FOOTBALL
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Redshirt senior quarterback Tanner Kelly of Olanta continued his outstanding play as a passer, runner and punter for undefeated, and now nationally-ranked, Albright Saturday as the Lions clawed host Lycoming 26-7 with a crowd of 3,125 on hand at David Person Field.
Two days after learning that he had been named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southeast Offensive Player of the Week for a 436-yard, four-touchdown passing show against Wilkes, the Clearfield Area High School graduate enjoyed his second consecutive banner day by completing 22 of 34 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns, adding a season-high 87 rushing yards on 19 carries and averaging 39.3 yards for three punts.
The Middle Atlantic Conference selected Kelly for his second Special Teams Player of the Week honor of the season, with one of his punts a 48-yarder for a touchback and a 32-yarder pinning the Warriors at their six yard line.
Kelly certainly was in the running for a third MAC Offensive Player of the Week citation, too.
He and Scott Pillar teamed up for a 64-yard TD pass with just 1:37 gone and a 30-yard scoring aerial with 34 seconds left in the half for a 19-0 lead.
Kelly found Nate Romig for a 29-yard touchdown that set the final score with 36 seconds remaining in the third period.
Albright, which appeared in last week\’s American Football Coaches Association Division III Poll at No. 23 after three weeks of being listed with other teams receiving votes, is off to its first 5-0 start since 1997.
Kelly leads the MAC in completion percentage (74.2), passing yards (1,395) and passing efficiency (194.1) and is tied for the lead in touchdowns (11). He has completed a second-best 95 of 128 aerials without throwing an interception.
Division III statistics show Kelly second in completion percentage and yards per attempt (10.91), fourth in passing efficiency, ninth in total offense (326.20 per game), 14th in yards per completion (14.73), 24th in passing yards and 55th in completions per game (18.80).
His 1,641 total offense yards for 246 plays are tops in the MAC.
Kelly has climbed into the top 10 in rushing, eighth with a 49.2 average, and punting, fifth with a 37.8 average for 10 kicks.
He has gained 246 yards and scored three TDs in 57 carries.
* * * * *
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Safeties Nick Sipes and Shawn Sopic of Curwensville each had one tackle and two assists for a stout Clarion defense that keyed a 27-10 upset of Slippery Rock on Bob DiSpirito Field in front of 1,129 N. Kerr Thompson Stadium fans Thursday night.
The upstart Golden Eagles, who limited the No. 4-ranked team in NCAA Division II Super Region 1 to 230 yards, tied the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division game at 10-10 on Robert Mamula\’s 36-yard field goal at the end of the first half and then took charge on Daily Whitten\’s 41-yard interception return and Alfonso Hoggard\’s 84-yard touchdown dash in the third quarter.
Hoggard, whose TD broke a 21-year-old Clarion record, was named PSAC-West Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week for his 33-carry, 205-yard, two-TD performance.
The Clarion \’D\’ held The Rock backs to 33 net yards for 24 rushes in clipping up its I-80 rival for the first time since 2003 to keep pace with Mercyhurst at 3-1 behind Edinboro and California, both 4-0, in the PSAC-West race.
The Eagles will welcome Mercyhurst to Memorial Stadium Saturday for a 1 p.m. showdown that will be televised live across the state on PA-Sportsfever and then replayed on FSN Pittsburgh Monday at 7 p.m.
Redshirt junior J.D. Skebo of Curwensville was on The Rock offensive line for the field goal and extra point.
After leading the PSAC in tackles going into Week 7, Sipes slipped to third behind Bloomsburg linebacker Anthony Smith and Gannon linebacker Matthew Neal-Mink with his 69 stops, including a conference-high 39 solo tackles.
Sipes has nine tackles for losses of 32 yards, five sacks for 20 yards and one forced fumble.
Sopic has 37 tackles, including 16 solo stops, with two tackles for losses of three yards, four passes broken up and one blocked kick.
* * * * *
OBERLIN, Ohio – Oberlin freshman quarterback David Kalgren of Curwensville ran for one touchdown and passed for another score Saturday, but the University of Chicago disappointed the 1,231 fans in Savage Stadium by beating the winless Yeomen 38-17 in a non-conference game.
After Oberlin (0-5) trailed 24-3 at the half, Kalgren broke free for a 56-yard TD early in the third quarter and completed a five-yard pass to Sean Curtis for a touchdown in the fourth period.
Five sacks for 27 yards cost Kalgren a 100-yard rushing performance. He gained 136 yards, but the sacks and an additional 13 yards in losses left him with a season-high 96 net yards for 19 plays.
His eight completions in 19 aerials were good for a personal-best 68 yards.
Kalgren\’s season stats show 138 rushing yards and two TDs for 40 plays and 174 passing yards and two TDs on 23 completions in 47 attempts.
* * * * *
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Senior Beau Ryan of Clearfield had two tackles and one assist against visiting Muhlenberg Saturday in his fifth start at free safety for Juniata.
The Eagle defense allowed only 233 yards, the third fewest total in the last six seasons, but the offense was plagued by six turnovers, resulting in a 14-0 Centennial Conference setback with 759 fans looking on at Knox Stadium.
Freshman safety Isiah Morgan of Clearfield also played for the 0-6 Eagles, who have been outscored 109-10 in four conference outings.
Ryan is seventh on the team with 26 tackles, including 19 solo stops.
He has two of Juniata\’s four interceptions.
Morgan and Devin Yastro of Olanta (Clearfield Area H.S.) have logged one assist apiece.
* * * * *
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Pitt kicker Dan Hutchins was named Big East Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for booting three field goals and one extra point out of the holds of Andrew Janocko of Clearfield and also punting three times for a 43-yard average as the Panthers came from behind to edge Connecticut 24-21 Saturday.
A crowd of 44,893 at Heinz Field and a national television (ABC) audience saw the Panthers overcome a 15-6 deficit for their second Big East win and a 5-1 record that has them on the cusp of cracking the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top 25 polls. They currently are No. 25 in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.
Hutchins had field goals of 42 and 19 yards before deciding the outcome with an 18-yarder on the final play of the game.
Janocko, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, is in his second season as Pitt\’s holder.
For the second time in three weeks, the Panthers will appear on ESPN\’s Friday night game, with kickoff for the Big East road game against Rutgers set for 8 o\’clock.
* * * * *
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Junior running back Tyler Kirkwood of Frenchville (Clearfield Area H.S.) played in Grove City\’s 34-17 loss to host Geneva in front of 6,625 fans at Reeves Field Saturday.
The Wolverines (2-4) were on top 14-0 after one quarter but failed to score after leading 17-14 at the half of the non-conference game.
* * * * * * * * * *
WOMEN\’S SOCCER
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Dani Struble of Lumber City (Curwensville Area H.S.) booted the final goal in the 84th minute of Westminster\’s 6-1 victory over Chatham Saturday, boosting her point total to 12.
She stands fourth in goals with four and is tied for the team lead in assists with four.
The junior forward got off five shots after attempting two in the Lady Titans\’ 1-1 double-overtime tie with Penn State-Behrend last Tuesday.
Struble owns 50 shots with a team-high 18 shots on goal for the 9-4-1 Lady Titans, who are 1-1 in the Presidents\’ Athletic Conference.
* * * * *
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Jen Williams of Clearfield got her sixth start for Lock Haven Saturday in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover game that visiting Millersville won 3-2 with a goal in the second overtime period.
Williams, a junior midfielder, still is fifth in scoring for the 3-8-1 Lady Eagles with the three goals she netted in the their season opener.
* * * * *
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Junior midfielder Juliana Howell of Clearfield returned to action for Slippery Rock in a 2-1 win over Shippensburg Saturday after sitting out The Rock\’s double-overtime scoreless tie at California Tuesday.
She has one goal in 10 games for The Rock, which is 3-3-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division and 6-3-3 overall.
* * * * *
DUBOIS, Pa. – Freshman midfielder Jilissa Keller of Grampian (Curwensville Area H.S.) has three points, including one goal, for the first-year Penn State-DuBois team that was shut out by Mercyhurst North East 4-0 and Penn College 3-0 last week.
The Lady Lions stand 1-9 after their initial Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference game at Williamsport Saturday.
* * * * * * * * * *
MEN\’S SOCCER
WASHINGTON, Pa. – John Lhota of Clearfield set up the first two goals of Washington & Jefferson\’s 3-1 win over Waynesburg Saturday that kept the Presidents tied atop the Presidents\’ Athletic Conference with Thomas More at 2-0.
The junior midfielder\’s assists in the 17th and 27th minutes sent Mike Pappas on his way to a hat trick, the final goal coming on a penalty kick with only 27 seconds remaining.
Waynesburg\’s goal was the first allowed by W & J in almost 617 minutes.
The Presidents, who defeated host Penn State-Behrend 2-0 in a non-conference game on Wednesday, are 9-3 with a seven-game winning streak.
Lhota sports one goal and three assists as a started in all but one of the games.
* * * * *
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Junior Mark Auman of Clearfield was a starting midfielder and recorded two shots for Lock Haven in a 1-0 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover game Saturday.
Four days earlier, he saw action as a reserve as the Bald Eagles (4-7-2) lost 2-1 to visiting Mercyhurst to fall to 1-5 in the PSAC West Division.
Auman has assisted on two goals in 11 games, five as a starter.
* * * * * * * * * *
MEN\’S SWIMMING
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Freestyle sprinter John Lytle of Clearfield began his senior season on the Notre Dame swimming team by helping the Fighting Irish win the 400-meter free relay and take second in the 400 individual medley relay at the annual Dennis Starks Relays Friday.
Lytle turned a leadoff 46.71-second leg for the freestyle team that posted a 3:10.03. He was followed into the Rolfs Aquatic Center pool by Steven Brus, Thomas Van Volkenberg and Andrew Hoffman.
In the IM relay, Lytle led off again with a 53.46 as the Fighting Irish touched second to Michigan in 3:38.93. Hoffman, Van Volkenberg and Peter Koppel were the other swimmers in the foursome.
In the 200 free relay, Lytle swam a 21.31 leg, but the Fighting Irish quartet later was disqualified.
Notre Dame, with 162 points, placed second in the five-team field.
Michigan swept all of 10 swimming events, including the 400 free relay in which the Wolverines competed as an exhibition entry, to cop the title with 194 points. Oakland (Mich.) was third with 136, followed by Valparaiso (Ind.) with 92 and Cleveland State with 82.
Lytle owns Notre Dame records for the 50 free (20.05), 100 free (43.36) and 200 free (1:35.79), all set at the 2009 Big East Conference Championships. He won the 200, finished second in the 100 and placed fifth in the 50.
In addition, he swam on four relay teams that set standards for the Fighting Irish program during the conference meet. The 400 free (2:54.08) and 800 free (6:27.19) foursomes also broke Big East marks with their gold-medal efforts, while the 200 free (1:19.42) and 400 medley (3:16.74) quartets placed second and fifth, respectively.
Lytle has earned All-Big East Conference honors, which require a top-three finish at the annual conference meet, a total of 16 times in his first three seasons.
