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Most Gannon football starters are back. Their aim is the Knights' best record since 2015.

josh reilly, erie times-news
·4 min read

The Gannon football team will be the first area team to open its season when the Golden Knights host Charleston on Thursday night at the McConnell Family Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Knights are coming off a 5-6 overall record and 3-4 finish in the PSAC West. That's the program's best mark since 2017, when it was 5-6. With 10 starters returning on offense and nine on defense, the Knights could be trending toward getting over .500 for the first time since going 6-5 in 2015.

More: Gannon, Edinboro football picked to finish in the middle of PSAC West

The Golden Knights were selected to finish fourth in the division in the PSAC West coaches' preseason poll. Head coach Erik Raeburn is in his third season.

Gannon will host Seton Hill in its homecoming game on Oct. 1. Matchups with Erie County rivals Edinboro and Mercyhurst are Oct. 8 and Oct. 22.

Related: Edinboro football had momentum late in 2021. Can the Scots pick up where they left off?

Gannon running back was a force in 2021 with 1,187 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Gannon running back was a force in 2021 with 1,187 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

Offense's strengths comes in Blanks' legs, Curtis' arm

Among the returning starters on offense is running back Melvin Blanks, who was a Don Hansen All-America honorable mention choice after the 2021 season. He had 192 carries for 1,187 yards, second-most in the PSAC. He scored nine touchdowns on the ground.

Kory Curtis turned in one of the best seasons ever by a Gannon quarterback in 2021 with 2,255 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Kory Curtis turned in one of the best seasons ever by a Gannon quarterback in 2021 with 2,255 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.

Redshirt junior quarterback Kory Curtis also returns. He completed 157-of-312 passes for 2,255 yards a year ago. The former Ohio State scout quarterback threw for 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Curtis has several top targets back in the receiving corps. The group includes last season's leading pass-catcher, redshirt junior Johnny Freeman, who had 32 grabs for 570 yards and four scores.

Bransen Stanley made 23 receptions for 319 yards and two touchdowns for Gannon in 2021.
Bransen Stanley made 23 receptions for 319 yards and two touchdowns for Gannon in 2021.

Senior Sam East had 25 receptions while redshirt junior Bransen Stanley and junior Damerisse Freeman Jr. added 23 each a year ago. Redshirt senior tight end Alex Whittaker remains a red-zone target. He led the team with five touchdown receptions.

All-PSAC West first-team guard Montana Nietert is back for his redshirt junior campaign.

Malachi Woody, left, had five tackles for loss and 3½ sacks for Gannon in 2021 while teammate Nigel Reddick, right, had 54 tackles including four for loss.
Malachi Woody, left, had five tackles for loss and 3½ sacks for Gannon in 2021 while teammate Nigel Reddick, right, had 54 tackles including four for loss.

Nick White leads experienced defense

Defensive end Nick White was a force in opposing backfields in 2021 en route to being named all-PSAC first-team. He finished with 60 tackles including 10½ for loss. Among those were five sacks.

Defensive back Chris Farnsworth, now a redshirt sophomore, was second on the team with 74 tackles including a team-high 53 solo stops. Farnsworth also made two interceptions.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Trey Baker was the Knights' leading tackler last year with 81 stops.

Other key returners on defense include a pair of redshirt seniors, linebacker Keith Thompson and lineman Malachi Woody. They combined on one of the biggest highlights during a 2021 win over Clarion as Woody forced a fumble at Gannon's goal line and Thompson returned the ball 99 yards for a score.

Gannon 2022 football schedule

Sept. 1: Charleston, 7 p.m.

Sept. 10: at Millersville, noon

Sept. 17: West Chester, noon

Sept. 24: at Clarion, 1 p.m.

Oct. 1: Seton Hill, noon

Oct. 8: at Edinboro, 2 p.m.

Oct. 15: at Slippery Rock, 1 p.m.

Oct. 22: Mercyhurst, noon

Oct. 29: IUP, nooon

Nov. 5: at California (Pa.), noon

Nov. 12: Shippensburg, noon

Gannon went 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the PSAC West in 2021 for coach Erik Raeburn.
Gannon went 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the PSAC West in 2021 for coach Erik Raeburn.

District 10 alumni on roster

Fort LeBoeuf graduate Eric Scarpino has been Gannon's primary kicker in each of the past two seasons. He finished second on the team in points in 2021, trailing only Blanks. Scarpino made 8-of-11 field goals and 28-of-30 point-after attempts for 52 points.

The former Bison is one of nine former District 10 football players on the Gannon roster.

Cathedral Prep graduates make up nearly half of the D-10 contingent. Defensive back Luke Sittinger and offensive lineman Jordan Covatto, both redshirt sophomores, are joined this fall by freshmen Carmelo McLaurin and Jacob Pollock. McLaurin is a defensive back and Pollock is a defensive lineman.

Sittinger recorded his first collegiate touchdown during his redshirt freshman year in a non-traditional fashion. He returned a blocked punt 15 yards.

McDowell is represented by redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Lucus Nowoczynski and sophomore wideout Braeden Soboleski.

Two other former D-10 wideouts are on the roster: Matt Cannon, a redshirt freshman from Hickory, and Eric Steinle, a freshman from Northwestern.

Erie high school football, fall sports: Everything you need to know for the 2022 season

Contact Josh Reilly at jreilly@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreilly.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Experienced Gannon aims for first winning football season since 2015