Ashton Jones is seventh on the team in tackles with 29 stops./Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News

Ashton Jones came into his senior year at Gannon with 17 total tackles in his two seasons there after a year at Erie Community College in New York.

This season, the Erie native and Strong Vincent High graduate has 18 solo tackles alone.

“It’s just reassurance that I’m able to play,” Jones said.  “My number was called. So to go in and try to help the team out, I’m just doing my best to do whatever the team needs.”

The 5-10, 180-pound Jones has 29 total stops this season for the Knights (1-6, 0-4 PSAC West), who play No. 14-ranked California (Pa.) (6-1, 4-0) Saturday at noon for their homecoming game.

“He’s done it the long road and has earned it,” first-year Gannon coach Brad Rzyczycki said. “No one walked in and said, ‘Alright, here’s your position. I don’t care if you made a mistake or not.’ He’s done it through practice. He’s performed in games where he’s gotten better.

“…If there is anyone on this team that has earned playing time, Ashton has earned playing time.”

In his first start this season, Jones had a career-high 12 total stops in last week’s 38-29 loss to rival Mercyhurst.

Read the rest of this entry »

Drew Herrell rushed for a game-high 76 yards to help No. 19 Edinboro win 27-0 at Gannon./Photo by Christopher Millette of the Erie Times-News.

Sophomores Drew Herrell, D’Andrea Vaughn and senior Brian Davis all had their moments in Edinboro’s 27-0 win at Gannon today.

Herrell had a game-high 76 yards on 10 carries, Davis had 61 yards on 12 carries in mostly relief duty and Vaughn, who started the game, had 52 yards on 11 rushes. Together, they accounted for 189 of the team’s 193 rushing yards to help the No. 19-ranked Scots (4-0, 1-0) stay perfect and open PSAC West play with a win.

The Knights (1-3, 0-1) were without junior defensive tackle Ian Jeffers and junior defensive end Matt Jones, whom were both injured. Senior Wesley Smith had six total tackles in place of Jones and redshirt freshman Sean Herron, a Strong Vincent graduate who is 6-3 and weighs a whopping 360 pounds, had two assisted stops in place of Jeffers.

So Gannon’s defensive unit wasn’t full strength, but it may have struggled to stop Herrell, Vaughn and Davis running behind a veteran offensive line even if it was.

Herrell broke the longest run of 45 yards on a play in which he hid behind the lineman as if someone was trying to get him across the kitchen table, moved left and then roared to the right for the long gainer.

Vaughn brought his usual spin moves and elusiveness to his runs while Davis just plows people with power, but sophomore quarterback Cody Harris had his wheels going, too particularly early in the game.

On the game’s first drive, Harris had five rushes for 29 yards and capped it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver David Bostic. Now Harris just had a net six yards rushing because he was sacked three times, but his ability to run kept Gannon off balance early.