Ezeigbo and Woody vs. Cal

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

It's Thursday Night Under the Lights as Gannon Opens 2023 Campaign at Charleston (WV)

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (8-3, 6-1 PSAC West) at CHARLESTON (WV) GOLDEN EAGLES (6-5, 6-4 MEC)
DATE: Thursday, August 31, 2023
KICKOFF: 7:00 p.m.
STADIUM: University of Charleston Stadium l Charleston, W.Va.
 
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 Dan Teliski providing the play-by-play.
 
ERIE, Pa. – For the second straight season Gannon will open the season against Charleston (WV) under the lights on a Thursday night. A year ago the Golden Knights handed visiting Charleston a 47-13 defeat. This year the two teams will meet at University of Charleston Stadium, once again in a Thursday night tilt, on August 31. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
 
Last year's win would be a springboard to one of the best seasons in Gannon history. The Golden Knights went on to post an 8-3 record and finish as the Western Division co-champions along with Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock at 6-1.
 
Gannon was recently picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West in the PSAC Coaches Preseason Poll. Charleston ended up third in the Mountain East Conference preseason poll after ending the year at 6-5.

Both Gannon and Charleston were among "Others Receiving Votes" in the AFCA Division II Preseason Top 25. The Golden Eagles had eight votes and Gannon four. Next week's opponent, Millersville, also received eight votes.  
 
If last year was any indication, Thursday night's contest could feature plenty of points. A year ago Charleston averaged 39.9 ppg., good for seventh in Division II, and Gannon wasn't far behind at 31.6 ppg. The Golden Knights ranked second in the PSAC and 38th in Division II.
 
The trip to West Virginia will be Gannon's first since the 2002 when the Golden Knights posted a 35-21 win at West Virginia State on September 28.  The Charleston game will be just the fifth time Gannon plays in West Virginia. They played three times at Bethany in the '90's.
 
Gannon head coach Erik Raeburn enters his 23rd season as a head coach and picked up his 150th career win with the triumph over Charleston. Now in his four year at Gannon, he owns a 14-12 ledger in charge of the Golden Knights and is 157-74 overall. He has had head coaching stops at Coe, Wabash, Savannah State, and Gannon. Charleston head coach Quinn Sanders is in second season after joining the UC staff in 2015 and taking over as the offensive coordinator in the spring of 2021.
 
SERIES RECORD
Gannon leads 2-0
Last Meeting:  2022 – at Gannon 47, Charleston 13
 
FIVE FAST FACTS
1. Gannon is playing just its fifth game in the state of West Virginia, and journeying to the Mountaineer state for the first time since 2002. The Golden Knights played at West Virginia State that year and came away with a 35-21 win. Previously they played three times at Bethany in the 1990's.
 
2. Head coach Erik Raeburn won 78 games at Wabash, 57 at Coe, eight games at Savannah State, and has guided Gannon to 14 wins in his first three seasons. Add it up and the veteran coach has 157 career victories, with a career ledger of 157-74 in 22 years. Win number 150 came last year when the Golden Knights defeated Charleston.
 
3. The Gannon coaching staff has a different look in 2023. Defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo orchestrated a huge improvement in the defense last year as Gannon allowed 21.9 ppg. and 287.4 yards after showing figures of 29 ppg. and 396 ypg. in 2021. Nardo has moved on to Oklahoma State as the defensive coordinator, with Thomas Pearson and Cody Swanson taking over as co-defensive coordinators. They were Nardo's right-hand men a year ago. The defense also added Tony Caljean, who will work with the linebackers and is also the special teams coach. Offensive coordinator Reilly Murphy has three new aides in Bryce Perkins (tight end), Cody Stephens (running backs), and T.J. Vernieri (wide receivers).
 
4. After having a school-record 11 All-PSAC West selections last year, Gannon returns four along with PSAC West Freshman of the Year Donell "Tank" Mason. The wide receiver caught 26 passes for 332 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line features a pair of All-PSAC West performers in Montana Nietert (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) and Jacob Petit (Uniontown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban). Petit was a first team pick after starting all 11 games at left guard. He has started all 22 games the last two years after moving from the defensive line. Nietert was named to the second team after earning first team honors in 2021. He moves from right guard to center this year. Chris Farnsworth (Bristol, Pa./Milton Hershey) is also a two-time All-PSAC West honoree, moving up to the first team a year ago after earning second team honors the year before that. The senior defensive back is one of the top defensive players in the conference after leading Gannon with 91 tackles and 4 INTs last year. Returning to the offense, wide receiver Ke'John Batiste (Covington, La./Covington) was also a first team pick following a season in which he caught 64 passes, tied for second all-time, for a school-record 957 yards with 8 TDs.   
 
5. The 2023 roster features a number of transfers expected to make immediate contributions. Two could serve as complements to Antonio Wright (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) Jr. and provide the Golden Knights with a solid trio of backs. Donny Marcus (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) is a redshirt sophomore who played in 17 games at Ball State. He's joined by Braxton Todd (Martinsburg, W. Va./Martinsburg), a redshirt freshman who played at Bowling Green last year.  Keeping with the skill positions, redshirt sophomore Bryce Bearrs is in the battle for the starting job at quarterback after transferring from New Mexico State. He may be throwing to WR Joshawn Lewis (Lorton, Va./South County), who caught 59 passes in two seasons at Fairmont State. JUCO transfer Rashann Tompkins (Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview Regional) (Monroe College), a 6'5", 216 lb. tight end, is another new weapon. The coaching staff looked to fortify both sides of the line. On the offensive line, Dylan Wilson (Garrettsville, Ohio/Garfield) (Walsh), Ethan Nelson (Oroville, Calif./Mira Mesa) (San Diego Mesa) and Cameron Stoffel (Ramona, Calif./Ramona) (San Diego Mesa) have transferred in. The defensive line added Daquan Stevenson (Baltimore, Md./Milford Mill Academy) (Charleston, WV), David Francis Jr. (Van Nuys, Calif./Ulysses S. Grant) (College of the Canyons) and Ajani Shelton (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel) (Palomar College). Bryce Wood (Erie, Pa./McDowell) (Youngstown State), a former standout at nearby McDowell High School, and Matthew Spofford (Perry, Ohio/Riverside) (Eastern Illinois) comes in at linebacker while Diego Bremer (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights)s joins the secondary after transferring from Walsh. Donovan Warren (Santa Cruz, Cal./Santa Cruz County Office of Education) (San Diego Mesa) is expected to handle the punting chores.
 
SCOUTING CHARLESTON
The Golden Eagles finished with a 6-5 record in 2022 in head coach Quinn Sanders first season at the helm. The Golden Eagles ran off three straight wins late in the year before a 42-35 loss to West Virginia State to conclude the season. Sanders' squad evolved into one of the top offensive teams in Division II, leading the Mountain East Conference and ranking seventh in Division II in scoring offense at 39.9 ppg., along with ranking second and 16th, respectively, in total offense (438.3 ypg.). The Golden Eagles scored 40-or-more points on six occasions, with three games of 60-or-more points … Charleston was picked to finish third in the recent MEC Preseason Poll, following Notre Dame (Oh.) and Frostburg State.  The Golden Eagles finished with a 6-4 record in league play last year … Chavon Wright leads a strong cast of returning performers on offense. The running back was named the MEC Offensive Freshman of the Year after posting some monstrous numbers. A 5'8", 200 lb. sophomore, he ran for 1,175 yards on 199 carries, a 5.9 yard average, with 17 TDs. In addition, he caught 23 passes for 169 yards and another touchdown. Wright ranked third in the conference and 14th in Division II in rushing yards per game, was 27th nationally in yards per game, and first in the MEC and 11th in Division II in rushing TDs.  He saw limited action in last year's meeting with Gannon, carrying four times for 11 yards and catching three passes for 18 yards. Wright finished the season with five-consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, including over 200 yards on the ground in each of the final two games of the regular season. He also scored 2+ touchdowns in each of the final five games … Javonte Howard shared quarterbacking duties a year ago. The redshirt junior completed 105-of-163 passes for 1,511 yards with 15 TDs and just four INTs. As a team Charleston threw 28 touchdown passes with just nine INTs … a total of ten Golden Eagles earned All-MEC honors last year, with seven returning. In addition to Wright, Charleston has three other first team All-MEC performers returning, all on offense. Redshirt sophomore Marquan Herron caught 32 passes for 641 yards, a 20.1 yard average, with 11 TDs.  Niko Kausky, a junior fullback, also returns along with redshirt junior offensive lineman Donovan McCollister … Charleston has a pair of outstanding special teams performers in placekicker Tim McCutchen and return man Tae Marerro. McCutchen is a three-time All-MEC honoree, making 9-of-14 FGs and 54-of-56 PATs in 2022.  He has 30 career FGs and 109 PATs. Marerro ranked fourth in the country in punt returns with a 17.1 yard average, returning two for touchdowns. He added 23.5 yards on 12 kickoff returns.
 
UP NEXT
Gannon plays the first of three PSAC crossover games while playing its home opener on Saturday, September 9 hosting PSAC East foe Millersville. A year ago the Golden Knights won a defensive battle at Millersville by a 16-10 score. The Marauders would close the season with a rush, winning three of their last four contests to finish at 5-6. They were picked to finish fifth in the Eastern Division this year. Gannon owns a 4-1 lead in the all-time series.
 
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Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

WR
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

DB
5' 11"
Senior
Montana Nietert

#76 Montana Nietert

OL
6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
Business
Jacob Petit

#54 Jacob Petit

OL
6' 1"
Senior
Biology
Antonio Wright

#7 Antonio Wright

RB
5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
Criminal Justice
Diego Bremer

#10 Diego Bremer

DB
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
David Francis Jr.

#31 David Francis Jr.

DL
6' 3"
Junior
Donny Marcus

#20 Donny Marcus

RB
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Ethan Nelson

#63 Ethan Nelson

OL
6' 2"
Junior
Ajani Shelton

#91 Ajani Shelton

DL
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Ke

#1 Ke'John Batiste

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
WR
Chris Farnsworth

#9 Chris Farnsworth

5' 11"
Senior
DB
Montana Nietert

#76 Montana Nietert

6' 4"
Redshirt Senior
Business
OL
Jacob Petit

#54 Jacob Petit

6' 1"
Senior
Biology
OL
Antonio Wright

#7 Antonio Wright

5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
Criminal Justice
RB
Diego Bremer

#10 Diego Bremer

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
DB
David Francis Jr.

#31 David Francis Jr.

6' 3"
Junior
DL
Donny Marcus

#20 Donny Marcus

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
RB
Ethan Nelson

#63 Ethan Nelson

6' 2"
Junior
OL
Ajani Shelton

#91 Ajani Shelton

6' 4"
Junior
DL