FOOTBALL
READING, Pa. – Redshirt senior quarterback Tanner Kelly of Olanta (Clearfield Area High School) passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 62 yards and one score as undefeated Albright, ranked No. 21 in the American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division III Poll and No. 1 in the East Region, rolled past Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (N.J.) 49-28 Saturday.
A crowd of 1,789 in Shirk Stadium saw the Lions (8-0) keep pace with Delaware Valley at 5-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference, setting up a showdown with the Aggies (7-1) Saturday at Doylestown.
Kelly led Albright to a 35-14 halftime lead with an early five-yard TD run, scoring passes of 53 yards to Andrew Castano and 12 yards to Tyrell Drumgo and a two-point conversion pass. His 11-yard TD aerial to running back Josan Holmes made it 49-14 with 7:38 to play.
The 6-3, 215-pounder hit 12 of 15 passes and was intercepted for the first time this season. He was sacked four times for losses of 12 yards.
Also, Kelly was called on to punt three times, averaging 35.0 yards and pinning the Devils inside their 20 on two occasions and sending the other kick into the end zone.
He continues to lead the MAC in almost all passing statistics and rank high in several NCAA Division III categories.
In the MAC, he\’s tops in completions (149), completion percentage (71.63), passing yards (2,071), touchdown passes (16) and passing efficiency (179.69). He\’s also first in total offense with 2,456 yards, an average of 307 per game, stands eighth in rushing with 385 yards for 101 carries and is fifth in punting with a 34.9-yard average for 25 kicks.
In D-III, Kelly ranks third in completion percentage and yards per pass attempt (9.96), sixth in passing efficiency, 17th in total offense per game, 29th in passing yards per game (258.88), 49th in completions per game (18.68) and 21st in points responsible for per game (18).
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EDINBORO, Pa. – Safeties Nick Sipes and Shawn Sopic of Curwensville were involved in 12 and eight tackles, respectively, as the Clarion defense came up big again Saturday as the Golden Eagles punctuated their amazing turnaround season in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division with a come-from-behind 30-17 upset of No. 21-ranked Edinboro.
The Golden Eagles stunned the Sox Harrison Stadium crown of 3,121 by shutting out the Fighting Scots in the second half while the offense was wiping out a 17-6 deficit behind quarterback Tyler Huether, who finished the day with 91 yards and three touchdowns rushing and 169 yards passing.
Clarion, pegged by the coaches in their pre-season poll to place sixth in the PSAC West standings, finished second with a 6-1 log, losing only to unbeaten champion California 35-31 on the road.
The Golden Eagles are 7-3 with a five-game winning streak after their biggest victory since the 2000 team won the PSAC West.
Edinboro (7-3), which was ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II Super Region I, had its playoff hopes dimmed after losing All-America record-setting quarterback Trevor Harris because of a knee injury late in the second quarter.
Sipes, the PSAC\’s leading tackler, made four solo tackles and assisted on eight others, while Sopic added three solo stops and five assists.
Sipes, who has 108 tackles, is second among PSAC defenders in assists with 60 and tied for third in solo tackles with 48. He also has six sacks, 11 tackles for losses of 23 yards and one forced fumble.
Also, Sipes is tied for 13th in NCAA Division II tackles per game with 10.80 and assists per game (6.0) and tied for 52nd in tackles per game (4.8).
Sopic is tied for 46th in the PSAC with 52 tackles, including 24 solo stops. He has two tackles for losses, six passes defended and one blocked punt.
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OBERLIN, Ohio – Freshman quarterback David Kalgren of Curwensville and the Oberlin Yeomen suffered through a long afternoon against nationally-ranked Wabash with 647 fans looking on at Savage Stadium Saturday, turning the ball over five times in losing the North Coast Athletic Conference clash 41-9.
Kalgren completed passes for 128 yards and rushed for 34 yards. He was intercepted once, sacked twice for losses of 20 yards and, early in the second quarter, stripped of the ball with the hosts poised to narrow a 7-3 deficit or possibly take the lead.
Oberlin\’s lone score came on a wide receiver pass.
Kalgren remains the key to the Oberlin (1-7, 1-4 NCAC) offense, accounting for 898 of the Yeomen\’s 1718 yards as the starter in five of the eight games. He is the No. 2 rusher with 315 yards for 84 carriers in addition to completing 67 of 135 passes for 583 yards.
Kalgren has rushed for two touchdowns and passed for three scores. He has been intercepted five times.
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HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Beau Ryan of Clearfield was one of the Juniata seniors honored before the Eagles\’ home finale in Chuck Knox Stadium Saturday afternoon, and the free safety responded with two tackles and two assists against Johns Hopkins in his eighth consecutive start.
The visiting Blue Jays spoiled Senior Day for the Eagles and the crowd of 937 with a 58-7 rout to remain in a three-way tie atop the Centennial Conference.
Freshman safety Isiah Morgan of Clearfield made one tackle for Juniata, now 1-8 with a 1-6 conference record.
For the season, Ryan sports 26 solo stops and 14 assists, a team-high three interceptions and one pass defended in nine games, while Morgan has one solo tackle and one assist in eight games.
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LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Redshirt junior lineman J.D. Skebo of Curwensville centered for the Slippery Rock\’s second team offense during the fourth quarter of Saturday\’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division 47-6 romp over Lock Haven that clinched a winning season.
The Rock, which finished 3-4 in the PSAC West, is 6-4 with one game left after beating the Bald Eagles for the 21st consecutive time, disappointing the majority of the 700 fans who sat through the rain at Hubert Jack Stadium.
Skebo also lined up at guard for the Slippery Rock extra point and field goal units.
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GROVE CITY, Pa. – Junior wingback Tyler Kirkwood of Frenchville (Clearfield Area H.S.) had his number called for the first time and moved the sticks with a 10-yard pass reception in Grove City\’s 35-24 win over Waynesburg in front of 1,800 Robert E. Thorn Field fans Saturday afternoon.
Kirkwood\’s catch came on a fourth-and-one play early in the fourth quarter of the Presidents\’ Athletic Conference game.
Kirkwood has appeared in seven games for the Wolverines, who are 3-5 with a 2-2 PAC record.
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MEN\’S SWIMMING
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Three days after being named the 2009-10 season\’s first Big East Conference Swimming Athlete of the Week honor for a four-win performance against Oakland on Oct. 23, Notre Dame senior tri-captain John Lytle of Clearfield turned in a three-win effort as the Fighting Irish celebrated the 25th anniversary of varsity competition in the Rolfs Aquatic Center with a pair of wins Saturday.
Lytle was a doublewinner in freestyle sprints and joined three teammates for a relay victory for the Fighting Irish, who moved to 3-0 by defeating Cleveland State 178-122 and Miami (Ohio) 232.50-67.50.
He lowered his season mark for the 100-yard freestyle to 45.50 seconds and stopped the clock at 1:41.28 in his first 200 free race.
In the 400 free relay, Lytle led off with a 46.63 split, and Notre Dame went on to triumph in 3:07.71.
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LEWISBURG, Pa. – Freshman Mark Krchnak of Clearfield earned Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week honors for men\’s swimming because of his performances that contributed to Duquesne\’s 155-125 non-conference win over host Bucknell at Kinney Natatorium Saturday afternoon.
Krchnak earned seconds in two individual events and a fifth in another after swimming a 27.01-second breaststroke leg for the Duquesne \’B\’ 200-yard medley relay team that placed third in 1:28.22.
He was second to senior teammate Ian Walsh in two backstroke races, touching the wall in 59.08 in the 100 and 2:11.57 in the 200.
His time of 2:01.66 was good for fifth place in the 200 individual relay.
The Dukes are 1-1.
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Junior Brandon Boyer of Clearfield dove into the University Center Pool water first for Clarion\’s \’B\’ 200-yard freestyle relay team and posted a 22.58-second leg to spark a second-place finish, but the Golden Eagles had their dual meet opener spoiled by host Carnegie Mellon 158-136 Saturday afternoon.
In two individual backstroke events, Boyer placed sixth in the 100 in 56.12 and eighth in the 200 in 2:06.69.
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NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Junior Chris Bodle of Clearfield recorded a 1:02.31 for his 100-yard individual medley leg as Westminster claimed second place with a 4:01.96 in the 400 medley race at the five-team Westminster Relays in the Westminster Natatorium Friday night.
With 94 points, the host Titans finsihed third behind Gannon and Edinboro, which tied for first place with 118 points apiece.
Bodle also anchored the Westminster \’B\’ 400 medley relay quartet with a 53.89 freestyle leg. The Titans swam exhibition, and their 4:08.41 would have been fourth.
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WOMEN\’S SOCCER
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Juliana Howell of Clearfield knocked in a rebound off teammate Alison Hindley\’s shot to help Slippery Rock cap a 14th consecutive winning season with a 2-1 squeaker over Gannon in Pennsylvani State Athletic Conference Western Division action at Thompson Stadium Saturday.
The junior forward-midfielder\’s goal tied the score 25 seconds after the visitors had taken a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.
The Rock, which was edged 1-0 by host Mercyhurst at Erie Wednesday, missed out on the PSAC Tournament with its 6-5-3 record and finished 10-5-3.
A starter in seven of the 16 games she played, Howell registered three goals, including two game-winners, and one assists to tie for fourth on the team with seven points.
She led The Rock in shots-on-goal percentage, 72.2, with 13 of her 18 attempts directed at the net.
Howell will go into her senior season with nine goals and 21 points.
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NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Dani Struble of Lumber City (Curwensville Area H.S.) and her Westminster teammates got a preview of their Presidents\’ Athletic Conference Tournament opener Saturday when they were shut out 3-0 by regular season champion Grove City in their regular season finale.
Struble\’s lone shot was one of only five Lady Titan attempts that were headed for the net.
After nipping Bethany (W.Va.) 1-0 earlier in the week, Westminster (13-6-1) fell to 4-3 for a fourth-place finish in the conference, resulting in a Tuesday semi-final rematch with the Wolverines, who won all seven PAC outings.
Struble, a junior, has started ever game at forward and is the Lady Titans\’ No. 3 scorer with 14 points. She is tied for the team lead in assists with four and tied for third in goals with five. Her 24 shots on goal top the team.
Struble\’s 62 shots rank No. 8 in the PAC. She is tied for fourth in game-winning goals with three and is tied for 10th in assists.
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LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – With the six points goals she recorded in the season-opening win over Ohio Valley, junior midfielder Jen Williams of Clearfield wound up sixth in points for Lock Haven, which closed the season by splitting two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division games last week.
The Lady Eagles trimmed visiting Clairon 4-1 Wednesday and lost 2-0 at Edinboro Saturday to finish 3-10-1 in the PSAC-West and 4-13-1 overall.
Williams, who started 11 of the 18 games she played, tied for third on the team with her three goals, including the game-winner on Aug. 29. She attempted seven shots, and five were on goal.
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MEN\’S SOCCER
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Mark Auman of Clearfield booted his first goal of the season as Lock Haven ended a three-game slide with a 3-0 win over the University of District Columbia in the nation\’s capitol on Thursday.
The junior midfielder\’s second career goal in the 43rd minute capped the scoring.
The Bald Eagles brought down the curtain on their season with another 3-0 victory on their home field Saturday, shutting out Alderson-Broaddus 3-0 with Auman seeing action in a reserve role.
The two non-conference wins set Lock Haven\’s final record at 7-10-2. The Bald Eagles finished 1-7 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division.
Auman played in 14 games, six as a starter, and also assisted on two goals. Six of his 11 shots were on goal.
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NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Junior midfielder Alan Baldwin of Olanta (Curwensville Area H.S.) got into both home games last week as Westminster locked up second place in the Presidents\’ Athletic Conference with 3-0 victories over Bethany (W.Va.) Tuesday and Grove City Saturday.
He has appeared in 13 games with one assist for the 10-9 Titans, who begin defense of their 2008 PAC Tournament championship as the No. 2 seed against visiting Washington & Jefferson Wednesday.
Westminster, which shut out the Presidents 3-0 on Oct. 24, was 5-1 and W & J 4-2 in conference play.
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WASHINGTON, Pa. – John Lhota of Clearfield has one goal and three assists for Washington & Jefferson, which heads into the Presidents\’ Athletic Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed after back-to-back wins over Thiel 5-1 and Bethany (W.Va.) last week.
Lhota, a junior midfielder, did not play in the home finale against Thiel Wednesday but logged his 11th shot of the season at Bethany Saturday.
The 11-6-1 Presidents, who were 4-2 in the conference, will take on No. 2 seed Westminster at New Wilmington Wednesday.
