Skip To Main Content
The Official website of the Clarion Golden Eagles

Clarion Athletics

Clarion Football Gameday - 2026 - Week 5 at Lock Haven

Clarion Football Game Notes: Week 5 at Lock Haven

Clarion Golden Eagles (3-1, 1-0 PSAC West) at Lock Haven Bald Eagles (2-2, 1-0 PSAC West)
Saturday, October 3 // 1:00 PM
Lock Haven, Pa. // Hubert Jack Stadium
 
Clarion Game Notes // Live Stats // Live Video // Tickets
 
Quick Notes

  • Clarion will face off against Lock Haven for the first time since the latter re-joined the PSAC West division on Saturday, Oct. 3.
  • This will be the 70th meeting between the two teams, with Clarion owning a 51-17-1 record over Lock Haven in a series dating back to 1928.
  • The Golden Eagles are coming off a 30-19 win over Edinboro to open PSAC West play.
  • Quarterback Jase Ferguson was named the PSAC West Offensive Co-Athlete of the Week after throwing for 312 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown, against the Fighting Scots in last week's win.
  • Ferguson ranks seventh in NCAA Division II in total offense per game (305.3).
  • Clarion enters this weekend ranked third in the PSAC in scoring offense (38.8), second in total offense (435.5), and third in touchdowns scored (20).
  • The Golden Eagles have five players with two or more touchdown receptions - Davon Jones (2), Ja'Tawn Williams (2), Collin Willard (2), Austin VanHuss (2) and Tsirell Curry (2). No other PSAC team has more than three.
  • The Golden Eagle offense has produced an explosive play on 20.9 percent of their passing plays this year, going for 15 or more yards on 24 of their 115 attempts.
  • Defensive end Jack Capotosto has at least a half-sack in three of four games this year, including sacks in back-to-back games entering Week 5.
  • Clarion will attempt to win back-to-back road games for the first time since 2022, when they beat Seton Hill and Mercyhurst in back-to-back weeks.
 
Series History
  • This will be the 70th meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bald Eagles, with Clarion owning a dominant 51-17-1 edge in the all-time series with Lock Haven. The two were PSAC divisional rivals until 2012, with Lock Haven moving to the East division in the 2013 season before returning in 2026.
  • The first meeting between the teams came almost a century ago, with Clarion defeating Lock Haven 13-0 in the 1928 season finale. The 1929 Sequelle yearbook lauded Lock Haven as having "played excellent football," but also declared it "a most renowned climax for the football season of the Clarion State Teachers' College."
  • Clarion won 16 straight meetings between 1961-78, and since 1960 the Golden Eagles are 24-2 in home games against Lock Haven...
  • ...but the most recent loss came in the teams' last meeting, a 21-20 win for the Bald Eagles in 2023. Trailing 20-14 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Danny Sanchez took a flea flicker from DeAaron Lawrence and completed a touchdown pass to Chris Hicks with seven seconds remaining. Andrew Kurtas kicked two field goals for Clarion, Anthony Guercio threw one touchdown pass and ran for a score, and Elroe Yohnnes logged 1.5 sacks.
 
Scouting the Bald Eagles
  • Lock Haven was predicted to finish seventh in the PSAC West division in their first year back. The Bald Eagles recorded their first winning season in 44 years in 2025 under head coach Joe Battaglia, going 6-5 with a 4-3 record in PSAC East competition.
  • The Bald Eagles enter this weekend's game with a 2-2 overall record, including a win in their first PSAC West game. They beat Gannon 24-14 in Erie, sealing the deal with a touchdown pass from Jake Roberts to Robert Footman with 5:09 to play. Lock Haven stuffed Cureem Hathcock on a 4th-and-1 play with 11 seconds left to halt the comeback.
  • In terms of common opponents, the Bald Eagles also have a loss to #3 Kutztown, with the Golden Bears winning 35-20 at Hubert Jack Stadium. Thirteen of Lock Haven's 20 points came in the fourth quarter after Kutztown had established a 35-7 lead, though it was just a 14-7 game with 2:06 remaining in the first half.
  • Lock Haven boasts one of the best scoring defenses in the PSAC, averaging just 21.5 points allowed per game. They are tied for second in the PSAC with nine sacks.
 
Last Week
  • Aided by another spate of chunk plays and some timely turnovers, the Golden Eagle football team opened up divisional play with a 30-19 home win over Edinboro at Al Jacks Field at Memorial Stadium.
  • Clarion showcased the ability to amass long gains when most needed, with 264 of their 449 yards coming on nine plays. Perhaps the most important came late in the fourth quarter with the Golden Eagles attempting to hold a 24-19 lead, when Jase Ferguson broke loose for a 50-yard run to the 2-yard line and scored on the subsequent play.
  • Ferguson and his wide receiver corps were effective at stretching the field against the Fighting Scot defense. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, with Tsirell Curry pulling down six of those passes for a team-high 91 yards and a score. Davon Jones and Ja'Tawn Williams also scored long touchdowns, with the latter taking the first play from scrimmage 75 yards for a score.
  • Gabriel Laws led the defense with nine total tackles, three solo, and added a quarterback hit. Ky'ian Mims was credited with three pass break-ups. Jack Capotosto blew up an Edinboro drive that was approaching the red zone, sacking Nico Marchitelli on an RPO on 3rd-and-3 in the third quarter, and the Golden Eagles forced a turnover on downs on the next play.
 
Ferguson Named PSAC West Offensive Co-Athlete of the Week Honors for Sept. 28
  • The Golden Eagles added another weekly award to the shelf on Sept. 28 when Jase Ferguson shared PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week honors after Clarion's Week 4 win over Edinboro at Memorial Stadium.
  • Ferguson completed 20 of 32 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for a game-high 75 yards and another touchdown. Ferguson started off the game with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Tawn Williams on the first play from scrimmage, and later recorded touchdown passes of 47 and 22 yards to Davon Jones and Tsirell Curry respectively.
  • Ferguson is currently the second-leading passer in the PSAC with an average of 256.8 yards per game. His average of 305.3 yards of total offense per game also ranks second. Clarion ranks behind only Slippery Rock in the PSAC West in points per game (38.8) and offensive yards per game (434.5).
 
More on Ferguson
  • Jase Ferguson ranks second in Super Region 1 and first in the PSAC in averaging passing yards per game with an average of 256.8 yards per game. His 10 touchdown passes are tied for fifth in the region.
  • In another nod to Clarion's big play ability, Ferguson is first in the PSAC and fifth in the region in passing yards per completion at 16.05, a mark that ranks 15th in NCAA Division II. His 9.69 passing yards per attempt are third in the region and second in the PSAC, behind only Slippery Rock's DaOne Owens in the league.
  • Finally, Ferguson ranks first in Super Region 1 and seventh in NCAA Division II in total offense at 305.3 yards per game.
 
Spicy Curry
  • While the Clarion passing attack has thrived on diversity of targets, the last two weeks have seen Tsirell Curry take a step forward, with the redshirt freshman totaling 242 yards and a score against Lackawanna and Edinboro.
  • Largely on the back of those two games, Curry now ranks fourth in the PSAC with 76.8 receiving yards per game. His 20.5 yards per reception is longest in the PSAC for any receiver with 10 or more catches to this point in the year.
 
Not As Common As You Think
  • With a win over Edinboro on Sept. 26, the Golden Eagles won their second straight home game against the Fighting Scots, and third in their last four overall meetings with them.
  • Clarion had not won back-to-back home games against Edinboro since the 1997-98 seasons.
  • The last time the Golden Eagles won three of four meetings with Edinboro was the 1980s, when they went 3-1 against the Fighting Scots from 1984-87.
 
Next Week
  • The colors of autumn leaves will flood the Clarion area as the Golden Eagles welcome the Gannon Golden Knights to Al Jacks Field for a Homecoming game on Saturday, October 10. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. to accommodate the culmination of the Autumn Leaf Festival.
  • This will be the 19th meeting between the Golden Eagles and Golden Knights, with Gannon owning a slim 9-8 advantage in the all-time series. Clarion snapped a five-game losing skid to Gannon last year with a 48-46 shootout victory in Erie.

 

Print Friendly Version