CLARION - There is talk around the KSAC that Clarion is the best football team in the league.

The Bobcats did nothing Friday night to disprove that idea.

Behind the running of Chris McSwain, Clarion shut out A-C Valley 71-0 in the season opener for both teams.

McSwain, the 5-foot-10, 207-pound senior, rushed for 148 yards on eight carries and scored four touchdowns in the triumph.

Clarion jumped to an early 6-0 lead when McSwain sprinted over the right side for a 35-yard touchdown run.

The Bobcats increased their lead to 13-0 with 2:59 to go in the opening quarter when Elliot Fabri scored on a 1-yard plunge.

Fabri rushed for 54 yards on eight carries.

With 17 seconds left in the opening period, Bobcat defensive back Manny Carpin intercepted a Brad Rembold pass and raced 24 yards down the left sideline for the touchdown.

The Bobcats defense intercepted Falcons quarterback Rembold six times and sacked him twice.

Clarion's defense also held A-C Valley tailback Rocco Crapis to 3 yards in the first half.

"I have seen (Crapis) in a scrimmage and he really got off for some runs," said Clarion coach Larry Wiser. "But defensively, our first group really shut him down."

The Clarion defense held A-C Valley to 31 total yards and two first downs in the first half.

"I think we have the speed on defense this year to be one of those shutdown defenses," Wiser added.

"We played probably the best or the second-best team in the KSAC tonight," said A-C Valley coach Randy Lemmon. "They just outmanned us."

With 10:16 left in the second quarter, Clarion extended its lead to 26-0 when McSwain busted over the right side for a tackle-breaking 55-yard run down the right sideline.

"That is one of the better runs I have seen in the years I have been here the way (McSwain) dragged those people into the end zone," Wiser said.

Clarion also showed off its passing game on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Sean Wolf to Carpin to give Clarion a 39-0 edge with 1:22 left in the second quarter.

Wolf connected on 7-of-12 passes for 46 yards.

The lone bright spot for the Falcons was the running of Crapis in the second half. Crapis ran for 62 yards after the break.

"(Clarion) has kids playing guard and tackle, that would be playing tailback on this team," said Lemmon. "We'll just chalk this up as a learning experience.

"We lost our starting guard yesterday, and tonight our starting tackle went out with injury. If you lose two or three guys at A-C Valley, you just don't have any cohesion offensively."