Bald Eagle Football Starts Thursday at Clarion
LOCK HAVEN — The Lock Haven University football team is set to kick off the 2016 season on Thursday, September 1 on the road at Clarion University. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Clarion’s Memorial Stadium.
It marks the second straight season where LHU and Clarion will open their respective seasons playing each other on a Thursday night. Last season in Lock Haven, Clarion won 40-13, spoiling Lock Haven head coach Dave Taynor’s Haven debut.
Thursday’s game marks the 64th all-time meeting between Lock Haven and Clarion in a series that dates back to 1928. Clarion leads the all-time series 46-16-1.
Despite a 2-9 (2-5 PSAC East) finish a year ago, there is plenty for Bald Eagle fans to be excited about in 2016. Taynor returns nine offensive starters from a year ago, all of whom played vital roles on an offensive unit that broke nearly every offensive school record.
Clarion opened the season on a seven-game win streak before stumbling down the stretch and dropping the final four games of the 2016 campaign. The Golden Eagles finished 2015 with a 7-4 (4-3 PSAC West) mark.
LHU Week 1 storylines:
- Thursday is the start of head coachDave Taynor’s second season at LHU
- LHU returns nine offensive starters including record-breaking QBCaleb Walton as well as returning All-Conference picks Del’Vaughn Dennis (TE) and Malyk Harris (RB).
- The offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters from last year, but also benefits from the addition of transfer Trent Fielding. The projected center played in 23 games while at Urbana.
- On defense, LHU will benefit from the addition of transfer Kevin Chapple. While at Urbana, the 2015 All-Mountain East Conference (MEC) selection recorded 23 sacks.
- Freshman Destyn Woody is projected to see significant time at linebacker. He’s 1 of 37 true-freshmen on the 2016 roster (also six redshirt-freshmen).
