CALIFORNIA (Oct. 14) – The Vulcans scored 21 points in the second quarter on Saturday afternoon before staving off Clarion for a 21-19 victory on Homecoming at Adamson Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play.
With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania football team improves to 5-2 overall with a 2-2 mark in divisional play. The Vulcans now sit in a four-way tie for third place in the PSAC West standings and have won 13-consecutive games on Homecoming. Meanwhile, Clarion falls to 1-6 this season behind a 1-3 record in league action.
The Vulcans allowed just 84 yards of total offense and five first downs while holding the Golden Eagles scoreless in the first half. Cal U forced a turnover on downs at its own 1-yard line on the initial Clarion possession of the third quarter before the Golden Eagles made a quarterback change that led to three scoring drives. Senior linebacker
Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) paced the team with 12 tackles (five solo) and was one of seven players to record at least 1.0 TFL. Fellow senior linebacker
DeVonte Suber (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) added a season-high 10 stops (six solo) and senior defensive lineman
Justin Baker (Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods) finished with a career-high nine tackles (six solo), 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack and a blocked PAT kick.
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Vulcans took a 7-0 lead on a 27-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback
Michael Keir (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) to senior wide receiver
Luke Smorey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) with 12:48 left in the first half. Cal U started near midfield on its next possession and stretched the lead to 14-0 on a 10-yard touchdown run by Keir, the fifth of his career.
Keir finished with 203 passing yards on 20-of-32 attempts with no interceptions. Smorey led all players with nine receptions for 103 yards, his second 100-yard game of the season
On the ensuing possession, the Golden Eagles were facing a third-and-nine at their 30-yard line before junior defensive back
Brendan Edwards (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) posted an interception return for a touchdown with 5:51 left in the second quarter. The Vulcans were temporarily across midfield on their next possession before losing a fumble that was returned back to Cal U territory. The Vulcans then forced the Golden Eagles to punt for the fifth time in the first half and entered the break with a 21-0 lead.
Cal U was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter and a fluke bounce led to a 62-yard punt return that setup the Golden Eagles at the 10-yard line of the Vulcans. The Vulcans managed to force a turnover on downs, as Suber and senior defensive lineman
Cameron Tarver (Columbus, Ohio/Central Crossing) stopped the quarterback for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Cal U was then held to a three-and-out and Clarion was able to capitalize on the short field with a seven-yard touchdown run with 6:03 left in the third quarter, 21-7.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Vulcans again forced a turnover on downs while facing a fourth-and-goal after the Golden Eagles advanced at the seven-yard line. On its next drive, Clarion again advanced into the red zone behind a pair of lengthy quarterback runs before Tarver and Baker recorded sacks on back-to-back plays to force a fourth-and-goal at the 20-yard line. The Golden Eagles were able to get back to the 3-yard line before Edwards tackled the receiver at the 3-yard line to force a turnover on downs.
Clarion cut the deficit to 21-13 on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter before the PAT attempt was blocked by Baker. Following a punt by the Vulcans, the Golden Eagles converted a fourth-and-10 with a 13-yard rush and a personal foul advanced Clarion into the red zone. Clarion later scored on a five-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds left before an unsuccessful two-point pass attempt, 21-19.
The Vulcans return to action on Saturday, Oct. 21, when they travel to face Gannon in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 12 p.m.
Notes:
The Vulcans have blocked at least one kick in five-consecutive games … Clarion was flagged for just two penalties with neither resulting in any yardage (declined, offset) … The Vulcans allowed the Golden Eagles to convert just 4-of-16 on third down and score on only three-of-six trips inside the red zone … Eight different players for Cal U made at least one reception
