FOOTBALL
CLARION – Redshirt junior inside linebacker Nate Sipes of Curwensville was honored for an outstanding first season at Clarion by landing a berth on the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division second team announced earlier this week.
The 6-foot, 240-pounder, who played 20 games at Slippery Rock in 2007 and 2008 after redshirting for two years because of injuries, led the Golden Eagle defense in tackles six times and wound up with 99 stops that were topped only by East Stroudsburg linebacker Mike Bergey’s 110 in the PSAC.
Sipes, whose 63 assists were No. 1 in the conference, finished with four tackles for losses of 12 yards, one sack for eight yards, two passes broken up and two fumble recoveries.
He turned in double-digit tackle performances in four games, including 14 against both Slippery Rock and Indiana.
The Secondary Education major is the son of Leland and Tammy Sipes.
Clarion was 2-5 in the PSAC-West and 3-8 overall.
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CLARION – Clarion redshirt free safety Shawn Sopic of Curwensville recently was named to the Capital One First Team Academic District 1 Team, qualifying for the national ballot and consideration for the NCAA Division II Academic All-America Team.
The Academic All-America program is run and voted on by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).
Sopic, the son of Steve Sopic and Barb and Randy Hutton, is a Chemistry major with a 3.91 cumulative Grade Point Average.
“Shawn is truly deserving of this honor,” head coach Jay Foster said in a Clarion Sports Information Department release. “Shawn epitomizes the true meaning of the term “student-athlete” and we are proud that he is here at Clarion University.
“He has been an outstanding player on the field, a great student and a true leader of our team.”
Sopic, a 2011 team captain, had 64 tackles, second-best for the Golden Eagles, with two tackles for losses, one interception, two passes defended and two fumbles caused after sitting out the 2010 season because of a knee injury.
He was a four-year starter with career totals of 229 tackles, five interceptions, 16 pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries and three fumbles caused.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Junior Parker Herrington of Clearfield kicked five extra points and one field goal for Air Force (6-5) in Saturday’s 45-17 Mountain West Conference win over Nevada-Las Vegas in front of 24,401 fans at Falcon Stadium.
His field goal, a 27-yarder, came with 10 seconds left in second quarter and gave the Falcons a 24-10 halftime lead.
Herrington was wide left from 34 and 42 yards earlier, the first missed he had after making 10 consecutive field goals.
He has made 14 of 17 tries for 82.4 percent that is best in the conference along with his 1.27 field goals per game.
Herrington’s 76 points lead the Falcons in scoring, and his 6.9 points per game are second among kickers and sixth overall in the MWC.
Herrington was named the mid-season All-Mountain West Conference third team specialist by Phil Steele’s Magazine.
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PITTSBURGH – Redshirt sophomore offensive linemen Nick Redden of Clearfield saw action at center and both guard positions and also blocked on the punt, extra point and field goal units as Duquesne (9-2) punctuated an outstanding season by claiming a share of the Northeast Conference championship with a 45-10 victory over Robert Morris (2-9) Saturday.
A crowd of 2,410 saw the Dukes extended their Rooney Field winning streak to seven by dominating the Colonials after trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Albany (N.Y.) will represent the NEC in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs by virtue of its 38-10 win over Duquesne on Oct. 8.
Redden played in every game for the Dukes, who finished 7-1 in the NEC.
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MEN’S BASKETBALL
NEW WILMINGTON – Junior starting guard Matt Shiner of Clearfield pumped in 14 points in 30 minutes as Westminster opened the season with a 72-69 win over visiting Oberlin (Ohio) in Buzz Ridl Gymnasium last Wednesday.
Shiner, who also had one assist and one steal in the non-conference game, got the Titans off to a 6-0 start with two of his trio of three-pointers in the first two minutes and wound up one of four Titans to score in double figures.
Westminster hosted the 20th annual Buzz Ridl Classic Friday and Saturday, falling 94-92 to Otterbein (Ohio) and 82-62 to Capital (Ohio).
Shiner had four points and one rebound in 12 minutes against Otterbein and two points, three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes against Capital.
He played in 11 games at Penn State Behrend as a freshman before transferring to Westminster.
Last season, Shiner appeared in 22 games for the 7-19 Titans, averaging 12.8 minutes, and getting three starts.
He started three of the last four games and hit double figures twice to finish with 91 points.
Shiner pulled down 31 rebounds, dished out four assists, made 11 steals and blocked one shot.