STRATTANVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – After six months of talking about it, the Union/A-C Valley football co-op will play its first game Friday night when the Falcon Knights travel to Clarion-Limestone for the Week 1 2016 Explore Radio RRR Roadhouse KSAC Football Game of the Week.
(Photo of C-L’s Mike Macefe. Photo by George Powers. View more of Powers’ work here)
Airtime for Kerle Tire Pregame Show for the KSAC Small School contest is 6:30 p.m. with Bob “The Governor” Dunkle and Mike Kalinowski on the call. Kickoff from C-L is set for 7 p.m.
Fans can listen to the game live on ExploreClarion.com as well as with the ExploreRadio/ExploreClarion app (fans should click on the ExploreClarion feed on the app for the game). Fans who don’t already have the app can download it for both Apple and Android.
The Union/A-C Valley co-op comes on the heels of A-C Valley having lost its final 32 games including three straight 0-10 records. Union, meanwhile, went 5-5 last year just missing the District 9 Class A playoffs. It was the second consecutive .500 record for Union, which was 6-6 and a D9 semifinal team in 2014. Union had one of its best seasons in 30 years in 2012 when it went 9-2.
The football merger means players who were lining up on opposites sides of the field last year are lining up together this season.
That includes quarterback Lucas Bowser of Union, who threw for 556 yards and six touchdowns last season while rushing for seven more, and running back Lane Chalmers of A-C Valley, who ran for 357 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2015. Chalmers, who made 80 tackles last year, and Gavin Hawk of Union (70 tackles) are expected to lead the Falcon Knights defense.
C-L, meanwhile, enters the season with a ton of optimism that starts with the fact that the offensive line returns in tact.
That will be important, as the Lions must replace graduated quarterback Anthony Louder, the son of Union head coach Dave Louder. Anthony accounted for over 2,000 yards of offense in 2015 when the Lions went 4-5 – the most wins in a decade for C-L – also just missing a postseason berth. He threw for 1,969 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 315 yards and five touchdowns.
Junio Brendan Makray, who threw just one pass last season, steps in for Louder. He will be helped by the return of wide out Sam Leadbetter (19 catches, 318 yards, 4 TDs) as well as running back Mike Macefe, who ran for a team-best 385 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. Leadbetter (5 interceptions) and Macefe (108 tackles) will lead the Lions defense.
Following the game, tune into the Advanced Disposal ExploreRadio Overtime Show, which can be heard on D9Sports.com and the ExploreRadio app (ExploreRadio channel) as well as 103.3 FM in Brookville and 104.1 FM in Punxsutawney.
The following local sponsors have signed on to make this year’s RRR Roadhouse KSAC Game of the Week possible:
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