CLARION 49, UNION 12

Sept. 28, 2007

By Chris Rossetti

RIMERSBURG – Clarion broke a 3-game losing streak with a 49-12 win at winless Union Friday night.

The Bobcats (2-3 overall, 2-2 KSAC) outgained Union (0-5, 0-4) 253 to 77 and led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and 42-0 at halftime.

“This is a big for our confidence,” Clarion head coach Larry Wiser said. “Not just because of the win but because of the way we won the game. We hit hard, we played defense the way we are capable of playing, our special teams played better and our line did a nice job.”

Sophomore quarterback Kyle Zacour, making his second start for the injured Adam Bevevino, completed 3 of 5 passes for 56 yards and three touchdowns, the first three touchdown tosses of his career, and James Seidle ran five times for 113 yards including an 80-yard touchdown run. It was Seidle’s fourth 100-yard game of the season and the fourth time he has scored on runs of 73 yards or longer (three have been 80 or longer).

Jon Kemmer (3 carries, 38 yards, 1 catch 14 yards) added two touchdowns – one rushing, one receiving – as did Jake Fleeger (1 catch, 30 yards, 2 carries, 26 yards – one receiving, one defensive – for the Bobcats, who won for the first time since a 40-0 win over A-C Valley in Week One.

Cody Renninger, 86-yard punt return, and Scott Larson, 12-yard touchdown catch, also reached the end zone for Clarion.

Ryan Smith led Clarion’s defense with nine tackles, an interception and a forced fumble, while Eric Grejda added nine stops.

Union, which had just 29 yards in the first half, scored two late touchdowns against Clarion’s backups. Colby Davis scored on a 2-yard run, and Jake Becker returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown.

Matt Gagliano paced the Golden Knights going 6-for-17 passing for 23 yards and an interception and rushing seven times for a team-high 26 yards.

NOTES – The game took just 2:09 minutes because of the Mercy Rule in the second half … A brief but strong rain shower hit the field just in time for kickoff. But the rain last less than five minutes and it barely sprinkled the rest of the night … Clarion has now won 12 straight over Union dating back to 1995 … Clarion offensive/defensive lineman Maurizio Giambanco hurt his shoulder early in the game and didn’t return. His status for next week will be determined this week … Wiser said Bevevino is at least two weeks away from returning to the line-up after suffering a setback this week. He will have an MRI next week to see if there is any further damage to his knee … Fleeger’s fumble return for a touchdown was Clarion’s first defensive touchdown this season. Bobcat opponents have scored three times on defense … Renninger’s punt return for a touchdown was Clarion’s first punt or kickoff return for a touchdown since Chris McSwain returned a partially blocked punt 15 yards for a score against Clarion-Limestone Oct. 14, 2005. It was the Bobcats’ first legitimate punt return for a touchdown since Manny Carpin had an 81-yard punt return for a score Sept. 30, 2005, at Union … Union played without Zach Traister, who had scored three touchdowns in the last two weeks. Traister missed the game because of a school rule … Clarion is at Karns City next week while Union is at A-C Valley.

CLARION 49, UNION 12

Score by Quarters

Clarion 28 14 7 0 – 49

Union 0 0 0 12 – 12

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

C – Jon Kemmer 14 pass from Kyle Zacour (Kemmer kick), 8:40

C – James Seidle 80 run (Kemmer kick), 7:24

C – Cody Renninger 86 punt return (Kemmer kick), 0:38

C – Jake Fleeger 30 fumble return (Kemmer kick), 0:20

Second Quarter

C – Scott Larson 12 pass from Zacour (Kemmer kick), 10:25

C – Kemmer 8 run (Kemmer kick), 5:29

Third Quarter

C – Fleeger 30 pass from Zacour (Kemmer kick), 9:18

Fourth Quarter

U – Colby Davis 2 run (Aaron Paulden kick failed), 6:57

U – Jake Becker 25 fumble return (Paulden kick failed), 4:39

                               C         U

First Downs            10        7

Rushes-Yards         24-197 32-54

Passing Yards         56        23

Passing: Comp-Att-Int       3-7-0    6-17-1

Total Yardage        253      77

Fumbles-Lost         2-1       3-1

Penalties-Yards      6-47     5-19

Punts-Avg. 2-36     5-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – Clarion: James Seidle 5-113, Jon Kemmer 3-38, Brady Simpson 6-31, Jake Fleeger 2-26, Dan Walter 1-0, Kevin Grejda 2-(-1), Team 1-(-2), Jon Deitz 2-(-3), Kurtis Shirey 2-(-5). Union: Matt Gagliano 7-26, Kasey Kriebel 8-19, Trent Switzer 8-18, Colby Davis 6-8, Trent Corle 1-4, Team 2-(-21).

Passing – Clarion: Kyle Zacour 3-for-5, 56 yards, 3 touchdowns; Kurtis Shirey 0-for-2. Union: Matt Gagliano 6-for-17, 23 yards, 1 interception.

Receiving – Clarion: Jake Fleeger 1-30, Jon Kemmer 1-14, Scott Larson 1-12. Union: Colby Davis 3-7, AJ Etheriedge 2-10, Trent Switzer 1-6.

Interceptions – Clarion: Ryan Smith.

Fumble Recoveries – Clarion: Jake Fleeger. Union: Jake Becker.