larion University's football team led the PSAC-West with 12 players on the overall team and Troy Bowers (Jr. Columbus, Ohio - Westerville South) was named the PSAC-West "Defensive Player of the Year" today in voting done by the PSAC-West coaches and announced by the conference office.

The Golden Eagles had three players named to the West first team and they were Bowers, a 6'0, 285-pound defensive noseguard, Jabari Weatherspoon (Jr., 6-3, 230, Pensacola, Fla./B.T. Washington HS) at linebacker and Reggie Wells (Sr., 6-4, 230, Library/ South Park HS) at offensive tackle.

Clarion also had 9 players selected to the PSAC-West second team and they were QB Adam Almashy (Sr., Newton Falls, Oh), running back Robert Walker (Sr., Miramar, Fla./ Western HS), tight end Tom Pore (Sr., Shippenville/ Keystone), offensive guard Ryan Duchon (Sr., Alliance, Ohio) and offensive tackle Brandon Price (Sr., Delaware, Oh./ Hayes HS) on offense. The defensive players included defensive tackle Tim Connolly (So., Schwenksville/ Perkiomen Valley), outside linebacker Kevin Platz (Sr., Chardon, Oh.), linebacker Scott McGrady (Sr., Mechanicsburg/ Jackson HS) and defensive back Myron Hargon (Jr., Gainesville, Fla./ Bucholtz).

Clarion posted a 7-4 overall record in 2002 and finished the PSAC-West with a 3-3 league mark. Ninth year head coach Malen Luke has a Clarion record of 48-50. He led Clarion to PSAC-west titles in 1996 and 2000 and the NCAA "Final Four" in 1996. His 15-year collegiate record stands at 85-71.

Bowers earned his West "Player of the Year" honors by leading the entire PSAC with 27 tackles for loss for a -109 yards, and in quarterback sacks with 12 qb sacks for -77 yards. He finished the season with 70 tackles (39 solos), 2 fumbles caused and a blocked kick and was one of four team captains.

"Troy really deserved this award," said Clarion head coach Malen Luke. "I think he's the premier defensive player in the conference. He has size, strength and quickness and uses them all to his advantage. Along with that he spends more time than anyone preparing for his opponent. He's ready to play every week."

A three year starter, Bowers was a first team PSAC-West choice in 2000 when he led the PSAC in tfl's with 20 (-77 yards) and posted 8 sacks for -42 yards along with 41 tackles and 1 fumble recovery. As a freshman in 1999 he had 33 tackles, 6 tfl's and 4 sacks and he sat out the 2001 season. In his career Bowers has accumulated 144 tackles (70 solos), 53 tfl's for -218 yards, 24 qb sacks for -149 yards and 5 fumbles caused. He is the son of Deborah Bowers.

Wells, a 6-4, 300-pound, senior, left offensive tackle, has been scouted by every NFL team his senior season. A quick, strong and agile lineman, Wells runs a 5.0 - 40 yard dash and is known for getting two and three blocks on individual plays. He helped lead Clarion's running game to the #1 spot in the PSAC while averaging 273 yards per game. That total also ranked 6th in all of NCAA Division II in the regular season. Clarion also posted its top two single game rushing performances this year when the Eagles ran for 519 yards against Glenville State in a 59-38 win, and 468 yards against Lock Haven in a 34-31 victory. Wells was also a first team West pick in 2001 and was a Football Gazette Honorable Mention All-American. He was a four-year starter and one of the team captains in 2002. Reggie is a Communication major and the son of Diane and Reggie Wells. His father (Reggie) was a basketball All-American at Clarion and a 1990 Clarion Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

Weatherspoon, a 6-3, 230-pound, junior, outside linebacker, came on in 2002 to have his best season posting 57 tackles, 15 tfl's for - 54 yards, 6 sacks for -34 yards, 3 fumbles caused and 1 interception. He moved to outside linebacker from strong safety where he lettered his first two seasons. In 2001 he had 23 tackles and 2 tfl's and now has career totals of 97 tackles, 17 tfl's, 6 sacks, 3 fumbles caused and 1 interception. He is a Management major and is the son of Patsy Weatherspoon.

Almashy, a 6-2, 190-pound, senior, quarterback, marks the second straight year he has been named to the PSAC-West second team. In 2002 Adam was one of the team's captains and was the team's second leading runner with 513 yards and 6 td's on 137 carries. He also connected on 65 of 144 passes for 804 yards and 5 td's. His top passing year came in 2000 when he passed for 1,700 yards and 16 td's. In his career Adam rushed ranked #13 in career rushing with 1,339 yards and was the first Clarion qb to run for over 1,000 career yards. His 552 carries places him third on the all-time list and his 18 rushing td's places him tied for 6th. As a passer Almashy hit on 360 of 816 aerials for 4,915 yards and 41 td's. He ranks 5th in passing yards, tied for second in td passes, second in passing attempts and third in completions. Adam is the son of Andrew and Joyce Almashy and is an Art major at Clarion.

Walker, a 6-0, 195-pound, senior, tailback, had his top season in 2002 while running for 984 yards and 12 td's on 182 carries. He also caught 9 passes for 37 yards. Walker's 984 yards are the fourth best in a single season behind Steve Witte (1996- 1,352), Ron DeJidas (1996 - 1231) and Elton Brown (1983- 1,214) and his 12 rushing td's are also fourth. He set a single game record of 5 rushing td's against Glenville this season and rushed for 205 yards in the same game. His single game high was 211 yards versus West Chester in 2000. In his career Walker rushed for 2,122 yards and 27 td's on 354 carries. His 2,122 yards ranks fifth all-time and his 27 td's ranks second behind Steve Witte's 41 (1992-96). He averaged 6 yards per carry during his career. Walker is the son of Robert Walker and Jocelyn Miller.

Pore, a 6-3, 270-pound, senior, tight end, earned PSAC-West honors in his first season at that position. Tom grabbed 11 passes for 177 yards and averaged 16.1 yards per catch. He was also a very valuable membor of the offensive line and a quality blocker up front. Pore moved to the offense from defense where he played the D-Line in 2001 and posted 50 tackles, 8 tfl's, 2 sacks and recovered a fumble. In 2000 tom played inside linebacker and notched 35 tackles, 6 tfl's, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble caused. Pore attended Keystone high locally and attended Miami, Ohio before transferring to Clarion. A Management major, he is the son of Randy and Janet Swartzfager.

Duchon, a 6-3, 310-pound, senior, offensive guard, became a 4-year All-Conference selection this season. Consistently a top lineman at Clarion throughout his career, Ryan is a very strong, physical and agile guard for his size. Like Wells, he was a vital cog in the Clarion offensive line helping the Eagles to a PSAC leading 273 rushing yards per game average and a sixth ranking in all of Division II. Duchon was a first team PSAC-West choice in 2000, and a second team selection in 1999, 2001 and 2002. Ryan is a Management major at Clarion and is the son of Jerry and Tami Duchon..

Price, a 6-3, 285-pound, senior, offensive tackle, played right tackle next to Duchon for the last three seasons on Clarion's strong offensive line. A strong and physical lineman with great feet, he was selected for the PSAC-West team for the first time. Brandon earned 4 letters at Clarion and started his career as a tight end, before moving to right tackle. Also a Management major, he is the son of Terrie and Marcia Price.

Connolly, a 6-0, 270-pound, sophomore defensive tackle, had an outstanding season in 2002. He posted 46 tackles (20 solo), 11 tfl's for -28 yards, 4 qb sacks for -13 yards, 2 fumbles caused, 2 broken-up passes, 1 fumble recovery and 4 blocked kicks. His two-year totals include 60 tackles, 14 tfl's, 6 sacks, 2 fumbles caused, recovered and broken-up passes and 4 blocked kicks. Tim is a Secondary Education major at Clarion and the son of Joan and Bill Connolly.

Platz, a 6-3, 225-pound, senior, outside linebacker, finished a stellar career with the Golden Eagles. In 2002 he had 23 hits, 9 tfl's for -42 yards and 6 sacks for -34 yards. A second team PSAC-West choice in 2001, he posted 39 tackles, 12 tfl's, 4 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries. In 2000 he le dthe PSAC with 10 sacks. He finished his career with 110 tackles, 38 tfl's for -175 yards, 22 sacks for -133 yards, 6 fumble recoveries, 2 fumbles caused and 1 break-up. A Communication major, he is the son of Ken and Sue Platz.

McGrady, a 6-0, 230-pound, senior, inside linebacker, led the team this year with 91 tackles (37 solo). He also posted 12 tfl's for -42 yards, 4 sacks for -33 yards, 1 interception and 3 fumble recoveries. A 3-year starter and 4-year letterwinner, McGrady finished his career with 188 tackles, 19 tfl's, 6 sacks, 3 fumbles caused, 3 fumbles recovered, 2 pass break-ups.

Hargon, a 5-11, 175-pound, junior, corner back, joined the PSAC-West second team for the second straight year. In 2002 "Mickey" notched 25 tackles, 13 pass break-ups, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble caused. Last year he had 22 hits, 4 interceptions and 4 break-ups. In his career Hargon has now collected 73 tackles, 8 interceptions and 29 break-ups in his career. A Management major, Hargon is the son of Betty Hargon and Sam Wesley.

CLARION NOTES: Clarion had 12 player on the PSAC-West squad, including 3 first team and 9 second team... IUP totaled 11 players (5-6), Shippensburg 9 (6-3), Edinboro 8 (6-2), Slippery Rock 6 (3-3), California 6 (2-4) and Lock Haven 6 (4-2)... Several All-America teams will be coming out in December including AP, AFCA (American Football Coaches Association), Football Gazette and D-2 Football among others.