EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU football team ended its 2025 season with a come-from-behind win against Clarion to close out an 8-3 campaign at Eiler-Martin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors ground game was unstoppable in the second half, as ESU finished with 283 total rushing yards and five touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore QB
Harrison Susi led the Warriors with 144 yards on 13 carries, scoring two touchdowns. In the backfield, redshirt freshman TB
Ajani Walker led the position group in carries and yards with 10 for 86 and a touchdown, as redshirt junior TB
Deante Crawford and
Matt Frame also found the endzone.
Redshirt senior QB
Sean McTaggart returned for his final career game, finishing with a stat line of 8-of-13 for 113 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was redshirt senior WR
Evan Roche, who came up with a trio of receptions for 71 yards. Receiving McTaggart's passing touchdown was redshirt sophomore WR
Cam Burti, who ended the day with two catches for 31 yards.
On the defensive side, redshirt freshman DL
Ryan Epps and redshirt junior DL
Trenton Dunnick derailed the Golden Eagles offense in the second half, combining for four sacks and adding another tackle for loss. Redshirt junior S
Everette Dingle helped keep the Clarion offense in check when it did manage to get past the initial wave of Warrior defenders, finishing with 13 total tackles and breaking up one pass.
McTaggart got the start for ESU, leading the Warriors out onto the field on Senior Day and completing his first two passes to sophomore WR
Jaylen Andrews for 12 yards. After moving the chains, Walker broke free down the left side, picking up speed and sprinting past defenders for a 45-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the game.
Clarion's offense came out humming, as the Golden Eagles methodically made their way down the field. Right as they got into the redzone, Anthony Guercio connected on his first touchdown pass of the day to JaTawn Williams for a 20-yard score to tie the game.
On the next Warriors drive, McTaggart stayed in rhythm from his first couple of completions on the opening drive. First, he completed a pass to Burti for a gain of 19 up to the ESU 34-yard line, and followed that up with a high-arcing 44-yard completion to Roche to move into Golden Eagle territory. The pass to Roche moved McTaggart into 10
th place all-time in passing yards in program history. After two more rushes got the Warriors inside the 20-yard line, McTaggart found Burti right inside the right pylon for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter.
Clarion's offense continued to roll, as the Golden Eagles would go on to score the next 20 points, shutting out the Warriors in the second quarter as well. In a second quarter that didn't feature too many highlights for ESU, the Warriors did come up with a blocked PAT that redshirt sophomore DL
Jamori Stepheny broke through the line to stop. Redshirt freshman WR
Mason Semmel nearly returned it for two points, but he was chased down and tackled near the Clarion 20-yard line.
The Warriors started their second drive of the third quarter with excellent field position, which was caused by a bad snap on third down that forced Clarion to punt from the back of its own endzone. Starting at the Golden Eagles' 35-yard line, Susi and redshirt junior FB
Matt Frame ran their way down to the endzone to make it 27-21 halfway through the quarter.
However, just like their scoring drives in the first half, the Golden Eagles grinded their way down the field on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with a minute remaining.
Entering the fourth quarter trailing by 13, the Warriors used a 21-0 run to end the game in a dominant final 15 minutes. It started with runs of 10+ yards from Walker, Susi, and Crawford to set up a nine-yard rush up the middle for Susi, making it a one possession game.
After forcing a three-and-out, East Stroudsburg's offense went back to work, getting into scoring position off first downs from Crawford and Andrews to get inside the redzone. On first down from the 16-yard line, Crawford weaved his way through the Clarion defense all the way to the endzone to give the Warriors their first lead since the first quarter.
The Golden Eagles began their next drive out towards midfield, crossing over on the first play of the drive with a 21-yard pass to get down to the East Stroudsburg 39-yard line. On the next play, redshirt freshman LB
Camerin Gross broke through the line and forced a fumble. The Golden Eagles recovered it, but were well behind the chains, setting up a pivotal fourth down. Guercio tried to connect with Zack Slomers on a deep crossing route, but Dingle got his head turned back to the ball and made a play to break up the pass and force the turnover on downs.
Susi got the Warriors into Golden Eagles' territory on the first play of the ensuing drive on a 23-yard run down the right side before sliding inbounds. Walker picked up 14 yards on the next three plays to move the chains, and Susi sliced through the defense again, working down the right side for a 19-yard touchdown. Needing a score, Clarion got its next drive started with a defensive pass interference to advance towards midfield. Epps quickly knocked Clarion back with a 10-yard sack to bring up 3
rd and 20, followed by Dunnick chasing down Guercio for another sack. On 4
th and 22, Guercio tried finding a receiver short of the sticks over the middle, but the pass fell incomplete.
Taking the kneel downs for East Stroudsburg was McTaggart and senior QB
Charlie McKee, as the two seniors were able to run down the clock for ESU in their final collegiate games.
GAME NOTES
- The Warriors outgained the Golden Eagles 413-390 on offense and put up 161 more rush yards on two less attempts.
- With an 8-3 record on the season, the Warriors have won eight games or more in three consecutive seasons. It is the first time since 2003-2005 that ESU finished the season with at least eight wins in a three-year span.
