Chris Farnsworth and Hayden McDonald vs. West Chester
Cody Exley

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Golden Knights Open PSAC West Action at Clarion

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (2-1, 0-0 PSAC West) at CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (1-2, 0-0 PSAC East)
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 2022
KICKOFF: 1:00 p.m.
STADIUM: Memorial Stadium l Clarion, Pa.
 
LIVE COVERAGE: Live Video l Live Stats l Live Audio
 
GAME NOTES: Click Here
 
RADIO: 90.5 WERG FM – Listen to all the exciting action of Gannon football with Jack Quinn providing the play-by-play.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – PSAC conference play begins on Saturday, September 24 with Gannon traveling to Clarion for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium. The Golden Knights come in with a 2-1 record after dropping a 29-23 decision to West Chester last Saturday. Clarion, meanwhile, picked up its first win under head coach Raymond Monica with a 44-7 triumph at Lock Haven. The Golden Eagles are 1-2.
 
Gannon was hoping to open a season with three straight wins for the first time since 2016 after opening the year with a 47-13 win over Charleston (WV) followed by a 16-10 victory at Millersville. They fell victim to a West Chester team that was picked to finish third in the PSAC East, as the Golden Rams were able to ramp up the ground game in the second half after trailing 23-17 at halftime.
 
Clarion opened the year with a 21-14 loss to West Liberty before losing 42-3 at Bloomsburg. The Golden Eagles are in their first season under Monica, who enjoyed a successful seven-year run at Kutztown from 2006-12.
 
Gannon was picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West coaches' preseason poll while Clarion was selected eighth. The Golden Eagles hold a narrow 7-5 lead in the all-time series but Gannon has won the last two meetings. A year ago the Golden Knights celebrated Homecoming with a 56-21 win at McConnell Family Stadium in the PSAC opener for both teams.  
 
SERIES RECORD
Clarion leads 7-6
Last Meeting:  Sept. 25, 2021 -- at Gannon 56, Clarion 21 I RECAP
Gannon celebrated Homecoming with its second straight win over the Golden Eagles, jumping out to a 42-14 halftime advantage. Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) threw 4 TD passes and ran for a fifth to lead the Golden Knights with Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) adding a pair of touchdowns on the ground. The Gannon defense forced five turnovers, recovering three fumbles and intercepting a pair of passes. This marks the fourth straight year the two teams are meeting in the PSAC West opener. The series first began in 2008, Gannon's first year as a member of the PSAC.
 
FIVE FAST FACTS
Gannon has a record of 4-9 in PSAC West openers since joining the conference in 2008. However, the Golden Knights are in search of their third straight win in a PSAC West opener after defeating Clarion in 2019 (51-35) and in 2021 (56-21). In fact, this will mark the fourth straight year the two teams will open conference play against each other and the sixth time overall. Prior to winning the last two PSAC openers Gannon had lost four straight games.
 
Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) recently moved into ninth place in career rushing yards, and after totaling 84 yards vs. West Chester the senior now has 2,359 yards. Next up on the list for the senior is Kevin Cloherty, who is eighth with 2,486 yards. He currently ranks second in the PSAC in rushing with 324 yards on 68 carries, a 4.8-yard average, with 3 TDs. Blanks broke through with one of the best rushing seasons ever by a Gannon running back in 2021. He ran for 1,187 yards, the sixth-highest season total, on 192 carries with 8 TDs. The senior added 12 receptions for 103 yards and two more scores. Blanks was a first-team All-PSAC West selection who was also accorded Don Hansen NCAA Div. II All-America honorable mention honors after ranking 19th in the country in rushing yards. Blanks finished with five 100-yard games, including a career-best 239 yards against Edinboro. He has also been used more as a receiver this year with six catches for 102 yards. Blanks forms a solid one-two punch with Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. Both topped the 100-yard mark against Charleston with Blanks at 113 yards and Wright showing a career-high 109 yards. Blanks has eight career 100 yard games and it was the first for Wright, who currently has 192 yards on 31 carries.
 
While Melvin Blanks (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) is a top rushing weapon for the Golden Knights, the Gannon passing game is gaining quite a bit of notoriety. Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla./Island Coast) is enjoying another strong campaign and the redshirt junior has a variety of talented receivers to choose from, led by Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) and Sam East (Jackson Township, N.J./Saint John Vianney). Curtis has completed 53-of-86 passes for 686 yards with 6 TDs and no interceptions. He comes off a career-best 362-yard effort against West Chester and has a string of 86 passes without an interception. A year ago he attempted 139 passes without a pickoff. In just 14 career games as a Golden Knight the former signalcaller at Ohio State and Bryant has risen to seventh in career passing yards at Gannon with 2,941. East and Batiste each had 100 yards receiving against the Golden Rams. That has not happened since Jesstin Hamm and Brandon Mansell each caught passes for 100 yards at East Stroudsburg in 2015. East set career-highs for receptions (8) and yards receiving (178) while recording his second career 100-yard game. The 178 yards is the fifth-highest total by a Gannon receiver. After falling one yard shy of 100 yards receiving last week at Millersville, Batiste pulled in seven passes for 108 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown reception. He now has 15 catches for 207 yards in his last two games after entering the season with four career receptions.
 
Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) and MaLik Bridgeman (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College HS) both recorded career highs for tackles against West Chester. Farnsworth, a sophomore defensive back, finished with 16 tackles, seven of those solo. Just two weeks earlier he had set a career high with 12 stops vs. Charleston. Bridgeman, a senior defensive lineman, took part in 10 tackles, the top figure in his career.
 
Alex Whittaker (Medina, Ohio/Medina) has a knack of making the most with his receptions. The big (6'4", 269 lbs.) tight end has caught just 19 passes in his career, but eight have gone for touchdowns. He was at it again against West Chester, hauling in his second reception of the season, a 22-yard TD catch. A year ago the 6'4", 269 lb. redshirt senior had 14 catches, with five for TDs.
 
SCOUTING CLARION
Clarion presented Raymond Monica with his first victory as the Golden Eagles' head coach, posting an impressive 44-7 win at Lock Haven last Saturday. Clarion dominated time of possession while rushing for 270 yards on 51 carries. They converted 7-of-12 third-down plays while holding Lock Haven to 1-of-11. The Golden Eagles opened the 2022 campaign with a 21-14 loss to West Liberty, followed by a 42-3 setback at Bloomsburg. While Monica claimed his first victory at Clarion, he is a veteran of the PSAC battles. He was twice named the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year and the PSAC East Coach of the Year while leading Kutztown for seven seasons. He guided the Golden Bears to a 45-34 record with NCAA playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011, going 10-2 in the former and 11-2 in the latter year. In addition, Monica was the head coach at Arkansas Tech from 2013-2017. He took over at Clarion after serving as an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 2019-21.  In his 13th season as a head coach, he has a 77-62 career record. Robert Lachmann was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Lock Haven win. The 6'3", 240 lb. defensive end by way of Germany was a disruptive force, finishing with three sacks for minus 24 yards while totaling four tackles in all. He now has a team-high four sacks as Clarion has totaled 11 sacks over the first three games, good for second in the PSAC. The Clarion defense also showcases Don Hansen Football All-America Honorable Mention linebacker Kareem Hamdan. The 5'8", 205 lb. junior was a second-team All-PSAC West selection at linebacker last season after leading the PSAC in tackles per game (10.0). On offense, Clarion welcomed back second-team All-PSAC West running back Khalil Owens. A 5'9", 190 lb. junior, Owens has rushed for 289 yards on 61 carries with 3 TDs, adding a team-high nine receptions for 54 yards. He ranks fifth in the PSAC in rushing after gaining 124 yards with a touchdown at Lock Haven. He had 120 yards on 28 totes in the opener vs. West Liberty. A year ago he ran for 179 yards against Edinboro.
 
UP NEXT
It's Homecoming, sponsored by Cobblestone Hotel and Suites, at Gannon as the Golden Knights host Seton Hill on Saturday, October 1. Kickoff for Gannon's second PSAC West contest is set for 12 noon at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
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Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

RB
6' 1"
Senior
Business
MaLik Bridgeman

#3 MaLik Bridgeman

DL
6' 0"
Senior
Criminal Justice
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Sam East

#20 Sam East

WR
5' 11"
Senior
Undeclared
Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

DB
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Alex Whittaker

#8 Alex Whittaker

TE
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
Antonio Wright

#11 Antonio Wright

RB
5' 10"
Sophomore
Criminal Justice

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Melvin Blanks

#2 Melvin Blanks

6' 1"
Senior
Business
RB
MaLik Bridgeman

#3 MaLik Bridgeman

6' 0"
Senior
Criminal Justice
DL
Kory Curtis

#7 Kory Curtis

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Sam East

#20 Sam East

5' 11"
Senior
Undeclared
WR
Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Alex Whittaker

#8 Alex Whittaker

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
TE
Antonio Wright

#11 Antonio Wright

5' 10"
Sophomore
Criminal Justice
RB