EDINBORO, Pa. — The Golden Eagle football team jumped out to a big lead in the first half, but Edinboro rallied to defeat Clarion 21-20 in a closely contested matchup at Sox Harrison Stadium. Clarion (4-1) took an early lead with three touchdowns in the first half, but Edinboro (2-2) responded with 21 unanswered points in the second for the win.
The tale of two halves saw Clarion build a 20-0 lead in the opening 30 minutes, even despite an early injury to
Anthony Guercio that sidelined him for the rest of the game.
Zach Switzer was impressive upon entering, completing 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown, scoring near the end of the first half to pump up the Golden Eagles' lead.
Switzer capped Clarion's first offensive drive of the game with a 24-yard touchdown pass to
Davon Jones, the latter's fourth of the season. Jones went over the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive game, catching nine passes for 126 yards. That was followed by a successful extra point from
Andrew Kurtas, putting Clarion up 7-0.
Clarion's defense remained strong, pinning the Fighting Scots deep in their own territory, which led to another quick punt. Seizing momentum, Clarion executed efficiently on their next drive. Switzer found
Dominik Thomas for a 28-yard touchdown, hitting him on the back shoulder for the score and extending the lead. Kurtas's extra point made it 14-0.
The second quarter began with a strong defensive effort by Clarion, as
Griffin Buzzell's sack of Nico Marchitelli forced Edinboro into a punting situation early. Clarion capitalized on their defensive stand with Switzer leading another successful offensive drive. Switzer's 3-yard touchdown run at 3:16 extended Clarion's lead, although the subsequent extra point attempt was blocked.
Clarion's defense continued to pressure Edinboro, with
Mathew McGregor adding another sack to halt the Fighting Scots' progress. Despite some penalties, Clarion controlled the pace, and a key defensive stop on a fourth-down play by
Ky'ian Mims and
Jerome Williams II ended Edinboro's drive late in the quarter. The half closed with Clarion maintaining a 20-0 lead.
The tide turned in the second half, though, as the Clarion offense began to stall. Edinboro finally got on the scoreboard with 2:41 remaining in the third on a Bo Swartz touchdown run, and Jerry Dinkins scored a touchdown with 4:16 left to play in regulation to cut the Golden Eagles' lead to 20-15. On the Fighting Scots' final offensive drive of the game the Golden Eagles got a handful of stops at the goal line, but Swartz scored with 23 seconds remaining to make it 21-20.
Jase Ferguson hit Jones for a 36-yard gain on the final drive, but was picked off on a hail mary attempt as time expired.
Buzzell was a standout on defense, registering 11 tackles and one sack.
Dillon Tingle added to the defensive efforts with 10 tackles and one sack.
The next challenge for the Golden Eagles is set for Saturday, October 11, as they travel to Erie, Pa., to face Gannon at McConnell Family Stadium. Kickoff is at Noon.
