offense, their lowest total since permitting just 111 yards to Lincoln on Sept. 15, 2018.
• Clarion allowed just 32 rushing yards to the Cardinals, their lowest total since giving up just 25 yards to Gannon on Sept. 23, 2023.

 
Coming Up Next

• Clarion kicks off a long stretch of games away from home next week when they open up PSAC West play at Sox Harrison Stadium against Edinboro, with kickoff scheduled for noon.
• The Golden Eagles have won each of the last two meetings with the Fighting Scots, the first time that has happened since winning back-to-back meetings in 1997-98. Clarion's last game in Edinboro resulted in a 34-20 win on Oct. 21, 2023.