West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats (1-0, 0-0 MEC) at Clarion Golden Eagles (0-0, 0-0 PSAC West)
Thursday, September 3 // 6 p.m.
Clarion, Pa. // Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium

Game Notes | Live Video | Live Stats | Tickets

Tickets
Fans can purchase tickets for Thursday night's game online at the provided link.

Parking
There is a $5 parking charge for fans parking in the main lot at Memorial Stadium. 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

• Clarion will officially kick off the 100th season of intercollegiate varsity football on Thursday when the Golden Eagles host West Virginia Wesleyan at Al Jacks Field.
• This will be the fourth ever meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bobcats, with Clarion winning all three previous match-ups dating back to 1995.
• Last year the Golden Eagles posted their first winning record in a season since 2015, going 6-5.
• Clarion went 4-1 at home during the 2026 season with a +57 scoring differential.
• The Golden Eagles return nine out of 22 starters from a year ago, including five players that started six or more games on the offensive line.
• In total, the Golden Eagles have added 45 newcomers to the roster this year, including 38 true freshmen and seven transfers.
• Wide receiver Davon Jones was named to D2Football.com's Elite 100 Preseason Watch list, one year after he earned First Team All-PSAC West and Second Team Super Region 1.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Jase Ferguson showed well in limited action in 2025, completing 39 of 70 passes for six touchdowns and 567 yards in two starts, while also rushing 27 times for 148 yards and another score in those games.
• Of the returning offensive line starters in 2026, two have all-conference accolades on their resumes - left tackle Devin Webb (2nd Team, 2024) and center Josh Steele Jr. (2nd Team, 2025).
• The Golden Eagles' defense returns three players to start six or more games a year ago, with two of them - defensive ends Jack Capotosto and Isaac Kim - coming in the trenches.
• Clarion has won three straight openers, with two of those games coming on the road.
• The Golden Eagles were picked fifth in the preseason PSAC coaches' poll.

Series History

• This will be the fourth meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bobcats, with Clarion winning all three of the previous meetings, including a game last year in Buckhannon.
• The first meeting between the teams came on Sept. 2, 1995, when Clarion topped the Bobcats 24-23 at Memorial Stadium. Clarion trailed 23-16 with 1:56 left in regulation but Chris Weibel hit Alvin Slaughter for a touchdown as time ran down, and then connected with Chris Skultety for a two-point conversion and a dramatic victory.
• Clarion followed up with a dominant 38-14 win over the Bobcats in Buckhannon in 1996. The offense racked up 606 yards of offense, with three running backs - Steve Witte (142), Ron DeJidas (117) and Godfrey Bethea (102) - topping 100 yards rushing.
• Last year the Golden Eagles won by a 48-20 score at Cebe Stadium, scoring 48 unanswered points before three minutes had expired in the second half. Davon Jones accounted for two touchdowns, catching five passes for 48 yards, while quarterback Anthony Guercio completed 11 of 15 passes for 125 yards and three scores and also rushed six times for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

Scouting the Bobcats

• West Virginia Wesleyan was predicted to finish ninth in the Mountain East Conference in 2026.
• Of the new additions to the Bobcats' roster this year, 29 players came to West Virginia Wesleyan through the transfer portal, including 18 defensive players and 11 offensive players. T
• he Bobcats opened the season in Week 0 with a resounding 31-13 non-conference win over Post on Saturday, racking up 421 yards of total offense and 22 first downs. Quarterback Mike Evans Jr. completed 14 of 22 passes for 303 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the win over Post, with Amari Colon-Brown catching four passes for 149 yards and three scores.
• The Bobcats' defense forced five turnovers a week ago, with Kameron Reynolds and Ayden Smith both intercepting two passes. Smith also forced a fumble.
• West Virginia Wesleyan features a familiar face in veteran head coach Mike Kellar at the helm after seven seasons as the head coach at Glenville State, where he went 87-63. Kellar was head coach at California (PA) from 2012-15 where he went 31-12 overall and 20-9 in PSAC West play.

Golden Eagles Picked Fifth in PSAC West

• The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced their 2025 preseason football coaches' poll on August 6. Clarion was predicted to finish fifth in the PSAC West division in 2025.
• Last year the Golden Eagles went 6-5 overall with a 2-4 record in the PSAC West division.
• Clarion owned one of the most explosive offenses in the PSAC in 2025, with their average of 34.7 points per game ranking second in the PSAC overall and first in the West.
• Clarion returns a total of nine players that started six or more games from a year ago, including two all-conference performers.

Kevin Magouirk Comes to Clarion

• The Golden Eagles will feature a new offensive coordinator in 2026 as veteran assistant coach Kevin Magouirk joins the staff. Magouirk was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Fayetteville State from 2024-25.

• The Broncos featured a high-performing offense under Magouirk's tutelage. In 2025 they averaged 28.0 points per game and were one of the deadliest teams in the nation in the red zone, scoring points on 91.7 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line. Fayetteville State boasted three First Team All-CIAA selections on offense.

• The 2024 edition of the Broncos ranked sixth in the nation in red zone offense, scoring on 90.6 percent of their trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Fayetteville State made significant jumps across the board in Magouirk's first season as offensive coordinator, including points per game (17.8 to 25.2), yards per game (260.8 to 334.7), passing yards per game (127.9 to 235.6) and third down conversion percentage (32.1 percent to 42.0 percent).

Gardner, Kibidor Recognized for Strong Spring Season

• Clarion head coach Raymond Monica handed out Most Improved awards at the conclusion of the 2026 spring practice schedule, honoring one player apiece on offense and defense.

• The offensive representative was running back Kaevon Gardner. The most improved defensive player over the spring was defensive back Najhir Kibidor.

Schedule Breakdown

• The 2026 season will open at home for the second straight season when they welcome West Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday, Sept. 3. Non-conference play will continue with back-to-back road games, starting with a trip to Kutztown to take on the Golden Bears (Sept. 12). The Golden Eagles will head east again the next week to take on Lackawanna (Sept. 19), marking the first-ever meeting with the PSAC's newest member institution.

• PSAC West play commences at home on Sept. 26 when the Golden Eagles host Edinboro on Family Day. The following week sees Clarion take on Lock Haven (Oct. 3) before coming back to Memorial Stadium for back-to-back games against Gannon (Oct. 10) and California (PA) (Oct. 17), with the contest against the Golden Knights the 2026 Homecoming game.

• A road game against Seton Hill (Oct. 24) is followed by a home clash against Slippery Rock (Oct. 31) to close out the month of October, and PSAC West play concludes on the road against IUP on Nov. 7.

• The regular season finale and Senior Day are set for Nov. 14, with Clarion currently slated to play Millersville at Memorial Stadium.

In Good Hands

• Despite First Team All-PSAC West quarterback Anthony Guercio graduating, the Golden Eagles offense looks still to be in good hands with returners Zach Switzer and Jase Ferguson, who both saw significant time last year when Guercio went down with an injury.

• Switzer and Ferguson combined to complete 58 of 104 passes for 927 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions while also rushing for 183 yards and two scores. Ferguson had the lion's share of that work, coming in against Edinboro after Switzer went down with a season-ending injury and ultimately starting against Gannon and Slippery Rock.

Brand New Day on Defense...Mostly

• The Golden Eagles will need to contend with replacing eight of their 11 starters from a year ago on defense, with only one returning player - safety Cameron Thomas - starting 11 games a year ago.

• Isaac Kim and Jack Capotosto return to defensive line after each starting eight games a year ago, while fellow lineman Garrett Jasper started four of the final five games of the 2025 season.

Jones Named to D2Football.com Elite 100 Preseason Watch List

• The D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List was selected by the staff of D2Football.com on Aug. 12, with wide receiver Davon Jones named as one of 25 "Squad" members on offense.

• The list was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with input from numerous sitting head coaches and professional football scout Josh Buchanan.

• Last year Jones was one of the most productive receivers in the nation, earning him First Team All-PSAC West and Second Team All-Super Region 1 honors. The top target for Golden Eagles quarterbacks in 2025, 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 16th 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 20th 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.

Mountain Jam

• When it comes to current Mountain East Conference membership, the Golden Eagles have traditionally had success. Clarion is a combined 46-17 (.730) against current MEC schools dating back to 1966, including wins over Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan a year ago.

• The most common MEC opponent Clarion has faced? That would be Fairmont State, against whom the Golden Eagles own a 22-14 record.

Last Year's Offense by the (Conventional) Numbers

• The Golden Eagles ranked first in the PSAC West division and second overall in the conference with an average of 34.7 points per game.

• That jibes well with their total offensive numbers; the Golden Eagles ranked first in the PSAC with an average of 433.3 yards per game.

• The Golden Eagles' 603 yards of total offense in the win over Shepherd on Sept. 20, 2025 stands as the second highest single-game total in the conference to date.

• Clarion scored 51 touchdowns last season, second-most in the conference behind Kutztown.

Last Year's Offense by the (Nerdy) Numbers

• The offense in 2025 was effective at getting yardage in big chunks; the Golden Eagles totaled 50 "explosive" runs (10+ yards) and 79 "explosive" pass plays (15+ yards) for a total of 129 "explosive" plays.

• Clarion averaged 6.6 yards per play in 2025, best in the PSAC West and second in the conference.

• The offense has reached the red zone 49 times last year, tied for most in the PSAC, scoring 34 touchdowns from inside the opponents' 20.

• The Golden Eagles ran 348 first down plays last season; of those, 75 plays went for 11 or more yards.

• Clarion achieved a first down or touchdown 173 times on first or second down last year; by comparison, they ran only 134 plays on third down all season.

Next Week

• The Golden Eagles take on one of the nation's toughest teams on the road when they face off against Kutztown on Saturday, September 12. Kickoff is set for noon.
• The Golden Bears entered the season ranked fourth in the Division II coaches' poll to start the year, after finishing third nationally in 2025. Kutztown reached the NCAA Division II semifinals a year ago.