FOOTBALL
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Redshirt senior quarterback Tanner Kelly of Olanta (Clearfield Area High School) ran for one touchdown, passed for another and piled up nearly 300 yards in total offense as undefeated and nationally-ranked Albright pulled away from host King\’s 34-16 at McCarthy Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Albright faithful among the 650 fans who braved the elements cheered the Lions to their sixth win, which is the school\’s best start since the 1997 team went 9-1 and kept them tied with Delaware atop the Middle Atlantic Conference at 3-0.
Kelly gained 38 yards on nine keepers, including a pair of sacks, and connected on 24 of 35 passes for 255 yards. In addition, he punted seven times for a 32-yard average, but five of his kicks forced the Monarchs to start possessions inside their own 20.
After King\’s tied the score at 13 with 1:19 left in the second quarter, Kelly guided the Lions, aided by a personal foul penalty, to the go-ahead TD in just 59 seconds. He completed six of eight aerials for 59 yards, the payoff an 11-yarder to Nate Romig with 13 ticks on the halftime clock.
Albright responded to a Monarch field goal late in the third period with an 55-yard drive Kelly capped with an eight-yard run 3:14 into the final quarter.
Kelly has keyed an attack unit that leads the MAC in passing and total yards and scoring.
The Albright signal-caller is No. 1 in completion percentage (73.01) on 119 completions in 163 attempts, passing yards (1,650) and average per game (275), passing efficiency (182.3) and total offense (1,934 yards) and average per-game (322.3). He is third in TD aerials with 12 and currently is one of only three quarterbacks among the NCAA Division III\’s top 100 without an interception.
Kelly also is No. 8 in MAC rushing with a 47.3 per-game average for 284 yards on 66 carries and fifth in punting with a 35.4 average for 17 kicks.
In D-III national statistics for the top 100 passers, Kelly ranks No. 3 in completion percentage, No. 7 in passing efficiency, No. 11 in total offense yards per play (8.45), No. 13 in yards per completion (13.87), No. 17 in total offense per game, No. 21 in passing yards (1,650) and No. 42 in yards per completion (13.87).
Despite beating King\’s, Albright slipped from 23rd to 24th in this week\’s American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll but climbed from fourth place to a tie with Alfred for third in the second Eastern College Athletic Conference Lambert Meadowlands Division III Poll.
* * * * *
CLARION, Pa. – Junior safeties Nick Sipes and Shawn Sopic of Curwensville combined for a dozen stops on Clarion\’s defense, and the Golden Eagles came from behind in the fourth quarter to jolt Mercyhurst 29-25 with a share of second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division on the line Saturday afternoon.
The teams, which were tied for eighth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Lambert Meadowlands Division II poll, matched 4-3 records with 3-1 PSAC-West logs in front of 1,101 rooters at Memorial Stadium, and the visitors appeared on their way to victory by dominating through three periods.
However, the Golden Eagles outscored the Lakers 22-6 in the final 10:41, with Alfonso Hoggard wriggling 22 yards through the Mercyhurst defense for the winning touchdown 2:18 before the final horn. The TD was his third of the game.
Sipes was involved in eight tackles, with just one solo stop, and Sopic had two solo tackles and two assists in addition to breaking up one pass as Clarion moved into a tie with Edinboro at 4-1 behind California (5-0) and exceeded the victory total of head coach Jay Foster\’s first three teams (4-29) with the school\’s first three-game winning streak in five years.
Sipes, the No. 3 tackler in the PSAC, leads the Golden Eagles with 40 tackles and 37 assists. He has been in on nine tackles for losses of 32 yards and five sacks for 20 yards as well as forcing one fumble.
Sopic is fourth with 40 stops, including 17 solo tackles, and has broken up five passes and blocked one kick. Two of his tackles have been for losses of three yards.
Clarion moved up one spot to seventh in this week\’s second ECAC Lambert Meadowlands D-II poll.
* * * * *
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Juniata senior safety Beau Ryan of Clearfield snuffed out one Gettysburg drive with his third interception of the season, but the Bullets weren\’t to be denied on most of their other possessions and rolled past the Eagles 59-14 on Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
Ryan\’s pick in the end zone with 25 seconds left in the second quarter kept Juniata\’s deficit at 28-14 in the Centennial Conference battle that attracted 854 fans.
However, the Bullets only enhanced their status as the No. 1 offense in NCAA Division III with a 31-point second half en route to outgaining the Eagles 687-292 with three backs rushing for more than 100 yards and Jamel Mutanga scoring five touchdowns.
Ryan made four solo tackles and assisted on two others while classmate Devin Yastro of Olanta (Clearfield Area H.S.) had one stop for Juniata, which has lost five consecutive Centennial Conference games for an 0-7 record.
Freshman safety Isiah Morgan of Clearfield also saw action for the Eagles.
Juniata season stats show Ryan with 32 tackles, including 23 solo stops, Yastro with one tackle and one assist and Morgan with one assist.
Ryan\’s three interceptions are the third most in the Centennial Conference, with his 0.43 average per game tied for sixth.
* * * * *
OBERLIN, Ohio – Freshman quarterback David Kalgren of Curwensville turned in his best passing day and accounted for 216 of Oberlin\’s 262 total yards, but the Yeomen reached paydirt only one time and bowed to visiting Kenyon 21-9 in front of 489 fans at Savage Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Kalgren completed a 13 of 28 aerials for 139 yards, all personal highs, and added 77 yards rushing for 15 carries, one a 24-yarder that was his longest run of the season. He suffered one interception and was sacked once for a loss of four yards.
The start was the third in six games for Kalgren, who padded his season totals to 215 yards and a 3.9 average on the ground and 313 yards through the air via 36 completions in 75 attempts.
He run for one touchdown and passed for two scores for the 0-6 Yeomen, now 0-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
* * * * *
PISCATAWAY, N.Y. – With redshirt sophomore Andrew Janocko of Clearfield handling the snap, Dan Hutchins booted a career-long 45-yard field goal to break a 7-7 tie with 11:29 left in the first half, and Pitt went on to defeat host Rutgers 24-17 in a nationally-televised Big East Conference clash witnessed by 50,296 fans in Rutgers Stadium Friday night.
Hutchins was wide right on a 42-yarder earlier in the second quarter, his first miss of the season, and also on a 30-yarder that would have given the Panthers a 10-point lead with 2:31 remaining. He nailed his three extra-point attempts and is 27-for-29 on PATs and 8-for-10 on field goal kicks.
Rookie tailback Dion Lewis, who left nearby Blair Academy early to enroll at Pitt in January, ran for 180 yards and his ninth and 10th touchdowns of the season as the Panthers remained atop the conference at 3-0. He was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week and Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week.
Pitt (6-1), ranked No. 19 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll as well as the first Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings this week, will welcome South Florida (5-1, 1-1) to Heinz Field Saturday for a conference game that will be an ESPN regional telecast kicking off at noon.
* * * * *
ERIE, Pa. – Redshirt junior offensive lineman J.D. Skebo of Curwensville was on the forward wall for the Slippery Rock extra point and field goal units Saturday in a wild Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division game that saw Gannon hold on for a 51-48 victory to delight the crowd of 1,005 at Gannon University Field.
The Rock (5-2, 2-3 PSAC West) couldn\’t protect a pair of two-touchdown leads and saw its NCAA Division II playoff hopes dimmed after entering the game ranked fifth in the Super Region One poll.
The difference actually was a blocked extra point try by Chris Bahr of State College after Slippery Rock scored with 2:13 left in the first half for a 27-14 lead. Golden Knight John Chisolm picked up the ball and returned it for two points, making it a three-point swing.
Bahr, who had kicked a Slippery Rock-record 65 consecutive PATS, aggravated an Achilles injury trying to chase down Chisolm, and Kurt Brackman made one of two point-after kicks in the second half.
* * * * * * * * * *
WOMEN\’S SOCCER
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Juliana Howell of Clearfield notched her second game-winning goal of the season as Slippery Rock blanked Wheeling (W.Va.) Jesuit 5-0 last Wednesday after learning the NCAA Division II Selection Committee had listed The Rock No. 7 in the latest Atlantic Region rankings.
Howell was all alone in front of the net when Shelby Layman sent a rebound off a blocked shot to her for the easy goal just 43 seconds into the non-conference game.
In the eighth minute, Howell assisted on the first of two goals by Ashley Paganie.
The Rock junior, starting and getting much more playing time since being switched from forward to midfielder, launched a shot on goal in Saturday\’s 1-0 win at Clarion that kept Slippery Rock in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division playoff hunt at 4-3-3.
In 12 games, including three starts, Howell has five points and leads The Rock (8-3-3) in shots on goal percentage (75.0) for her 12 shots.
* * * * *
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Dani Struble of Lumber City (Curwensville Area H.S.) knocked in the insurance goal for Westminster in a 2-0 victory over visiting St. Vincent on Oct. 12.
The junior forward, third in scoring for the 11-4-1 Lady Titans with 14 points, set the final score at the 46:08 mark with an unassisted effort.
She followed up with three more shots, though none were on goal, in Friday\’s 2-1 overtime win over Geneva at Beaver Falls.
Struble leads the Lady Titans in shots on goal with 20 of her 56 attempts on target, with three of her five goals being game-winners.
Westminster is tied for third place in the Presidents\’ Athletic Conference at 2-1.
* * * * *
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Junior midfielder Jen Williams of Clearfield still is tied for fifth in scoring for Lock Haven with the six points she registered with three goals in the season opener.
She has nine starts for the Lady Eagles, including three games last week.
Lock Haven lost 2-1 to Lake Erie in overtime at Painsville, Ohio, Monday, 4-1 to Mercyhurst Wednesday and 5-0 to Gannon at Erie Saturday.
The latter two defeats dropped the Lady Eagles to 2-7-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division and 3-9-1 overall.
Williams logged only her fourth shot of the season against Lake Erie.
* * * * *
NORTH EAST, Pa. – Freshman midfielder Jilissa Keller of Grampian (Curwensville Area H.S.) started every game for Penn State DuBois, which closed the first of the program with a 5-1 loss to host Mercyhurst North East Saturday.
Keller, who attempted one shot in the finale, wound up with one goal and one assist for the Lady Lions, who finished 1-10.
* * * * * * * * * *
MEN\’S SOCCER
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Junior midfielder John Lhota of Clearfield got off one shot in both of Washington & Jefferson\’s road outings last week.
The Presidents had their seven-game winning streak halted by Geneva 2-1 at Beaver Falls Tuesday and played St. Vincent to a scoreless tie in double overtime at Latrobe Friday.
Lhota has netted one goal, a game-winner, to go with three assists and ranks sixth on the team with five points. A starter in ever game, he has been credited with 10 shots.
* * * * *
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Junior midfielder Alan Baldwin of Olanta (Clearfield Area H.S.) saw action for Westminster in a 3-2 road setback to Geneva Friday.
He has played in nine games for the Titans, who also fell 2-1 in overtime to St. Vincent last Monday and are 6-9 with a 1-1 Presidents\’ Athletic Conference record.
