CLARION TOPPLES ST. MARYS IN HIGH SCORING AFFAIR 

CLARION – In a contest where defensive stops were almost non-existent, one clutch tackle determined the outcome, as Chris McSwain recorded a sack in the waning seconds allowing Clarion to outlast St. Marys 31-28.

The Bobcats had seemed deflated and battered after watching St. Marys’ rushing attack pile up yardage. Clarion was unable to contain the versatile and varied Dutchman offense, and saw a 17-point lead and nearly the game slip away in the second half.

"We weren’t able to shut them down offensively, but Chris made a great play," Clarion head coach Larry Wiser said. "I feel lucky we came out with a win."

With St. Marys ripping off big runs at an alarming rate, the Bobcats should have considered themselves fortunate. The squad didn’t have an answer for the Dutchmen’s multiple counter formations and were manhandled at the line of scrimmage, as St. Mary’s churned out 337 yards.

Clarion was especially susceptible to the big play regardless of the personnel. Five Dutchmen combined for 16 runs of 10 yards or more.

"We’re young and inexperienced in different places defensively," Wiser said. "It’s a real mystery as to where we were at times."

While Wiser isn’t clear as to where the problem lies, it’s safe to assume opponents will continue to challenge the Bobcats rush defense, which is surrendering 292 yards a game.

As the defense struggled, the Bobcat offense was clicking. A run-oriented team, Clarion used the pass to gain an early lead.

After recovering a fumble at the St. Mary’s 37-yard line, Clarion quickly took to the air. On a third-and-six, Zac Toven found a wide-open Cole Sessions along the right sideline for a 32-yard touchdown and 6-0 advantage.

On the next drive, Clarion cashed in once again. In what proved to be a running theme throughout, the bruising backfield combination of James Myers and Dave Larson helped advance the chains.

Myers bullied his way for 141 yards on 16 carries and was most effective early on, accumulating 92 first-half yards. Larson added 55 yards and a 4-yard touchdown run.

Not to be outdone, Toven scored the first of two touchdowns from a yard out putting Clarion up by 12 points.

Trying to dig itself out of a sizable hole, the Dutchmen turned to their multi-talented quarterback. Lopaka Hoohuli ran for 22 yards on the subsequent drive, but it was his arm that got St. Mary’s on the scoreboard.

Facing third down on the Clarion 5-yard line, Hoohuli rolled to his right and hit Brian Cogley with a nice touch pass to cut the lead to 12-7.

St. Marys head coach Tony Defilippi was glad to see the touchdown pass, but he was a little disappointed that it was Hoohuli’s lone completion of the game.

"We need to get more out of our passing game," Defilippi said.

Clarion quickly came roaring back, as Toven scored again from short yardage making it 18-7.

Ultimately, numerous mistakes contributed to the Dutchmen having to play catch-up virtually all night.

Deep in their own territory at the 17-yard line, Hoohuli muffed a handoff exchange giving the Bobcats yet another scoring opportunity.

Myers promptly dashed 15 yards to the St. Mary’s one-yard line. Two plays later, Toven scored once again from short yardage making it 18-7.

Just three minutes later, Hoohuli under threw an open Scott Rodich giving Corey Corbett a gift interception.

"You can’t turn the ball over three times in a half," Defilippi said. "We dug ourselves a hole early."

Determined to get a fresh start in the second half, the "hole" deepened considerably on the opening kickoff.

Corbett raced untouched 95 yards for a score giving Clarion a 24-7 lead. Corbett also returned another kickoff 55 yards for the Bobcats.

"We’ve got to get the ball to him however we can," Wiser said.

Rather than serving as momentum for Clarion, the touchdown was a wake-up call for the St. Mary’s offense.

Relying exclusively on the run in the second half, the Dutchmen suddenly became unstoppable. Brian Cogley quickly tallied consecutive runs of 9, 13 and 22 yards capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown.

The two squads proceed to play "can you top this" scoring at a feverish rate.

A Larson touchdown extended the lead to 31-14, but St. Mary’s unleashed another weapon the following stanza.

Jeremy Catalone, spurned on by a giant hole along the left side, dashed 35 yards into the end zone. The diminutive halfback filled in admirably for an injured Cogley, gaining 123 yards on just 10 carries.

"We have capable backs and don’t care who gets it," Defilippi said. "That’s the way we want our offense to work."

Scott Schatz capped off the next series with a 4-yard run to cut the lead to 31-28. However, the offensive line couldn’t withstand the pressure forever, as the Bobcats recorded successive sacks to essentially put the game away.

CA 12 6 13 0 – 31

SM 7 0 13 8 – 28

CA – Cole Session 32 yard pass from Toven (XP missed), 10:00

CA – Zac Toven 1 yard run (XP missed), 4:02

SM – Brian Cogley 5 yard pass from Lopaka Hoohuli (XP missed), 1:07

CA – Zac Toven 1 yard run (2 point attempt missed), 8:32

CA – Corey Corbett 95 yard kickoff return (XP missed), 12:00

SM – Brian Cogley 1 yard run (XP good), 7:50

CA – Dave Larson 4 yard run (XP good), 4:10

SM – Jeremy Catalone 35 yard run (XP missed), 3:11

SM – Scott Schatz 4 yard run (2 point attempt good), 5:39

Clarion St. Mary’s

First Downs 14 17

Rushes-yards 38 – 252 49 – 337

Passing yards 35 5

Total yardage 287 342

Fumbles-lost 1 –1 4 –2

Penalties-yards 3 – 25 4 – 30

Clarion St. Mary’s

Rushing J. Myers 16-141 J. Catalone 10-123

D. Larson 12-55 B. Cogley 22-120

C. McSwain 3-33 S. Schatz 9-50

Z. Toven 5-19 J. Kopp 1-24

C. Corbett 2-4 L. Hoohuli 5-20

Clarion

Passing Z. Toven 2-3, 45, 1 TD/1 INT

St. Mary’s

L. Hoohuli 1-4, 5, 1 TD/1 INT

Receiving Clarion St. Mary’s

C. Sessions 1-32 B. Cogley 1-5

C. Corbett 1-13