Skipping The Sidelines - 10/22/2007
by Bill Albright
PSAC
Slippery Rock 38, Shippensburg 34: With two seconds left in the game, SRU quarterback hooked up with Paul Favers to hand The Rock its seventh win in eight outings. The game-winning play was Favers' second TD in the final 90 seconds and capped off a wild end to the contest. Shippensburg took a 27-24 lead on a TD with 1:28 left to play, only to see Favers return the ensuring kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown to put SRU on top, 31-27, with 1:18 left. The hosts responded with an 84-yard kick-return TD of their own to go back on top by a 34-31 margin with 1:07 left, setting up the exciting and final drive of the game by Crookshank & Company. An unsportsmanlike conduct/excessive celebration penalty on Shippensburg gave The Rock prime position from which to start its ensuing drive, and Crookshank and Co. made the most of the opportunity. Crookshank lofted an ally-oop pass in the endzone and Favers climbed the ladder to haul it in for the game-winning points. With the win, The Rock improved its overall record to 7-1 and upped its PSAC-West mark to 2-1 heading into next Saturday's showdown with nationally ranked California U. of Pa. Crookshank finished Saturday's game with 23 completions in 35 attempts for 288 yards and three TDs to lead a 446-yard Rock offensive attack. Colin Golden caught seven passes for 99 yards and one TD, while Terry Grossetti had five catches for 104 yards and a TD, Josh Prigorac had seven catches for 48 yards and Favers two catches for 21 yards. Corey Manfull, the PSAC's leading rusher, gained 80 yards on 20 carries after missing the previous two games with a bruised shoulder. Ryan Lehmeier, who rushed for more than 200 yards in each of the last two games, had 67 yards on 14 carries and scored one TD Saturday. Sam Morant recorded nine tackles and intercepted one pass to lead The Rock defense, while Anthony Walls and Jake Barzen had eight tackles each and Tyler Boudreau added seven tackles, including three for losses (-7 yards).
For Shippensburg, Red-shirt senior Aaron Dykes totaled his second 100-yard rushing performance in the last three weeks with 112 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. During that time, he has totaled 305 yards and five scores. Dykes has now totaled 1,665 rushing yards in his career, moving him into 11th on the school's all-time list. Red-shirt sophomore Mike Harris (East Earl/Garden Spot) also surpassed the 100-yard mark, catching five passes for 102 yards, becoming the first Red Raider since Ferguson in 2004 to total multiple 100-yard receiving games in the same season. Defensively, Shippensburg limited the PSAC's top rushing offense (273.3 avg) to just 158 yards and held it without a 100-yard rusher for just the second time this season and first since a 34-31 loss to Indiana (Pa.) on September 29.
California (PA) 26, Edinboro 8: Senior QB Joe Ruggiero completed 14 of 19 passes for 147 yards and two second-half touchdowns to lead eighth-ranked California (8-0, 4-0 PSAC West) to a 26-8 Homecoming Weekend football victory over Edinboro (5-3, 2-2 PSAC West) Saturday. Cal reached the eight-win plateau for the third-straight year and the sixth time in team history, opened the season with eight-straight wins for the first time since 1958. The Vulcans also defeated Edinboro for the third-straight year. The victory was the 40th in six seasons under head coach John Luckhardt, which moved him into third place on Cal’s career coaching wins list and second on the career winning percentage list (65.6%). The Vulcan signal caller is also believed to be the third QB in team history to complete 500 career passes. Ruggiero’s career stats show 502 completions on 791 attempts for 6,284 yards and 54 touchdowns. Ruggiero also passed Jeff Petrucci for third place on the Vulcans’ career total offense list with 6,511 yards. The Vulcan defense, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense, surrendered 310 yards to the Fighting Scots. The visitors moved the ball inside Cal’s 30-yard line five times in the game, but scored only once, missing two field goals and turning the ball over on an interception. Edinboro Soph. QB Trevor Harris threw a school-record 53 passes, completing 31 for 263 yards. Harris hit Rich Cerro for a 21-yard TD with 6:07 left in the game to avoid Edinboro’s second-straight shutout vs. Cal. The defense was led by Sr. LB Brian Mohr, who registered a season-best 10 tackles (five solo), including an eight-yard sack, and a pass break up. Cal also forced three turnovers, including interceptions by Sr. DB Dionte Henry (second of season), Moye (on a fake punt) and a fumble recovery by Sr. LB Josh Zunic.
IUP 44, Lock Haven 13: The Crimson Hawks rode a powerful offensive attack to their decisive victory. In the win, Anthony Cellitti scored on a 26-yard TD aerial from quarterback Andrew Krewatch, sending him over the 1,000-yard plateau for the season. Former Mansfield Mountaineer tailback Poohbear McNeal also scored a touchdown in the 17-3 first quarter. Through the air Krewatch lead the Crimson Hawks as he threw for 232 yards off a 16-28 performance where he threw three touchdowns and an interception. For The Haven, Ilio DiPaolo led the way as he went 8 of 22 for 49 yards and an interception. Mychal Skinner would lead all receivers as he hauled in three balls for 60 yards. For LHU, Ibrahim Smith led with 42 yards on four receptions. Defensively Bald Eagle Sharif Proctor led the way with 11 total tackles. IUP’s Terrence Jackson led the way for them with 7 total tackles and caused a lot of havoc as he also recorded 2.5 tackles for a loss. IUP was also 9 of 17 on third downs and piled up 432 total offensive yards.
Bloomsburg 42, Millersville 28: Jamar Brittingham rushed for a career-high 257 yards, scored four touchdowns and become the school’s all-time leading rusher as Bloomsburg University posted a 42-28 win over Millersville University on Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game. Brittingham surpassed former record holder Irv Sigler (5,034 yards) with a run in the first quarter and now has 5,219 for his career. He is also just 428 yards shy of the PSAC career rushing record of 5,647 yards set by California’s Wesley Cates. The 200-yard game was also the 10th of Brittingham’s career. Overall, Brittingham holds 23 school and conference records. Brittingham answered a Millersville touchdown with his fourth and final score in the fourth quarter, an 81-yard run giving Bloomsburg a 42-21 lead. It was Brittingham’s second straight game with a TD run of more than 80-yards. In all Brittingham carried 22 times for 257 yards and four scores, while Heck rushed 23 times for 92 yards and one score. On defense, Jeremy Lightner made eight tackles, six of them solo. Millersville got 65 yards on the ground from Jamal Smith and 174 through the air from the quarterback.
Fairmont State 21, Clarion 14: Fairmont State quarterback Vic Bradford scored on a 1-yard run with 7:39 left, and the Falcon defense made a goal line stand with 1:39 remaining in the game as Fairmont held on to defeat visiting Clarion 21-14 on Saturday night. With the win, Fairmont State improves to 3-5, while the loss leaves Clarion still looking for its initial win of the season at 0-8. FSC opened the scoring in the first quarter as Bradford rushed for a 12-yard td. Alex Ashley’s PAT made it 7-0 with 11:29 left in the first. Clarion tied the score with 2:07 left in the second quarter when Pierre Odom caught a 29-yard td pass from Huether. Robert Mamula’s PAT tied the score at 7-7. Clarion took the lead 14-7 with 43-seconds left before intermission when Eddie Emmanuel bolted 27-yards to paydirt. Fairmont’s game-winning drive was helped by the Golden Eagles when Clarion had apparently on downs, only to give Fairmont a first down when the Golden Eagles were flagged for having too many men on the field during the punt. Clarion had 435 yards of offense on the night. Emmanuel rushed 15 times for 103 yards and 1 td. Tyler Huether completed 17 of 38 passes for 230 yards and 1 td. Odom grabbed 6 passes for 77 yards and 1 touchdown. Fairmont had 361 yards of offense as Doug Brazill rushed 33 times for 219 yards and 1 score, while Bradford completed 3 of 11 aerials for 80 yards.
Other Scores: Scores of other games involving PSAC teams were West Chester 30, East Stroudsburg 15 and Kutztown 40, Cheyney 21.
PAC
Washington & Jefferson 49, Grove City 14: Junior Luke Espe (Johnstown, Pa./Central Cambria) and sophomore Craig Besong (Baden, Pa./Ambridge) both caught two touchdown passes to help No. 8 Washington & Jefferson defeat Grove City, 49-14. It was the ninth straight win by the Presidents over the Wolverines. Junior quarterback Bobby Swallow (Salem, Ohio/West Branch) fired five touchdown passes to increase his single-season total to 33. Swallow, who completed 22-of-33 passes for 256 yards, helped W&J defeat Grove City for the ninth consecutive time. Terrence McAllister led all rushers with 116 yards on eight attempts in a reserve role. Junior running back Curt Jones (Falconer, N.Y./Falconer) gained 97 yards on 22 carries, while junior wide receiver David Ravida (Solon, Ohio/Solon) caught six passes for 97 yards. Espe finished with five receptions for 46 yards, while Besong had three catches for 35 yards. Defensively, junior middle linebacker David Gitlitz (Columbus, Ohio/Bexley) and freshman strong safety Craig Sedunov (Herminie, Pa./Yough) led the defense with seven tackles and one interception. Gitlitz also forced one fumble and broke up one pass play. The Presidents limited the Wolverines (3-5, 3-3) to 196 yards and nine first downs (two in first half). W&J also forced six turnovers (4 INTs, 2 fumbles). For Grove City, Andrew DiDonato completed 16-of-34 passes for 124 yards, but the sophomore quarterback was guilty of tossing three interceptions. Four Wolverine backs combined to rush for 66 yards on 20 attempts as the Presidents bottled up the GCC ground game. Adam Eichler led the defense with 11 tackles. When W&J travels to Waynesburg Saturday, the two teams will enter the contest with unblemished 7-0 marks, the winner getting the inside track to the league’s first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Waynesburg 25, Thiel 20: After trailing 25-7 going into the half the Thiel College football squad managed to outscore Waynesburg University 13-0 in the final 30 minutes, but it wasn't enough as the Tomcats fell to the 25th-ranked Yellow Jackets 25-20 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) football action Saturday afternoon at Waynesburg's John F. Wiley Stadium. Waynesburg (7-0, 4-0) accumulated 271 total yards (204 rushing, 67 passing) while Thiel (2-6, 1-4) finished with 251 yards on 77 offensive plays (188 passing, 63 rushing). The Tomcats maintained a 20-11 advantage in first downs, finished with a 30:24-29:36 edge in time of possession and converted on all three red-zone appearances. The sixth-ranked Yellow Jacket defense was all over the place as it recorded seven sacks on senior quarterback Marc LaScola (Wellsville, Ohio/Wellsville) while they also picked off five interceptions. Top-ranked running back Robert Heller, who entered the game averaging 195.0 rushing yards per game, ran for 135 yards on 32 attempts and Davis rushed five times for 73 yards. Midway through the fourth quarter, Heller set both the single-season rushing record with 1,305 yards and single-season attempts record with 238. The freshman broke the rushing record of 1,299 set by Ryan Abels in 2005, while the attempts record stood for over 40 years with Rich Dahar setting the mark at 230 during the 1966 NAIA National Championship season. Heller finished the game against Thiel with a tough 135 yards with a touchdown on 32 attempts. Jacket quarterback Kyle Kyper completed 8-of-16 passes for 67 yards while Chris Smithley had two catches for 11 yards, Kory Jackson caught one pass for 23 yards and Tom Hudson caught a pair of nine yards. LaScola finished 18-of-37 passing for 188 yards and one touchdown and rushed 17 times for 21 yards. Adams finished with six catches for 70 yards and a score while Van Horn added four grabs for 51 yards. Hess finished with 53 yards on 21 carries. Sophmore middle linebacker Mike Clemens (Imperial/West Allegheny) finished with a career-high nine tackles while senior outside linebacker Michael Stimac (East Brady/Karns City) added eight stops. Senior cornerback Antonio Quarterman (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg) and junior outside linebacker Sam Swartzfager (Shippenville/Keystone) each added seven tackles. Dan Andreassi keyed the Yellow Jacket defense, compiling 14 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sack. Mike Czerwien posted nine tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, giving the national leader 15 sacks on the season. Senior linebacker Dan Andreassi led the Waynesburg unit with a career-best 14 tackles (eight solo) and a sack. Senior defensive end Mike Czerwien, who entered the game leading the country in sacks, finished with nine stops (six solo) with 4.5 TFL, three sacks, three quarterback hurries and a pass break-up. Steele finished with eight tackles (five solo), an interception and a sack, while Strothers had four stops with two interceptions.
Geneva 10, Thomas More 9: This game featured a battle between two of the top three defenses in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. When the final issue was decided, Thomas More came up short, falling to Geneva, 10-9. The Thomas More defense appeared to have turned the tide early in the fourth quarter when freshman Matt Clark (Cincinnati, OH/McNicholas) caused an apparent fumble that was recovered at returned to the Geneva 15 by freshman Aaron Monk (Cincinnati, OH/Elder). However, after a long deliberation, the play was called an incomplete pass. Thomas More never drove that deep into Golden Tornadoe territory again. Clark spearheaded the defensive charge with a career-high 17 tackles, six solos, and a pass breakup, while Kohrs added nine tackles, two for loss, and a sack. Collier finished with 68 yards on 19 carries, while Zerhusen was 7-of-27 for 80 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Bethany 41, Westminster 21: The Westminster College football team suffered its third straight loss as the Titans fell at Bethany, 41-21. Both teams are now 3-4 on the season and 1-3 in the PAC. The two teams were tied 21-21 through three quarters and, after quarterback Milton Joyner scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on an 3-yard run with 9:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Titans committed two turnovers, a fumble and an interception on successive possessions, which proved decisive in the outcome. For the game, the Bison offense racked up 504 yards of offense, including 321 yards on 26-of-35 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions by Joyner. Bethany receivers Matt Cruse (12-133) and Taylor McNeil (8-140) combined for 20 receptions and 273 yards. The Bison scored first in each of the three quarters before the Titans answered with touchdowns, including scores in the first and second quarters by sophomore wide receiver/tailback Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) on pass receptions of 20 and 28 yards from sophomore quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson). Franz scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, culminating Westminster's longest drive of the game, 11-plays, 67 yards over 5:38. Despite coming out on the short end of the final score by 20 points, the Titans amassed 403 yards of offense for the game. Franz completed 20 of 32 passes for 270 yards, including four to Rosatelli for 55 yards and seven to senior Brett Ziegler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) for 105 yards. Ziegler now has 121 career catches, moving him to fourth place on Westminster's all-time receptions list as he surpassed Lamont Boykins' mark of 115 grabs from 1980-83 during the game. Sophomore tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) compiled the second-most rushing yards of his career with 26 carries for 126 yards, as he eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the third time this season. Senior punter Dusty Rhodes (Niles, Ohio/Niles McKinley) punted four times for 169 yards (42.2), including two inside the Bethany 20-yard line and long of 56 yards to maintain his conference-leading and 15th-nationally-ranked average of 41.2. Junior linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) tied a team season high with 11 tackles to pace the Titan defense.
MAC
Lebanon Valley 13, King's College 9: Senior Adam Brossman caught the go-ahead touchdown with 7:25 left in the fourth quarter as Lebanon Valley College snapped a four-game losing skid by beating King's College, 13-9. The Dutchmen (2-5, 1-3 MAC) won for the first time this season in MAC play, while the Monarchs (0-7, 0-4 MAC) continued their misery with their seventh straight loss. Sophomore Charlie Parker had a prodigious day on the ground, rushing 37 times for 152 yards with a touchdown. Brossman caught three passes for 58 yards, including his 31-yard touchdown haul in the fourth quarter. The LVC defense played well, allowing the King's offense just three points. The Monarchs' lone touchdown came when Tore Alaimo blocked an LVC punt at the goal line and fell on it for a score, ruining an otherwise sparkling punting afternoon by Brossman, who had six punts and averaged 43.8 yards with two longer than 50 yards.
Other Scores: Albright 35, Wilkes 25; Delaware Valley 31, Lycoming 0. |
