RIMERSBURG — Still trying to piece together its young season after an 0-2 start and the unexpected death of head coach Al Pryor, Union suffered a 26-8 football loss to Clarion Friday night.

Interim coach Dave Louder, who was an assistant under Pryor, left the locker room before the kickoff thinking his team could take down the Bobcats.

"We really felt we could beat Clarion. I felt it in the locker room. We came out and started running hard," he said

Unfortunately, the upbeat feeling didn't last for long, as junior running back Mikey Harris was stripped of the ball by Clarion senior linebacker Danny Walters on the first drive.

Walters returned the fumble to the end zone from 47 yards out at 10:36 in the first quarter for a quick touchdown and a 6-0 lead the Golden Knights couldn't recover from.

Union quarterback and captain Trent Corle attempted to lead his team back, but his offensive line provided him little support.

"He had a lot of frustration. You can see it in him. We need more out of him as a captain and a leader," Louder said. "He's got to keep a straight head."

Union's only points came when Corle hooked up with junior wide receiver Brody Pollock from 10 yards out at 2:16 of the second quarter.

Pollock finished the game with five catches for 61 yards, including a 30-yard completion on which he jumped over two defenders, bobbled the ball and still came down with it.

Clarion (2-1, 1-1), gained 338 yards, with 261 coming on the ground. Clarion running backs Marcus Smerker and Kris Buckhart both looked impressive, gaining 96 yards apiece. Smerker had touchdown runs of 19 and three yards, while Buckhart had a 51-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

First-year Clarion coach Judd Allen had only kind words to say about the struggling Golden Knights.

"I was very impressed with Union. They came out and played hard. I give them a lot a credit, God bless 'em. It's a very tough situation," Allen said.

Union (0-3, 0-2) visits Maplewood next Friday.

"This team doesn't know how to jump that hurdle to win yet. That's the biggest thing," Louder said. "We play great for one quarter, then shoot ourselves in the foot."