Labor Day Weekend signals the start of the fall season for high school graduates continuing their athletic careers at the next level, and all of the collegiate teams with former Clearfield Area High School and Curwensville Area High School players and runners are booked for their openers Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
GantDaily will be tracking their careers for the weekly Campus Corner that will detail how they fared in the previous week’s events as well as any honors they may have earned.
Two senior gridders, Air Force Academy kicking specialist Parker Herrington of Clearfield and Oberlin (Ohio) College defensive back David Kalgren of Curwensville, already have received preseason laurels.
Herrington was named to the 2012 Preseason All-Mountain West Conference first team, selected by members of the media, as well as the Watch List for the prestigious Lou Groza College Place-Kicker Award that acclaims the top NCAA Division I kicker.
Kalgren was accorded honorable mention status on the USA Football News 2012 Preseason Division III All-American Team as a result of being named a Preseason Mid-Western Region All-Star. Coaches, sports information directors, certified player agents, football writers across the country and the publication’s staff have input for the selections.
FOOTBALL
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Herrington enters his second season as the Air Force Academy placekicker after an outstanding junior campaign which ended with his selection to the All-Mountain West Conference first team.
The 6-1, 185-pounder made 15 of 18 field goal attempts and went 45-for-48 in extra point tries for 90 points that topped the 7-6 Falcons. His 6.9 average ranked No. 5 in overall conference scoring.
Herrington, a walk-on who kicked for the Falcon junior varsity as a freshman and sophomore, was the MWC leader in field goal percentage (83.3) and average (1.15 per game).
He was 13-for-14 inside 40 yards and booted two or more field goals in five games, with a streak of 10 in a row that included three against Army when his 10 points were the difference in a 24-14 Commander’s Trophy victory. After that performance, Herrington was named collegefootballawards.com Kicker of the Week and MWC Special Teams Player of the Week.
His extra point in overtime punctuated Air Force’s 35-34 win over Navy.
Herrington is one of 30 kickers on the Lou Groza Award Watch List, which will be pared to 20 semifinalists on Nov. 5 and three finalists on Nov. 19, with the winner to be announced on Dec. 6 during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show after voting by a panel that includes Division I head coaches, sports writers, sportscasters, conference representatives, pro kickers and previous winners.
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OBERLIN, Ohio — Kalgren will be winding down an impressive career for Oberlin with a third season in the secondary after making the All-North Coast Athletic Conference second team the last two years.He has started 26 games in a row at quarterback and cornerback after coming off the bench in three of his first four games as a freshman, when he was switched from defense to offense during preseason because of injuries that thinned the Yeomen’s signal-calling corps.
Kalgren led the Yeomen in rushing with 504 yards on 120 carries and passing with 95 completions in 187 attempts for 964 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season.
The 6-0, 195-pounder had an immediate impact on the Oberlin defense as a sophomore, leading the team in tackles (75) and interceptions (4). In addition, he became the Yeomen’s top returner with 333 yards, a 20.8 average, for 16 kickoffs and 102 yards for 14 punts.
Last year, Kalgren was involved in 52 stops, including 44 solo tackles that tied for the team lead, and picked off two passes. He brought back 24 kickoffs for 487 yards, a 20.3 average, and returned seven punts for 54 yards.
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PITTSBURGH — Redshirt junior Nick Redden (Clearfield) is the projected starter at center when Division I Duquesne travels to Norfolk, Va., Saturday to challenge Old Dominion, ranked No. 6 by the American Football Coaches Association and No. 8 by The Sports Network.
Redden, a 6-2, 290-pounder played all 11 games as a backup on the offensive line and a member of the Dukes’ punt, extra point and field goal units last year after seeing action on both the offensive and defensive lines as well as fullback in six games in 2010.
The Dukes, who finished 9-2 and shared the Northeast Conference title with Albany (N.Y.), were on the list of other teams receiving votes in the Sports Network Football Championship Subdivison Top 25 Preseason Poll.
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LORETTO — Sophomore linebacker Andrew Redden (Clearfield) and freshman offensive lineman Todd Munchak (Grampian/Curwensville Area High School) will be looking to make contributions for Division I St. Francis, which goes on the road Saturday to play nationally-ranked James Madison at Harrisonburg, Va.
Both teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision, with James Madison’s Dukes ranked No. 5 by The Sports Network and No. 6 by the coaches.
The 5-11, 199-pound Redden got into five games last season, mostly on special teams, and had one tackle and an assist.
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LOCK HAVEN — Redshirt junior Jesse Hoover (Curwensville) will start at wide receiver for the third year in a row while true freshman Beau Swales (Clearfield) is listed No. 2 at running back for Division II Lock Haven, which opens Thursday night against Fordham, a Football Championship Series team, in the Bronx, N.Y.
Kyle Barrett (Curwensville) is a 6-3, 250-pound redshirt freshman tight end for the Bald Eagles, whose 42-game losing streak is the longest in the nation.
Hoover has pulled in 52 passes for 902 yards and six touchdowns in 20 games.
He was second on the team with 27 receptions for 499 yards as a freshman when he averaged 18.5 yards. Last fall, he tied for the team lead in receptions (35) and was second in receiving yards (403).
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CLARION — Redshirt senior Nate Sipes (Curwensville) is a returning linebacker with Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division second team credentials while freshman Eric White (Clearfield) is a rookie long snapper for Division II Clarion.
The Golden Eagles kick off the season Thursday by welcoming Fairmont (W.Va.) State to Memorial Stadium for a 6:05 p.m. game that will be televised live by ROOT Sports Network (Pittsburgh).
Sipes, who played in 20 games at Slippery Rock in 2007 and 2008 with 38 tackles and one fumble recovery, did an exceptional job plugging a hole in the Clarion defense after a two-year layoff.
The 6-0, 240-pounder’s 36 solo tackles and 63 assists for 99 stops led the Golden Eagles, with his total ranking third in the PSAC.
Sipes recorded one sack, had four tackles for losses and recovered two fumbles.
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SLIPPERY ROCK — Redshirt freshman Derek Morgan (Clearfield) is listed as the backup free safety for Division II Slippery Rock’s opener against Seton Hill Thursday night in Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
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INDIANA — Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Trey Campman (Clearfield) and true freshman running back Alex Holland (Curwensville) are members of the Division II Indiana squad that will host Southern Connecticut in George P. Miller Stadium Saturday.
The Crimson Hawks and California tied for first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Coaches Preseason Poll.
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MILLERSVILLE — Freshman Curtis Frye (Clearfield) is a quarterback candidate for Division II Millersville, which will begin the season with a home game against West Virginia Wesleyan Saturday evening.
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WILLIAMSPORT — Senior Jarrin Campman (Clearfield) returns as a starting receiver for Division III Lycoming, while sophomore kicker Zach Fannin (Clearfield) and freshman offensive lineman Corey Knepp (Bigler/Clearfield Area High School) also are vying for playing time on a team pegged to finish third in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Campman made the most of his opportunity in 2011 after appearing in a reserve role in 11 games his first two years, as the 6-0, 180-pounder emerged as the Warriors’ No. 2 receiver, hauling in 27 aerials for 375 yards and two touchdowns. He also recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score.
Fannin is the back-up to All-MAC kicker Zack Czap of Philipsburg.
The Warriors open Saturday when Brockport (N.Y.) visits David Person Field.
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WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
UNIVERSITY PARK — Junior Gwenn Porter (Clearfield) is a member of the Penn State team that starts the season in the annual Dolan Duals at Lock Haven Friday afternoon.
She has raced in three events in each of her first two seasons with the Lady Lions.
Her personal-bests are 16:24.6 for 4,000 meters and 24:48 for 6,000 meters.
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Please email www.sports@gantnews.com if you know of any other former Clearfield and Curwensville athletes who will be competing for college teams this fall.