ATLANTA – Clark Atlanta and Fort Valley State battled on the gridiron for the 73rd time in both programs' history on Thursday night. The Panthers bested the Wildcats, 26-21, in Clark Atlanta's first home night game in over seven years. Sophomore linebacker Eric Seary headlined the night with a career-high 10 tackles in the win.
THE BASICS
Score: Clark Atlanta - 26 | Fort Valley - 21
Records: Panthers 2-1 | Wildcats 0-2
Date: September 11, 2025
Location: Atlanta, Ga. | Panther Stadium
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams each had two possessions in the first quarter, but held one another scoreless headed into the second.
- The Wildcats struck first on a 14-play, 85 yard scoring drive to chew 7 minutes off the clock and give FVSU a 7-0 lead.
- Clark Atlanta's next drive ended in a three-and-out, but they took possession back with a safety by Kurtis Waye and Eric Searcy.
- The Panthers took full advantage of the next possession as they marched down the field on a 7-play, 48-yard drive that ended in Zy McDonald finding Ronnie West on a 13-yard strike to take a 9-7 lead with nine minutes to play in the second frame.
- Clark Atlanta's next possession ended in a five-yard rushing touchdown by Alan Riggins to mount a 16-7 lead over Fort Valley going into the intermission.
- Fort Valley scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to regain the lead at 21-16 with 4:23 left to play in the third quarter.
- The Panthers opened the fourth quarter with a 35-yard field goal by Carlos Lopez to inch closer at 21-19.
- With 2:56 left in regulation, McDonald capped off an 11-play, 75 yard drive with a six-yard touchdown pass on a slant route to Armone Harris that sealed the deal for Clark Atlanta.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Zy McDonald led the passing attack with 180 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-30 completions.
- Armone Harris led all receivers with 78 yards on six catches and one score. Harris averaged 13 yards per reception in the win.
- Alan Riggins rushed for 90 yards on 18 attempts out of the backfield.
- On the defensive side, Eric Searcy led all tacklers with a game-high 10 tackles, followed by Kirkland Boone with eight total tackles.
- Carlos Lopez remains perfect in PAT's after going 3-for-3 to bring his season total to 9-for-9.
UP NEXT
Clark Atlanta will hit the road as they continue conference play against the Allen University Yellow Jackets next Saturday, September 20 in Columbia, South Carolina. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
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