CLARION — Matt Koerper and the Clarion University football team both had breakout seasons in 2015.

Not by coincidence.

A Seneca Valley graduate, Koerper broke into the Golden Eagles' starting lineup at defensive tackle for the first time as a junior last season. He wound up making second team All-PSAC West and Clarion won its first seven games.

Clarion had gone a combined 17-38 over the previous five seasons.

The Golden Eagles dropped their final four games to finish 7-4 last year, their best showing since going 8-3 in 2009. Last year was their first under head coach and East Brady graduate Chris Weibel.

“He became the heart of the program,” Koerper said of Weibel. “He believed in us and made us believe in ourselves.

“We showed last year that we can compete with any team in this conference. The way the season ended showed we can't be complacent. We learned from that. Now we all believe we can win the PSAC West.”

If that happens, Koerper will have a lot to do with it.

Only three starters return for the Golden Eagles defensively. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Koerper is the lone returning starter among the front seven.

“We will be younger on defense, but we will also be more athletic,” Weibel said. “We're counting on Matt for so much this year. We need him to be a leader and stay healthy.

“He brings everything. He's strong. He's quick. He makes impact plays and he's a hard worker.”

Koerper finished last year with 45 tackles — 17 solo stops — along with nine tackles for loss, 5.5 quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The previous year, he managed 19 tackles and one sack as a part-time player.

“He's gotten where he is through working for it,” Weibel said. “Matt Koerper is proof that if you put in the work, you'll get the outcome.

“He's blue-collar all the way. He gets after it in the weight room all the time.”

While Koerper admitted he hopes to make first team All-PSAC West this season — he never made better than second team all-conference in high school — his primary goals are team-oriented.

“My goal is to help generate wins for this team,” he said. “I know we're good enough to win this league.”

Being the lone experienced player up front, he hopes to develop into a more versatile defender this fall.

“I usually make plays by being quicker, with more finesse rather than as a power guy,” Koerper said. “I've been working on getting stronger. I need to handle double-teams better, shed blocks and make plays.”

Offensively, Clarion returns the PSAC's leading passer in senior quarterback Connor Simmons (3,582 yards), top receivers Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro, and running back Delrece Williams.

While Koerper will be playing with new faces, he'll have a familiar friend in that offensive unit.

“Those guys know how to control the ball and we get plenty of rest between possessions defensively,” he said. “When you're well-rested to start a defensive series, that makes such a difference.

“We want to force more turnovers this year. We're going to work hard to do that.”

He plans to see that the Golden Eagles' young defense keeps pace with its powerful offense.

“When the younger guys on that unit see how hard a veteran like Matt is working, they can't help but do the same,” Weibel said.