CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Picking up where he left off last year, Connor Simmons threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns to lead Clarion University to a season-opening 41-24 win over visiting Lock Haven Thursday night at Memorial Stadium.
(Photo: Kevin Genevro hauled in a pair of touchdown passes for Clarion in its win over visiting Lock Haven Thursday night.)
Simmons tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Kevin Genevro and one each to Matt Lehman and Seneca Williams.
Williams, a redshirt freshman, had quite the debut catching four passes for 121 yards including a 71-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth quarter that put a dagger in the Bald Eagles hopes of a comeback just 20 seconds after Lock Haven had scored to close within 17, 34-17 on the first play of the quarter.
It took Clarion’s offense a while to get going, but when it did the Golden Eagles scored three times in a span of just under eight minutes in the second quarter to go from a 3-all tie to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Genevro’s first touchdown catch, a 43 yarder, put Clarion in front 10-3 with 9:19 left in the first half.
Simmons then found Lehman from 12 yards out with 4:08 to go to make it 17-3, and Delrece Williams scored on an 11-yard run with 1:31 to play before the break to make it 24-3.
Getting the ball out of halftime, Clarion went up 31-3 when Genevro hauled in a 26-yard scoring pass from Simmons to complete a 7-play, 80-yard drive.
Lock Haven, though, didn’t go away rallying to score 14 of the game’s next 17 points.
Del’Vaughn Dennis scored the Bald Eagles first touchdown of the year on a 19-yard pass from Caleb Wilson capping an 11-play, 71-yard drive.
Phil Esposito and the Golden Eagles answered with a 25-yard field goal, Esposito’s second field goal of the game, to make it 34-10 at the end of the third quarter, but Lock Haven scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Wilson hit Shawn Seif with a 28-yard scoring pass.
Lock Haven actually outgained Clarion 526-497 and had 28 first downs to Clarion’s 24.
But Clarion’s defense forced a pair of Bald Eagle turnovers while also holding Lock Haven to 5 of 15 on third-down conversions.
The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, didn’t turn the ball over and were 9 of 17 on third down.
Freshman Wade Stieren led the Clarion defense with 13 tackles, while sophomore Layne Skundrich added nine stops.
Wilson accounted for the majority of Lock Haven’s offense going 29 of 50 for 392 yards and the three touchdowns. Seif had nine catches for 170 yards and the score, while Dennis had six grabs for 76 yards and the touchdown. Malyk Harris ran for 110 yards.
Lehman added seven catches for 81 yards and the touchdown for Clarion with Genevro grabbing four balls for 92 yards and the two touchdowns. Williams ran for 79 yards and the score.
Clarion returns to action Sept. 10 when it travels to Bloomsburg. Lock Haven hosts Edinboro the same day.
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