CLARION GRIDDERS VISIT LIU-POST ON SATURDAY AT 1PM
 
            After winning the season opener 7-0 over Fairmont State in exciting fashion, the Golden Eagles turn their attention to LIU-Post (formerly C.W. Post) this week in game 2 of the 2012 football season. Clarion travels to LIU-Post Saturday, Sept. 8 for a 1p.m. kickoff at Hickox Field.
 
            All the game action between Clarion and LIU-Post can be heard on the Golden Eagle radio  network, which includes WCCR-FM, 92.7 in Clarion and WKQW-FM, 96.3 in Oil City, as well as on the internet at Redzonemedia.com with Mike Kalinowski providing the play by play and Joe Lodanosky offering color commentary.
 
FOSTER IN 7^TH SEASON/ CLARION POSTS 3-8 MARK IN 2011
2009 EAGLES 8-3 - 2^ND IN PSAC-WEST – 8^TH IN SUPER REGION 1
 
            Clarion head coach Jay Foster, in his seventh season leading the Golden Eagles, has his team off to a 1-0 start after an exciting 7-0 win over WVIAC foe Fairmont State. A game televised live on ROOT Sports on Thursday, August 30, Clarion took a 7-0 lead in the third quarter when junior qb Ben Fiscus hit freshman Mark Nicholas on a 27-yard td pass. The defense went on to pitch a shutout – including a goal line stand in the final 30-seconds – to post the victory. Now Clarion turns to the toughest part of its 2012 schedule with three consecutive road games at LIU-Post, and two PSAC-West opponents in Mercyhurst and Gannon.
 
            The Golden Eagles were 3-8 in 2011 and posted a 2-5 mark in the rugged PSAC-Western Division. The Golden Eagles won three of their final six games, including wins over Lock Haven (54-6), Gannon (28-21) and Millersville (34-20). Other close losses include a 42-38 setback in the final seconds against Mercyhurst after leading 38-14 in the third quarter, and close losses to Fairmont State (31-17) and Edinboro (21-10).
 
The 2010 Eagles were 4-7 overall and 3-4 in the rugged PSAC-West, while the 2009 squad was 8-3 overall, 6-1 in the West and earned an 8^th place ranking in the NCAA D-II East Region final poll. Coach Foster was named the 2009 PSAC-West “Coach of the Year”. Foster enters the game with a career record of 20-47.
 
2011 PSAC-EAST CO-CHAMPS LIU-POST RETURN 15 STARTERS IN 2012
 
            The Clarion game is the 2012 season opener for LIU-Post, led by veteran head coach Bryan Collins. Collins is beginning his 13^th season at the helm of the Pioneers with an outstanding record of 107-47.
 
            In 2011 the Pioneers earned a share of the PSAC-East title with a 6-1 divisional record and an overall mark of 7-4. Post started the year 0-3 with losses to AIC (13-7), Cal (41-13) and Mercyhurst (34-7), before catching fire and winning 7 of its final 8 contests. Post had impressive wins over Shippensburg (40-22), West Chester (34-23), Millersville (24-6) and East Stroudsburg (34-30), lost to Kutztown (42-30), then finished with wins over Bloomsburg (24-21), Cheyney (42-27) and Gannon (33-15).
 
             
CLARION VERSUS POST IN FIRST SERIES GAME
 
            In the rich tradition of Clarion and LIU-Post football, the two schools have not met on the gridiron. This will be the first game between the two schools.
 
CLARION OFFENSE AVERAGING 291 YARDS & 7 PPG IN 2012
 
            The Clarion offense managed 291 yards of offense against Fairmont St. in the opener, rushing for 155 yards and passing for 136. In 2011 the Golden Eagles averaged 22.5 ppg and 332.6 yards of total offense per game. Clarion averaged 218 rushing yards and 114.6 passing yards per game.
 
QB BEN FISCUS LEADS OFFENSE
 
            Junior signal caller Ben Fiscus (Jr. Indiana) will lead Clarion's offense. Fiscus rushed for 77 yards while completing 14 of 21 passes for 136 yards and 1 td in the opener. Since earning the starting qb spot midway through 2010 Fiscus has rushed for 1,396 yards (tied for 16^th with Fred Rost (1969-71) career yards on 300 attempts (4.65 per carry) with 11  td's. He has now passed for 1,997 career yards (176 of 354) and 13 td's.  In 2011 Ben was Clarion's leading rusher and ranked 10^th in the PSAC in rushing with 737 yards and 5 td's on 155 attempts (10 games). He also hit on 100 of 207 passes for 1,148 yards and 5 td's. He rushed for 204 yards and 2 td's against Lock Haven. The backup is Anthony Omogrosso (So. Beaver Falls).
 
REID, NICHOLAS, PERRY & BEACOATE LEAD RECEIVERS
 
            Ready to catch passes from Fiscus will be junior Jon Reid (Stafford, Va.), Anthony Becoate (Sr. McKeesport), Mark Nicholas (Fr. Export/Franklin Regional) and Nick Perry (Fr. Bumpass, Va.).
 
            Reid leads the team with 5 catches for 58 yards, and also led the team in 2011 with 24 grabs for 281 yards and 2 td's. Becoate, who did not catch a pass in the opener, clutched 13 aerials for 186 yards and 1 td last year and now has career totals of 28 catches, 389 yards, 4 td's. Nicholas and Perry are true freshmen. Nicholas had 3 catches for 34 yards and 1 td, while Perry had 2 grabs for 12 yards.
 
            Also expected to see action are Aaron Barlow (Sr. Ambridge) and Garrett Sigler (Fr. Ford City), along with tight ends Mike Deitrick (Upper St. Clair) and Evan Mastele (Pgh – North Catholic).
 
THOMAS LOOKS TO KEY RUNNING BACKS IN 2012
 
            Former safety turned running back Bobby Thomas (So. Reading/Exeter Twp.), had a very successful debut versus Fairmont State rushing for 80 yards on 20 carries, while also catching 2 passes for 21 yards. He ran for over 1,000 yards his senior year in high school at Exeter Twp. Last year at safety he posted 38 tackles and 1 tfl as a red-shirt freshman. He will be backed up by Travis Day (Fr. Hempfield), Malcolm Hailstock (So. Farrell – 2011 at Cheyney), Chris Liberto (Fr. Springdale) and Cameron Dixon (So. Elizabeth Forward).
 
FELKER, VERCELLI, PERFILIO LEAD OFFENSIVE LINE
 
            The “O” line has three talented starters returning in captain and tackle Mike Felker (6-4, 280, Jr. Gibsonia/Pine Richland), guard Andrew Vercelli (Sr. Gibsonia/Deer Lakes) and center Terrance Perfilio (Jr. Farrell). Felker in his third season as a starter and 2010 PSAC-West selection, while Vercelli was a PSAC-West choice in 2011. Perfilio had several starts at center a year ago and is a 2-year letterwinner. Also starting up front are Ryan Barrick (So. Easton)  at tackle and Eli Rupert (Sr. Indiana-Apollo Ridge) at the other guard spot. Also seeing time will be Tyler Edwards (So. Ambridge) at tackle, Shane Cress (Fr. Mars) and Matt Kundick (So. Beaver) at guards and Andrew Moore (Jr. Brashear) and Cameron Cress (Fr. Mars) at center.
 
8 STARTERS RETURN ON IMPROVED EAGLE DEFENSE
 
            Defense wins championships and the Golden Eagles return 8 starters from last year's unit, as well as some quality young players to provide quality overall depth for 2012. Clarion yielded 321 yards in the opener including only 34 rushing yards and 321 passing yards for a total offense of 355. Last year Clarion gave up  412.1 yards of total offense and 31.4 points per game.
 
DEFENSIVE FRONT LOOKS SOLID
 
            Clarion's defensive line was impressive in the opener, helping hold the Falcons to only 34 rushing yards in 30 attempts. Paving the way up front will be Adam Bostick (Jr. Lititz), Jacob Heintz (So. Pine-Richland), Sean Motley (Sr. West Mifflin), Matt Shuey (So. Johnsonburg), Ryan Slack (Sr. Norwin) and Julian Howsare (So. Altoona). Bostick led the line with 4 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 pass breakup and 1 interception. Heintz (2 hits, 1 tfl), Motley (2 tfl's, 1 sack), Shuey (2 stops), Slack (2 jolts, 1 tfl), and the return of Julian Howsare, who sat out the opener, give the front wall quality depth. Howsare had 29 tackles, 4 sacks and 7 tfl's in 2011.
 
Red-shirt freshmen Brandon Short (New Brighton) and Andrew Fragale (Fr. Emporium/Cameron County – 3 stops, 1 tfl) will also see plenty of time.
 
SIPES & PALMIERE ANCHOR CLARION LINEBACKERS
 
            The strength of the Clarion defense might well be in its linebacking corps. It doesn't get much better than Nate Sipes (Sr. Curwensville) and sophomore Brian Palmiere (So. Tarentum/Deer Lakes). Sipes posted 8 hits in the opener, while Palmiere had 10 tackles and 1 tfl. Sipes was an All PSAC-West selection in 2011 leading the team and finishing #3 in the PSAC with 99 tackles. He also chipped in with 4 tfl's, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 break-ups. Palmiere meanwhile had a strong season as a true freshman posting 43 hits, 5 sacks, 12 tfl's, 1 fumble recovery and 1 fumble caused in 9 games.
 
Also expecting to see some time are Jared Davis (Fr. Pgh – Allderdice), Eddie Kurtz (Fr. Avonworth) and Rocco Yauger (Fr. Penn Trafford).
 
STIMAC & PARONISH LEAD TALENTED EAGLE SECONDARY
 
            Senior corner Anthony Stimac (East Brady/Karns City) and safety Andrew Paronish (Sr. Hastings/Northern Cambria) lead a quality secondary in 2012. Paronish, the PSAC-West “Defensive Player of the Week” against Fairmont, posted 6 tackles, caused and recovered a big fumble in Clarion territory, and made an important interception deep in Clarion territory in the fourth quarter to help preserve the win. He had 41 stops, 2 tfl's, 1 fumble recovery and 1 fumble caused in 2011 and has career numbers showing 118 tackles, 3 int's, 2 tfl's.
 
Stimac, a team captain in 2012, led the team in tackles with 11 against Fairmont. He is a three-year starter who holds the Clarion record for longest interception return for a td, which was a 100-yard return at Slippery Rock a year ago. Stimac had 54 hits, 2 int's, 2 tfl's and 2 beak-ups in 2012. In his career he has posted 99 tackles and 2 int's.
 
            Also leading the secondary are transfer Kyle McWreath (So. Washington/Trinity HS),  Mike Zak (Jr. Orchard Park, N.Y.), Peter Rivera (So. Allentown/Bethlehem Catholic), Malik King (Fr. Coraopolis/Cornell), Matt Long (Jr. Pgh – North Catholic), Tyler Tucker (So. Westside, Tx.) and Kwaku Asamoah (Fr. Indiana). Zak posted 34 hits and 2 tfl's last year, while Rivera notched 27 stops, 2 tfl's and 1 interception. Long also contributed 4 hits before an injury shortened his season.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS WELCOME BACK CONWAY
 
            The Clarion special teams will be anchored again by punter Nathan Conway (Jr. Lock Haven/Central Mountain), who will also double as the Clarion placekicker in 2012.
 
            Conway, a two-year starter (2009, 2011) at punter, averaged 35.2 yards per punt a year ago, but the average is a bit deceiving – pointed out coach Foster. Conway booted 16 punts inside the 20, and had 14 punts fair caught.  He averaged 37.9 yards per punt as a freshman in 2009.
 
TALENTED QB STEVEN LAURINO LEADS POTENT POST OFFENSE
 
            LIU-Post returns 9 starters from a very potent offensive group in 2011 that expects to score plenty of points in 2012. The Pioneers averaged 372.2 yards of offense and 26.2 ppg in 2011. Post gained 191.6 yards on the ground and 180.5 through the air.
 
            Laurino is a dual threat on offense both running and passing the pigskin. He completed 147 of 260 passes (56.5%) for 1,865 yards and 18 td's with only 9 int's. He also toted the pigskin 190 times for 764 yards and 3 td's as the top running qb in the PSAC.
 
            Laurino has plenty of quality targets returning to the lineup. Grayson Laurino (33 catches, 443 yards, 3 td's), Kyle Hardy (19 grabs, 319 yards, 3 td's), Joe Botti (14 receptions, 307 yards, 5 td's) and Sean Persch (14 catches, 178 yards, 1 td) all return to support the passing game.
 
            Top running back Jeff Mack, who led the team with 865 yards and 8 td's on 169 carries (5.1 ypc), can also catch the ball after grabbing 20 aerials for 142 yards and 1 td a year ago. Thomas Beverly (139 yards, 3 td's) also returns in the backfield.
 
POST DEFENSE RETURNS 5 STARTERS
 
            The Pioneer defense yielded 24.9 points per game and 370.5 yards of offense per contest in 2011. The defense gave up 111 yards rushing and 259.5 passing for a total defense of 370.5 yards per game.
 
            The 2012 defensive front will be a little young with sophomore noseguard Dan Belfiore (17 hits, 2.5 tfl's), sophomores David Sumter and Joseph Thompson, along with freshman Brandon Cheney in the starting roles.
 
            The linebacking corps will have Rob Bright (25 stops, 2.5 tfl's, 1 int) and Anton Rukaj (25 hits) in the middle.
 
            A veteran secondary returns to anchor the defense with Antonio Powell-Fields (75 tackles, 6.5 tfl's, 1 int), Chris Dilorio (38 jolts, 5.5 tfl's, 1 int), Casey Biasi (37 tackles, 2 int's), D.J. Young (31 stops, 2 int's) and Evan Flowers (57 jolts, 1 int) all returning.
 
            Punter Grayson Laurino returns after averaging 37.5 yards per punt in 2011 with 16 punts placed inside the 20.
 
            CLARION NOTES:  Clarion qb Ben Fiscus is ranked 16^th in career rushing with 1,396 yards – tied with former runner Fred Rost (1969-71)… Fiscus is the #1 career rushing leader among qb's, passing Adam Almashy (1999-2002) who had 1,339 yards during his career … Next up on the list will be Mickey Catello (1965-67), who had 1,420 rushing yards … Clarion's opening night for the new Spirit Group – the Eagles Nest – was extremely successful in the Fairmont game … Over 650 students attended the game – received their Eagles Nest T-Shirt – and cheered the Golden Eagles on to victory … The Eagles Nest is a preferred seating section for current students --- formed to help raise attendance for selected Clarion athletic programs during the 2012-13 season.