Week 1 PSAC Notes
PSAC Composite Schedule
2021 PSAC Statistics
2022 Preseason AFCA Rankings
2022 D2Football.com Preseason Rankings
PSAC FB Scoreboard
QUICK HITS FOR PSAC TEAMS, WEEK 1
SHEPHERD – 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy Winner, Tyson Bagent returns to the helm of the Shepherd offense and will have weapons like Ronnie Brown and Ryan Beach, who were 2021 All-PSAC East honorees.
CLARION – Raymond Monica, a two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 1 Coach of the Year and two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Coach of the Year with more than 30 years of experience at the college level, became the 14th coach in Golden Eagle history on Feb. 17, 2022.
CALIFORNIA (PA.) – Senior Noah Mitchell returns for his fourth season as the starting quarterback after being selected the 2021 PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year. He enters the campaign tied for the all-time school record with 69 touchdown passes and is only 521 yards shy of breaking the school record for career passing yards, which has stood for three decades.
EAST STROUDSBURG – The entire starting offensive line returns, highlighted by All-PSAC Second Team selection in guard Anthony Capitini. Gone is leading top receiver and returner
Rece Bender, who graduated and accepted a job at Riddell. Elie Lavarin, Clifford Brinkley, Ezequiel Lopez and Chad Parton look to replace his production. Dawson Stuart and Joel Gland return at tight end, while the Warriors will look for a new fullback with co-captain David Akinwande graduating.
GANNON – Gannon returns four All-PSAC West selections from a year ago, including
running back Melvin Blanks and defensive end Nick White. In addition to earning first team All-PSAC West recognition, both went on to earn Don Hansen honorable mention All-American accolades. Montana Nietert was a first team All-PSAC West honoree while starting all 11 games at right guard. Chris Farnsworth was a second team selection at safety.
MILLERSVILLE – Millersville returns three All-PSAC East performers on defense in linebacker Isaiah Onuschak, defensive tackle Tyler Tate and safety Steve Sweeney. Tate was the first Millersville defensive lineman since 2006 named to the first team. Onuschak, already with two All-PSAC East selections, is looking to become Millersville’s first three-time selection since Marcus Banks from 2005-07.
SETON HILL – Damonte Pratt, a key returner on the Griffins defense was named a Preseason All-American by Lindy’s Sports. Pratt led the PSAC and was tied for second in NCAA DII in interceptions (7). He finished 2021 with 29 solo and nine assisted tackles. He was an Honorable Mention on the Don Hansen All-America Team and a D2CCA All-Region selection.
WEST CHESTER – West Chester’s 648 career victories ranks third all-time in NCAA Division II history while it’s 19 conference titles is the most in PSAC history. West Chester returns pre-season All-America LB Jackson Taylor to what is expected to be one of the Golden Rams’ top
defenses in recent history. Taylor led all tacklers in the PSAC in stops last year with 98.
KUTZTOWN – The two-time defending PSAC East Champions (2019, 2021) have gone unbeaten in PSAC East play each of the last two seasons. They advanced to the NCAA DII national quarterfinals for the first time in program history last season. The team loses some key pieces from 2021 PSAC championship team, but returns a solid core on both sides of the ball.
LOCK HAVEN – LHU starts a new era under head coach Dan Mulrooney, who was hired in
January and enters his first year as head coach. Mulrooney comes to The Haven after
leading a remarkable turnaround at NCAA Division III Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts. A historic 7-3 record led Anna Maria to the 2021 NCAA Division III playoffs, the school’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. The Bald Eagles open the 2022 season on Saturday, September 3 with a road trip to Waterbury, Connecticut to face off against Post University. LHU then hosts two-straight home games versus Mercyhurst and Clarion, respectively, before opening PSAC East play on the road against East Stroudsburg on September 24.
SHIPPENSBURG – Shippensburg is coming off a 9-2 season in which it posted its best record
since 2017. It was the seventh time in school history that the Raiders won nine or more games in a season. SU finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Super Region One rankings and its only two losses came at the hands of the region’s Top 2 teams. SU returns three All-PSAC players from 2021: wide receiver Ian Sheehan, defensive tackle Jacoby Sherard, and All-Region placekicker Jaxson Montross. The team returns 10 starters overall, including both offensive tackles (left tackle Austin Garner, right tackle Markes Cruz). Cruz has been a starting
tackle for each of the past two seasons.
EDINBORO – The Fighting Scots will look to build off their finish to the 2021 season. Edinboro closed the season with three straight wins including a pair of road victories at IUP and Millersville. Edinboro led all-teams in all divisions of football with 12 blocked kicks in the 2021 season. The Scots blocked four punts and then eight placekicks. Three different players blocked two kicks including returning defensive lineman Jahone Duggan. Edinboro also returns second-team All-PSAC punter Reed Martin. He ranked fourth in the PSAC at 38.8 yards per punt.
BLOOMSBURG – Bloomsburg finished the year 3-8 in 2021 in head coach Frank Sheptock’s first season at the helm. The Huskies defeated Gannon on a last-second touchdown pass in Sheptock’s first home game of the season. Bloomsburg handed Lock Haven a 44-0 shutout on
Homecoming for its first shutout since the 2015 season.
SLIPPERY ROCK – Slippery Rock has claimed seven of the last 10 PSAC West titles, including back-to-back-to-back division titles the last three seasons. The Rock have also made three straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. SRU reached the quarterfinal round in 2018 and the national semifinals in 2019 before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs in 2021. The Rock have lost just one PSAC Western Division game in just over three full
seasons and are 22-1 in their last 23 PSAC Western Division games. SRU is 25-3 against the PSAC West since the beginning of the 2017 season.
MERCYHURST – The Lakers will see a new coach in 2022 with Ryan Riemedio now manning the helm in Erie, Pa. The longtime assistant coach now takes on the role of head coach after Marty Schaetzle retired after the 2021 season. Riemedio has some familiar faces on offense to help put up points with the team’s top rusher and 2021 All-PSAC selection David Alize returning for his sophomore season while the majority of the receiving core returns. Two-time All-PSAC honoree Jason Armstrong and Cameron Barmore are coming back for another year after both eclipsing 400 receiving yards while nabbing four TDs a piece in 2021.
WEEK 1 MATCHUPS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Shepherd at Southern Conn. St., 5:30 PM
West Liberty at Clarion, 6 PM
Fairmont St. at California (Pa.), 6:30 PM
East Stroudsburg at Pace, 7 PM
Charleston (WV) at Gannon, 7 PM
Millersville at Saint Anselm, 7 PM
Seton Hill at Wheeling, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Bentley at West Chester, 6 PM
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Kutztown at Assumption, 12 PM
Lock Haven at Post, 12 PM
Edinboro at Franklin Pierce, 1 PM
Shippensburg at W.Va. State 1 PM
Stonehill at Bloomsburg, 2 PM
Mercyhurst at Alderson Broaddus, 6 PM
Wayne St. at Slippery Rock, 6 PM
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg, California (Pa.), Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Gannon, Indiana (Pa.), Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, Shepherd, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.