Skipping The Sidelines For November 24

By Bill Albright

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference went 1-1 in the second round of the NCAA-II playoffs as California advanced, while IUP came out on the short end of the stick.

The Vulcan downed South Connecticut State 43-7, while IUP battled back from two double-digit deficits to fall short in a 41-34 loss to Shepherd University

Here is a closer look at those games:

California 43, Southern Connecticut State 7: Cal quarterback Joe Ruggiero threw two touchdown passes and junior running back Daine Williams rushed for Cal's sixth-highest single-game total and two TDs as the 6th-ranked Vulcans posted the 43-7 win to advance to the next round. It was the first NCAA playoff game in Cal history, and the 12-0 Vulcans rallied from a 7-3 first-quarter deficit with 36-straight points. The victory, which was a school-record 12th in a row, lifted the Vulcans into the Northeast Region Championship Game against Shepherd (10-1), the No. 2 seed in the region that beat Indiana, Pa., 41-34, in Saturday?s other regional semifinal. Kickoff between the Rams and the top-seeded Vulcans is noon at Hepner-Bailey Field at Adamson Stadium. Williams rushed for a three-yard score midway through the second quarter that gave Cal a 10-7 lead, then added a five-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 234 yards on 35 carries, both career high totals. It was also the sixth-highest single-game rushing total in team history, and the highest total since All-American Antoine Bagwell gained 278 yards against Slippery Rock in 2004.

Ruggiero completed 24-of-33 passes for 228 yards, including a 31-yard second-quarter TD pass to Sr. WR Nate Forse (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) and a five-yard scoring strike just before halftime to Jr. WR Joe Slappy (Oakdale, Pa./West Allegheny) that gave the hosts a 23-7 lead at the break. Ruggiero moved into second place on Cal's career total offense list with 7,224 and became the second passer in team history to throw for 7,000 career yards (7,008). He equaled his career high with 24 completions and posted a season-high total for passing yards. It was his 16th career 200-yard passing game. The Cal defense was strong again, holding SCSU to 91 net rushing yards and 146 passing yards (237 yards total offense). The Owls entered the game averaging 510 yards total offense, including 251 yards on the ground and 259 in the air. The Vulcan defense, which held a team averaging 40.6 points per game this season to one first-quarter TD, forced two turnovers and recorded five sacks for 22 yards. Cal Sr. LB Brian Mohr recorded two of Cal?s five sacks. Mohr finished with eight total tackles, one less than team leader Sr. LB Josh Zunic (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny). Late in the first quarter, SCSU drove 69 yards on 11 plays and broke into the end zone on a two-yard burst by Jarom Freeman, who finished with a team-best 63 yards on 17 carries. Freeman broke the SCSU record for career rushing yards (1,906). It was just the fourth time in 12 games this season the Vulcans were behind on the scoreboard. Cal totaled 549 yards of total offense, including 313 on the ground, and controlled the ball for 35:09.

Shepherd 41, IUP 34: Andrew Krewatch and Ken Witter enjoyed record setting statistical afternoons, but it was too many IUP mistakes that eventually resulted in the Crimson Hawk loss. The Crimson Hawks finish their season with a record of 9-3. The Rams are 10-1 and advance to the Northeast Region final next Saturday at California. Krewatch completed 34 of 49 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns, tying a 22-year-old school record for completions in a game while posting the fifth highest single game yardage total in IUP history. Witter finished with 13 catches for 176 yards while tying the school mark by catching each of Krewatch's four touchdown passes. The 13 receptions is an IUP postseason, and he became the first player in school history with at least 10 catches in three consecutive games. He had 40 catches for 488 yards and seven touchdowns over the final four games of the season. His 67 total receptions for the year was the second highest in school history, trailing only Les Pesotini's 74 in 1975.

Krewatch became the first quarterback in IUP history to pass for 3,000 yards in a season, finishing the year with 3,100. He also set school single season marks for pass attempts (391) and completions (237) while throwing 29 touchdown passes, second only to Brian Eyerman's 36 in 2002. Despite the heroics of Krewatch and Witter, IUP turned the ball over twice on interceptions and two more times on lost fumbles. The Crimson Hawks also misfired on a pair of kicks while the defense also allowed not one, but two 100-yard plus rushers. However, despite all of the negatives by IUP, the Crimson Hawks had a chance to pull out the game until Shepherd's Bobby Humphries recovered an onside kick in the final minute to seal the deal. IUP battled back from a pair of 14-point deficits to tie the game at 20 early in the third quarter on Witter's second touchdown. Shepherd appeared to wrapped the game up when Walter Gouveia intercepted Krewatch and returned it 31 yards to the IUP 32 with 10:55 left. However, the Crimson Hawks held on downs and pulled to within 34-27 when Witter hauled in a 59-yard scoring pass that was deflected by a Ram defensive back with 7:28 left. The second catch by Anthony Cellitti in the drive was his seventh of the game and the 100th of his career, making him the 12th IUP player to reach that plateau. In addition to all of the other mistakes and missed opportunities, IUP missed on two golden scoring chances in the first quarter, reaching the Ram six and 16 on its opening two drives before losing the ball on a fumble before a field attempt was no good. Shepherd took advantage by scoring on two of its next three possessions, including a 70-yard run by Wallace and a two-yard pass from Tyler Lazear to Ryan Lavin.




Skipping the Sidelines For November 3
By BILL ALBRIGHT

It was not a good weekend for the teams from the PSAC, PAC and MAC conferences as teams from those three leagues went a collective 1-4 in NCAA and ECAC first-round playoff games
.
The only winner in the three leagues was Indiana University of Pennsylvania as the Crimson Hawks advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs with a 45-35 conquest of conference rival West Chester.

In other games, Washington & Jefferson suffered a tough 35-34 overtime loss to North Carolina Wesleyan, Waynesburg came up short in a 16-10 loss to Dickinson in an ECAC Bowl Game, and Widener suffered a tough 21-20 setback to Case Western Reserve University in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament.

Here is a closer look at how those games unfolded:

IUP 45, West Chester 35: For IUP it was its first NCAA Division II postseason game victory since 2002. Trailing the Rams by a 35-27 margin with less than 11 minutes left, the Crimson Hawks rallied for 18 unanswered points in the final 10:37 to seal the deal. The Crimson Hawks (9-2) advance to play Shepherd next Saturday at noon in Sheperdstown, WV. The Rams (9-1) had a first round bye. West Chester ends its season at 9-3. Poohbear McNeal carried 19 times for 80 yards, and two touchdowns, including a 1-yard run with 2:35 remaining in the game to cap a 72-yard drive, and give IUP the lead for the first time at 42-35. West Chester quarterback Bill Zwaan fumbled on the first play of the ensuing drive when he was sacked by Rob Plowman, and Matt Scott recovered at the Golden Rams? 18-yard line. IUP capitalized on the West Chester miscue when Matt McNelis kicked a 33-yard field goal with 2:00 minutes remaining to seal the victory for the Hawks. Andrew Krewatch completed 16-of-31 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding a rushing touchdown for a second straight week. Krewatch hit Ken Witter on a 23-yard touchdown pass in the opening minute of the second quarter, and then scored himself from 11 yards out with 8:49 left before halftime, as IUP wiped out an early 14-0 West Chester lead. The third quarter was a see-saw affair as both teams took turns scoring. The Golden Rams scored on a 45-yard pass from Zwaan to Steve Miller, and a 31-yard run by Osagie Osunde, his second score of the game. IUP countered with a 79-yard kickoff return by Anthony Rodriguez, and a 2-yard run by McNeal. However, McNelis was wide right on the extra point following the McNeal touchdown, leaving the Crimson Hawks behind 28-27 entering the final quarter. Prior to that attempt, McNelis had not missed a kick in 23 extra points, and 8 field goal tries this season. Zwaan completed 14-of-27 passes for 230 yards, but was intercepted three times, and sacked four times by an IUP defense that forced six turnovers in the game. Witter finished with 10 receptions for 135 yards marking his second straight game with 10 catches, the first time an IUP receiver had accomplished that feat since Carmelo Ocasio did so against Millersville and Saginaw Valley State in 2001. After the Zwaan fumble, and ensuing McNelis field goal gave IUP a 45-35 lead, Terrence Jackson made the third IUP interception of the game with 1:35 left to finish off the Golden Rams. Jackson had a game-high 15 tackles, and was joined in the interception column by Corey Sample, and James Carson. Rob Plowman had two sacks, while Matt Scott and Corey Davis also had sacks. Osunde led West Chester with 117 rushing yards, and Washington caught 5 passes for 87 yards, and PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year Lateef Ferguson had 10 tackles.


North Carolina Wesleyan 35, Washington & Jefferson 34 (OT): This game was a case of the lowest seed in the bracket taking care of business agains the top seed.The Bishops (9-2), the bracket?s No. 8 seed, advance to next Saturday?s second round game at fourth-seeded Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. The Presidents (10-1) had a chance to win the game in the extra session, but a fake extra-point attempt rush by sophomore placekicker Chuck Grabner (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Pickerington) was stopped by NC Wesleyan senior strong safety Jezreel Davis (Hampton, Va.). The two teams took turns trading scores in this one until the two teams were deadlocked at 28-all after four quarters of regulation. For W&J, it was its eight NCAA playoff appearance in the past nine years.The score remained tied until the 14:26 mark of the third quarter when W&J junior running back Kevin Mathews (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) bolted nine yards through the middle of the NCWC defense for a 28-21 lead. The Bishops answered quickly once again as Haywood?s 35-yard kickoff return helped set up his own 3-yard touchdown rush with 11:25 remaining in the game. On their next possession, the Presidents' drive stalled at the NCWC 46-yard line, but junior Zack Zebrasky?s (Canonsburg, Pa./Washington) punt was fumbled at the 27-yard line and recovered by W& J freshman Craig Sedunov (Herminie, Pa./Yough). W&J drove to the NCW 2-yard line, but had to settle for a 22-yard, Grabner field-goal attempt which was blocked by junior Davon Collins (Virginia Beach, Va.) with 4:35 left to play. Much like the Presidents, the Bishops had a chance to win the game in regulation, but a 29-yard field goal failed and the two teams headed for overtime. North Carolina Wesleyan had the first possession and Townsend scored on the fourth play of the drive from three yards out. Vaughn?s extra-point put the Bishops in front 35-28. Swallow fired his fourth touchdown pass of the game on the Presidents? fourth play, hitting Ravida on a 3-yard strike. W&J?s fake extra-point rush attempt was stopped and the Bishops earned their first-ever NCAA playoff victory. Townsend completed 19-of-29 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 97 yards on 23 attempts. Sophomore running back Teron Bush (Newport News, Va.) added 85 yards on 13 carries, while Haywood added 21 yards on the ground. Bush led the NCW receivers with six receptions for 36 yards. The Bishop defense was led by senior linebacker Justin Augustin?s (Midway Park, N.C.) 11 tackles and two pass breakups. Swallow finished with 265 passing yards (25-of-39 attempts) and four scores to finish the season with 46 touchdown passes. Mathews gained 103 yards on 24 carries, while McCafferty closed his career with a nine-catch, 147-yard receiving day. He finished his career fourth on the school?s career reception list. Ravida also hauled in nine passes for 61 yards. Senior cornerback Doug Melton (Cleveland, Ohio/Midpark) led the Presidents? defense with 13 tackles and three pass breakups. The Bishops outgained W&J by a 474-360 margin, including 253 yards on the ground. NC Wesleyan converted 12-of-17 third-down situations. Washington & Jefferson concludes its season as the 15th team in school history to win 10 games in a year. W&J also made its 19th appearance in the NCAA playoffs.


Dickinson 16, Waynesburg 10 (OT): This game was a defensive battle between the two teams until Dickinson prevailed in
overtime. The overtime loss marks the second for Waynesburg in the last three weeks, while the post-season appearance is the third in the last five years for the program. The Yellow Jackets failed to convert on a 27-yard field goal on their overtime possession, allowing the Red Devils to need only a field goal or touchdown for the win. Sophomore fullback Tim Wells scored the game-winning five-yard touchdown following a 20-yard reception by Chris McInerney near the sideline. Waynesburg had an opportunity to win the game in regulation, but a costly interception at the 12-yard line halted the drive and forced the game into overtime. Freshman running back Robert Heller finished the game with 157 yards on 39 attempts against the Red Devils? defense. With his performance, he set an NCAA all-division freshman record with 2,176 yards this season, surpassing the previous total of 2,065 set by Joique Bell of Division-II Wayne State last season. Heller's rushing yards this year ranks as the ninth-highest single-season total in Division III history. Defensively, Waynesburg was led by seniors Mike Czerwien and Brendon Steele with 11 tackles each. Czerwien registered a sack in the contest to finish the year with a single-season school record 23.0 sacks, just one shy of the NCAA all-division record. The Yellow Jackets finish the season with an 8-3 overall record and eight wins is tied for the third-most in a season in school history (1932, 1967). Coming up with key plays to keep drives alive hurt the Yellow Jackets as they only made good on three of 16 third-down attempts as well as only one of four fourth-down tries.


Case Western 21, Widener 20: Case Western needed all 60 minutes to keep its perfect season alive. For CW, the appearance in the NCAA playoffs was the school's first. With the Spartans trailing by five points with 1:27 left in the game, quarterback Dan Whalen led his club to the end zone by hitting senior wide receiver Jeff Mayer (Vermillion, OH) with two seconds left on the clock for the game-winning touchdown. Whalen converted on three fourth downs on the final drive.

"We've been in this type of situation before and I think it's a situation that Dan [Whalen] really responds well to," said Case Western Reserve Head Coach Greg Debeljak. "I knew we definitely had a chance as long as the line held up and they did a great job."

With the win, the Spartans improve to 11-0 on the year and will host Wabash College next weekend at Case Field at 12:00 p.m. in the second round of the playoffs. Wabash defeated the College of Mount St. Joseph 31-21 in its first round game in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The Spartans trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter, but like they had done many times during the regular season behind Whalen and a stiff defense, they rallied back to win.

"We knew there was enough time with two timeouts left and we could take it in chunks," Whalen said. "After we got the first fourth down and we started to get downfield I was pretty confident we could score and Jeff [Mayer] made a great catch at the end to win it."

Whalen led the Spartans on a 14-play, 72-yard drive to put the score at 14-9, and on the next drive, Whalen hit freshman wide receiver Shaun Nicely (Willoughby, OH) on a 97-yard bomb to put them ahead, 15-14 ? their first lead of the game. The 97-yard touchdown pass is the longest play from scrimmage in Case Western Reserve football history.

The Pride would answer back, as southpaw quarterback Matt Campbell led Widener down the field 50 yards, capping it off with an Ian Decker one-yard touchdown run to put his team up 20-15 with 1:27 remaining to set up the frantic finish. Whalen finished with a game-high 306 yards through the air on 26-of-47 passing, throwing two touchdowns and one interception on the afternoon. Mayer and Nicely combined for 14 catches, 222 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Mayer's game-winning touchdown grab was his first touchdown as a Spartan. The Spartans turned the ball over three times on the afternoon, while the Pride turned it over twice, including a Mike Tuertscher (Cincinnati, OH) interception in the second quarter. Tuertscher finished the game with a team-high eight tackles in the victory. The Spartans totaled over 400 yards of total offense for the seventh time this season, as they totaled 440 yards on the afternoon, while holding Widener to 262 yardsv





Skipping The Sidelines For November 3

By BILL ALBRIGHT

Although the regular season is winding down in the PSAC. MAC and PAC, there were still many interesting games played during the weekend that had ramifications on the league titles and playoff possibilities in the three conferences.

Here is a closer look at how many of those games unfolded:

PAC

Westminster 20, Thiel 16: Saturday's PAC game between Thiel and Westminster wasn't for the conference championship, but the way the two clubs went after each other for 60 minutes, anyone who saw the game would have never guessed that is was just another regular season game. Playing each other toe-to-toe for the entire 60 minutes, the Titans survived the slugfest with a hard-fought 20-16 win over the Tomcats Saturday afternoon at Harold Burry Stadium. With the win, the Titans assure themselves of a non-losing season at 5-4 overall, improving to 2-3 in the conference with only Waynesburg remaining on the schedule.

"That (guaranteeing a non-losing season) was important, but most importantly it was a big win for us on senior day," said Westminster coach Jeff Hand. "We have a great group of seniors who hung in there and it was a great victory for them."

Disappointed with the loss, Thiel coach Jack Leipheimer was anything but disappointed in the effort from his athletes. "Our kids played hard and left it all on the field today," said Leipheimer. "They played with tremendout heart and they never gave up. We just didn't get it done."

Although the Titans held a 7-3 lead at halftime, they missed numerous opportunities to put points on the board and that caused concern for Hand and his assistants.

"We missed a field goal in the first half and later had one blocked and we turned the ball over once," noted Hand. "Those were three times in the red zone that we came away with nothing."

Field position played a big role in the first half of the game and the Titans, thanks to the effort of punter Dusty Rhodes, had the better of that facet of the game. Not once, but twice, Rhodes pinned the Tomcats inside their own 2-yard line with his kicks.

"Early, that (field position) was a big factor," said Hand. "When you are starting a drive on your own 1-yard line, you don't have your whole offense at your finger tips. No phase of our game was perfect today, but he (Rhodes) did a great job for us."

After coming up short on several early opportunities, the Titans finally took advantage of good field position at the Thiel 39. Five plays and two minutes later, Titan tailback Nick McKolosky scored the game's first touchdown on a 7-yard run. Fred Romeo's (Poland Seminary) PAT made it 7-0 Westminster. For the game, McKolosky finished with 105 yards on 34 carries and the one score.

"It was tough running in there today," said McKolosky. "There was a lot going on up front and as a result, we were getting a lot of different looks. It was just tough to find much running room today."

Following a missed field goal by Romeo and time running out in the first half, Thiel quarterback Marc LaScola engineered a 2-minute drive in NFL fashion that resulted in a 42-yard field goal by Tomcat kicker Sammy Koyl on the final play of the first half. Although his team trailed 7-3, Thiel coach Jack Leipheimer felt good about where his club stood at halftime.

"From a field position standpoint, that should have been a 21-3 ball game at halftime in their favor," noted Leipheimer. "I am extremely proud of our defensive unit and how it played. They kept making plays and just hung in there to give us a chance to win the game at the end, but we just didn't get it done."


With the Titans clinging to the 20-16 lead midway through the final period and Thiel driving, Titan defensive back Eric Brown (Youngstown/Rayen) made possibly the biggest play of his Titan career. Faced with a fourth-and-4 at midfield, Thiel quarterback Marc LaScola took the snap, rolled to his right, reversed his field and headed for the sticks. With LaScola apparently headed for a first down to keep the drive alive, Brown came up and met LaScola head on, driving him out of bounds six inches short of the chains to turn the ball over to his offense.

"I saw him (LaScola) rolling out and my man went deep," explained Brown. "When I saw that, I figured he was going to run so I just came up and made the tackle. I always play the sticks, but I really didn't know where he was. I just hoped that I got him before he reached the sticks and as it turned out, I did."

Forced into a punting situation on their next possession, the Titans again found themselves with their backs to the wall as Thiel took over on the Westminster 36. However, once again the Titan defensive unit stood tall as after a Thiel first down to the 19, the unit turned the Tomcats away from the end zone on four plays to seal the win.

"I thought we were going to win the football game," Leipheimer said. "I never had a doubt about it, but then we got sacked at the end to put us in long yardage and we just weren't able to overcome it."

As they have done so many times in the past two years, quarterback Kevin Franz and wideout Brett Ziegler played huge roles in the Titan win. Franz completed 27 of 38 attempts for 217 yards and one touchdown. Franz spread the wealth around as he completed at least one pass to nine different receivers.

"They were definitely covering Zieg real hard, but I just went through my reads," explained Franz. "That is our passing game because a lot of our pass plays have three of four possible receivers. If they were covering the primary receiver, I just looked for someone else and things worked out well for us."

Franz's favorite target, Ziegler, caught 11 passes for 102 yards. Although Ziegler didn't reach the end zone, his catches kept Titan drives alive and set up Westminster scores.

"Our whole offensive scheme was working well," explained Ziegler. "That is when we are at our best by mixing in the run with the pass. We took our shots downfield, but we weren't able to hit anything. When we make them aware of our deeper patterns, that really helps out with opening up our short game."



Geneva 24, Waynesburg 17 (OT): Ten days ago, the Yellow Jackets were unbeaten at 7-0. However, with a pair of losses in back-to-back Saturday's, they find themselves at 7-2 with one game remaining. The Jackets trailed by 17 points at halftime before they rallied to tie the game at 17-all in the third period, only to fall 24-17 in overtime to the Golden Tornadoes (7-2). Down 17-14 Waynesburg tied the game at 17-all with 1:48 left in the third quarter on a 35-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Kyle McBride. Geneva looked to end the game in regulation with the ball at Yellow Jackets? 30-yard line. However on third down, sophomore outside linebacker Matt Offutt registered the critical interception with 47 seconds remaining in regulation. On the first play of overtime, senior quarterback Bobby Bondi scrambled 20 yards before the Golden Tornadoes took a 24-17 lead with a 5-yard touchdown run by senior Gabe Gordon. The Yellow Jackets were faced with a fourth-and-five at the 20-yard line on their overtime possession before junior quarterback Andy Lauterbach connected with freshman wide receiver Ray Hightower II for a first down. Waynesburg later faced a fourth-and-one situation only to incur a false start penalty. On the ensuing play, the Yellow Jacket pass fell incomplete. Lauterbach completed 10-of-31 attempts for 137 yards with an interception in the game with Hightower II posting four receptions for 59 yards. The Yellow Jackets finished the game with 173 rushing yards against a Golden Tornadoes? defense that allowed only 70.9 rushing yards/game. Freshman running back Robert Heller finished the game with 113 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries, while Lauterbach added 52 rushing yards on 12 attempts. The Waynesburg defense forced five three-and-outs in the third-quarter comeback. Late in the third, the Yellow Jackets recorded a punt block by junior wide receiver Andy Hodanich with sophomore defensive back Dylan August recovering the loose ball at the Geneva 17-yard line. Waynesburg converted the punt block into points with the 35-yard field goal by McBride. Senior defensive end and All-American candidate Mike Czerwien finished the game with 12 tackles (eight solo) with 3.5 tackles for loss (TFL) and two sacks. Senior linebacker Brendon Steele and sophomore safety Ryan Krull each posted 12 stops with Steele registering an interception and a pass break-up. The game featured 23 total penalties accounting for 220 yards. The two teams also combined for 23 punts, including a career-long punt of 71 yards by sophomore Nate Feniello, one yard shy of the school record.



Grove City 44, St. Vincent 0: The Wolverines wrapped up the home portion of their 2007 schedule Saturday afternoon in record-setting fashion as the Wolverines earned a 44-0 victory over visiting Saint Vincent. Grove City set a single-game school record with 37 first downs in the victory. The Wolverines (4-5 overall) also tied a single-game school record by executing 90 offensive plays. Sophomore quarterback Andrew DiDonato (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) became Grove City's all-time leader in career passing yardage with 3,023. DiDonato completed 19 of 27 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 1,469 yards this year, which is the fourth-highest season total in program history. Meanwhile, junior tailback Brian Mercer (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) ran for a career-high 179 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Mercer also caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from DiDonato. As a team, Grove City gained 353 yards on the ground and 603 yards of total offense. The 603 yards are the third-most in program history. Defensively, Grove City recorded its first shutout since a 9-0 win over Bethany Oct. 27, 2001. Grove City yielded just 127 yards of total offense. Grove City also had a season-high five sacks and forced two turnovers. Freshman safety Butch Kriger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) recorded two of the five sacks while junior cornerback Mike Baker (Harrison City, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) intercepted his fifth pass of the season. Senior end Ross McCracken (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) forced and recovered a fumble. Grove City averaged 5.8 yards per carry and also converted 11 of 16 third-down opportunities. Mullins, sophomore linebacker Jesse Gill (Mahanoy City, Pa./Marian Catholic) and junior linebacker Ian Minster (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) all had sacks. Logan Small led Saint Vincent with 52 yards rushing. Saint Vincent is in its first season of intercollegiate varsity action since re-introducing football to its athletic program. Saint Vincent previously discontinued football in 1962. The teams had not met since 1960. Saint Vincent leads the all-time series 2-1.


Washington & Jefferson 42, Thomas More 0: Sophomore Cordario Collier (New Albany, IN/New Albany) accounted for 115 of Thomas More's 235 offensive yards as the Saints fell to No. 7 Washington & Jefferson. An interception on the game's first offensive play set the tone for the entire contest as the Saints never really got into an offensive rhythm. Collier finished the game with 92 yards rushing, bringing him to 960 yards on the season. He added a reception for 23 yards. Freshman quarterback Josh Gauger (Avon, IN/Avon) came on in the second half to throw for 59 yards on 5-of-10 passing and one interception. Junior Nick Dew (Newport/Newport Central Catholic) had three catches for 22 yards. Defensively, sophomore Brandon Kohrs (Newport/Newport Central Catholic) led the Saints with a career-high 16 tackles, two for loss and two quarterback hurries. Sophomore Andy Poe and freshman Matt Clark - the PAC's leading tackler - each had 10 for the Saints.

PSAC

Edinboro 49, Clarion 30: Trevor Harris' record-breaking season continued on Saturday as the sophomore quarterback led Edinboro to a 49-30 win over visiting Clarion. The victory boosted the Fighting Scots to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the PSAC West, while Clarion fell to 0-10 and 0-5, respectively. Harris accounted for five touchdowns as he broke his own season records for yards passing (2,893 yards) and touchdowns passing (28). On the afternoon he completed 33 of 46 passes for 415 yards, the second-highest single-game total, with 4 TDs and an interception. He also ran for 18 yards and a touchdown. The 433 yards of total offense is a new school record. Oddly enough, Harris set the school record for yards passing and total offense a year ago to the day with 437 yards passing and 416 total yards against Shippensburg. The Fighting Scots scored touchdowns on six straight possessions, while scoring points of some nature on eight possessions in a row. All told, the two teams combined for 330 yards in total offense, including 200 by Edinboro, in the opening 15 minutes during which the two teams combined to score 41 points. The Fighting Scots ended the afternoon with 570 total yards, including 155 yards on the ground. Clarion totaled 344 yards, with 210 of that at the half. Bostic became the first Edinboro rusher to gain 100 yards this season, as he finished with 113 yards on 18 carries. The freshman also caught 9 passes for 86 yards. Dave Bostic was one of nine different receivers to haul in passes from Harris. Rybicki finished with 5 catches for 72 yards and a pair of scores, with Rich Cerro adding 5 catches for 28 yards. Burr caught 4 passes for 50 yards. Tyler Huether paced the Clarion attack, completing 22 of 35 passes for 262 yards with 2 TDs and an INT. Odom caught 5 passes for 61 yards. The Golden Eagles were held to 82 yards rushing. Emmanuel was the top ball carrier with 9 carries for 38 yards. Clarion had four leads in the first half, then tried to rally in the second half but Edinboro-s offense was just too much for the young Golden Eagles. Clarion had 344 yards of offense on the day. Huether passed for 262 and rushed for 6 yards on the day, while Odom caught 5 passes for 61 yards and 1 td. Carraway meanwhile had 4 catches for 72 yards and Dominic grabbed 4 for 65. Clarion's defense was led by Quintyn Brazil who had 16 stops, while linebacker Garrett McMullin had 9. Nick Sipes (Curwensville) had 7 stops and Shawn Sopic (Curwensville) had 2 tackles. Clarion Area?s Kyle Cathcart posted 8 hits.



California (PA) 30, West Chester 14: Senior QB Joe Ruggiero (Detroit, Mich./Franklin) threw a pair of TD passes to Soph. TE Cory Garver (Cumberland, Md./Fort Hill) and Sr. Jermaine Moye (Rochester, Pa./Rochester) returned a kickoff 88 yards for the game-winning TD as 5th-ranked Cal (10-0) defeated the Rams in a battle of the top two teams in the NCAA Division II Northeast Region. The Vulcans (10-0) broke their school record for most wins in a season and solidified their claim as the No. 1 team in the Northeast. Cal also tied the team record for longest win streak, originally set when the 1967 team won its last two games of the season and the 1968 team posted an 8-0 mark. West Chester (8-2), which was ranked No. 2 in the region, suffered its first loss vs. a Division II team this season. The Rams, who scored the most points of the season against the Vulcans, also equaled their lowest point total of the season, set in Week 2 with a 41-14 setback to Division I Delaware. Cal?s defense, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country in rushing and scoring, held the hosts to 21 yards rushing and 182 yards total offense. The Rams, who entered the game averaging 436 yards per game, committed three turnovers (all pass interceptions). The Vulcans used a balanced attack, gaining 190 yards on the ground and 133 through the air. Ruggiero completed 15 of 26 attempts, including a 27-yarder to Garver in the first quarter and a two-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter that put the game away. Jr. RB Daine Williams (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls), in his first career start at Cal, led the ground game with 133 yards, including a 10-yard scoring burst early in the second quarter that gave the Vulcans a 13-0 lead. It was Williams second 100-yard rushing game of the season. Midway through the third quarter, Soph. PK Tyler Lorenz converted a 23-yard field goal, raising Cal?s lead to 23-6. It was the 22nd career FG in 21 games for Lorenz, who needs three more three-pointers to tie Jim Kraynak?s career record. Lorenz, who converted three PAT attempts after banging one off the upright after Cal?s first score, moved past Gary Amos (137 pts.) into second place on Cal?s career scoring list with 142 points. Kraynak holds the career kick scoring record with 154 points. The Vulcan defense kept West Chester's highly-rated senior QB Bill Zwaan off balance most of the afternoon. Jr. Kirby Griffin (Rochester, Pa./Rochester) was credited with 1.5 sacks for 15 yards, and Jr. Darren Burns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) added a 10-yard sack. Juan Butler (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport), Trey Allen (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) and Terrence Johnson (Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) all had interceptions. Butler also had one of Cal?s six tackles for losses. Sr. LB Gary Butler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Langley) led the tackle parade with seven hits, including two solo stops and two drops in the WC backfield. Soph. Nate Payne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) also had five solo hits, including one for a one-yard loss.



IUP 30, Shippensburg 0: The IUP defense recorded its second shutout of the season and posted its 20th win in a row over Shippensburg. The Crimson Hawks, ranked 20th in the American Football Coaches Association poll and fifth in the Northeast Region, won their fourth in a row and improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC West. Shippensburg, which had won three of its last four, fell to 3-7 and 2-3 in the division. The Raiders have not defeated IUP since the 1988 season and were shut out by the Crimson Hawks for the second time in the past four years. IUP defeated Shippensburg 17-0 in 2004 when the Raiders were ranked ninth in the country. IUP held Shippensburg to -16 yards rushing, the fifth lowest figure by an opponent in school history. The Raiders had only one real scoring opportunity in the game, achieving a first and goal at the IUP seven early in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Hawks recorded three sacks of Maiocco for 27 yards in lost yardage, including one each by Matt Scott, Anthony Guerra and Rob Plowman. Terrence Jackson led IUP with nine tackles and was joined by Quinton Cobb with interceptions. Andrew Krewatch led an efficient offense that accounted for 338 yards, completing 19 of 30 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Krewatch moved into a tie for seventh with 32 career touchdown passes and has three in a game five times this season, including the past three. Krewatch had touchdown passes for 19 yards to Ken Witter and eight yards to Dan Pickens as part of a 17-point second quarter that gave IUP a 20-0 lead at halftime. Witter finished with seven receptions for 86 yards. Kareem Dutrieuille led the IUP ground game with 24 carries for 73 yards while Garrett Lestochi carried six times for 50 yards, an average of 8.3 yards per attempt. Maiocco completed 23 of 48 passes for 283 yards for the Raiders. Nine of those completions for 130 yards went to Mike Harris. Andy Casale led all tacklers with 13, and Dee Wolford and Michael Apgar had sacks. Rushing struggles and key turnovers plagued the Red Raiders. It was the first time this season that the Red Raiders had been held scoreless and the first time since Sept. 23, 2006, when they were blanked 24-0 at West Chester. Shippensburg (3-7, 2-3 PSAC West), who suffered its 20th consecutive loss to IUP, forced six punts and two fumbles, but committed three turnovers of their own which led to 17 Crimson Hawk points. The Red Raider defense also limited Indiana (Pa.) to 338 yards of total offense, but were on the field for nearly 35 minutes as IUP dominated in time of possession, 34:36 to 25:24. Through 10 games, Shippensburg has been outscored 151-113 in the first half, including 85-66 in the second quarter as the Red Raiders have either trailed or been tied at the half in all but one of its seven losses this season. IUP (8-1, 5-1 PSAC West), whose rushing defense was ranked second in the PSAC entering the contest, contained Shippensburg?s running backs for the duration of the contest as the Red Raiders finished the day with minus-16 yards rushing on 20 carries. Facing constant pressure all day, Gabe Maiocco attempted a career-high 48 passes, 10 of which were deflected, including two interceptions, and he was sacked three times. He did manage to complete a career-high 23 passes for 283 yards. Six different running backs combined to rush for just 11 yards on 17 carries for Shippensburg. One of lone bright spots in the game for Shippensburg was the performance by red-shirt sophomore Mike Harris who reeled in nine catches for 130 yards, becoming the first Red Raider receiver since 2004 to record three 100-yard receiving games in a season. That year, Patrick Ferguson also had three 100-yard receiving games. Defensively, red-shirt sophomore Andy Casale (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) led the Red Raiders with a team and career-high 13 tackles. He also had a 16-yard fumble return. Senior Dee Wolford (Munhall/Steel Valley) had one of his strongest games of the season, totaling nine tackles, including two for loss and one sack. The last victory for Shippensburg against IUP was Oct. 15, 1988 when the Red Raiders won 24-23 at Seth Grove Stadium. During its current 20-game losing streak to the Crimson Hawks, Shippensburg is 0-11 at Miller Stadium


Slippery Rock 27, Lock Haven 11: Senior quarterback Nate Crookshank threw three first-half touchdown passes Thursday night to propel The Rock to the win. Crookshank connected with Joshua Prigorac for a 22-yard TD on the opening drive of the game, then hooked up with Paul Favers for a 43-yard score and Frank Cremonese for a four-yard score. Behind those scoring tosses, SRU held a 20-0 halftime lead en route to their eighth win in 10 games and third in five PSAC-West games this fall. The Rock will look to ring win win No. 9 and, in the process, put itself in position to earn an NCAA playoff berth next Saturday when it travels to division rival Edinboro for a 1 p.m. game. SRU (7-2 overall, 3-2 PSAC-W) is currently ranked seventh in the Northeast Regional poll; the top six teams at the end of regular-season play earn playoff berths. The Rock amassed 348 yards in total offense in the first half and finished the game with 528 total yards (318 rushing, 210 passing). That marked the ninth time in 10 games this fall that the Green and White had 400 or more yards in total offense. The only team to hold The Rock shy of the 400-yard milestone was California, which allowed SRU "only" 347 yards a week ago. Lock Haven (0-9 overall, 0-4 PSAC-W), meanwhile, was held to only 44 yards in the first half and finished the game with 241 yards. The Rock defense recorded six quarterback sacks for -45 yards, led by three sacks for -25 yards by Cory Lacek. Tyler Boudreau (-6 yards), Clint Forsha (-8 yards) and Marty Kern (-6 yards) each had one sack. Kern also recovered a fumble. A.J. Saunders recorded his team-high fourth interception of the season and broke up a total of three passes to round out The Rock's defensive gems. Offensively, Crookshank completed 15 of 26 passes for 192 yards in the opening 30 minutes of action and finished the game 17-of-32 for 210 yards with two interceptions. Favers had five catches for 91 yards, Prigorac had three catches for 54 yards, Colin Golden had three catches for 31 yards and Terry Grossetti made four catches for 24 yards. Corey Manfull gained 108 yards on 13 carries, all in the first half of action, while Damarcus Cleckley picked up 84 yards on 15 carries, including a two-yard TD run on SRU's initial second-half possession, and Ryan Lehmeier added 53 yards on 13 carries. Corey Manfull became the 22nd player in Rock history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season. His 1,086-yard total this fall is the 17th highest total in school history. Crookshank's three TD tosses Thursday gives him 19 for the season, which equals his career-high total of a year ago. He can set a new school record with three more TDs next week; John Linhart threw for 21 TDs in 1992. Favers moved into seventh place on SRU's career pass receiving yardage chart. He now has has 1,480 yards and needs 59 yards to move into sixth place (Jeremy Rock, 1538 yards from 1993-96). Thursday's win was The Rock's 19th straight over Lock Haven and gives SRU a 39-12-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Bald Eagles have not beaten SRU since 1980, when LHU eked out a 29-26 victory. Through the air The Haven was led by the tandem of freshman Tyler Golden and sophomore Ilio DiPaolo who both threw for 52 yards on the evening. Golden was 7-17 with an interception and DiPaolo was 6-10. The leading LHU receiver was Damar Dowell who hauled in four balls for
37 yards.

MAC

Lycoming 24, King's College 6: The win by Lycoming over King's was the second in a row for the Warriors. With the victory, head coach Frank Girardi tied Brigham Young coaching legend LaVell Edwards for 14th place on the NCAA's
all-time winningest coaches list. Warrior wide receiver Brad Shellenberger caught four passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns of 42 and 41 yards. The touchdowns both came in the first 20 minutes of the game. The Warrior defense shut down the Monarchs all day, holding King?s to 270 yards of total offense (Lycoming totaled 420 yards). Senior defensive end Ryan Yaple compiled five solo tackles on the day, including three tackles for loss. Yaple also recorded two of Lycoming?s four sacks and continually harassed King's carousel of quarterbacks. Defensive tackle Ted Geurds and senior linebacker Dustin Hentzelman led the Warriors with seven stops each. In the defensive backfield, senior Vreeland Wood nabbed two interceptions in the second half, while Travis Leonarczyk and Nick Reese each recovered a fumble for Lycoming. Warrior running back Josh Kleinfelter reclaimed his starting job after missing last week with injury. Kleinfelter nearly notched Lycoming?s second straight 100-yard rushing effort, settling for 94 yards on 21 carries. Last Saturday?s star Mark Rosa gained 37 yards on 10 carries. Tim Hook was 13 of 25 for 255 yards through the air. He also compiled 38 yards on the ground and was not sacked. Senior tight end Bill Margetich had three receptions for 53 yards. King?s receiver Bob Cirko caught seven passes for 97 yards, while Rick Ritter had five grabs for 76 yards. The Monarchs used three quarterbacks on the day, the trio combining for 227 yards passing.



Widener 28, Albright 24: Senior Matt Campbell capped a solid day on an 18-yard touchdown pass to junior Tim Kilkenny with 18 seconds left, propelling Widener to the victory over the Lions and handing Widener its 17th Middle Atlantic Conference championship. It is Widener's first title since sharing the 2002 crown with Kings and first outright since 2001. The Pride (7-2, 6-0 MAC) will make their 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2001. Down 21-7 at halftime, Widener began its march late in the third quarter. Sophomore Ian Decker had a 25-yard carry on third down and 10 to Albright?s three yard line. Campbell three plays later found senior Jamie Schild on a five-yard touchdown pass with 3:19 to play for a 21-14 deficit. Albright worked its way to the 12 yard line before John Whelan booted a 30-yard field goal with 1:34 left. That?s when Widener began its march to the title with an eight-play, 56-yard drive in which Campbell completed 6-of-7 passes for 52 yards. He hit Falkenstein on an eight-yard pass on third down to Albright?s 44 yard line and on an 11-yard toss to the 33. Campbell then completed passes of four, five and six yards to Kilkenny to the 18-yard line before the winner to end the 76-second drive. Albright?s last-ditch chance on a hook and lateral was thwarted on a tackle by freshman Shane Szumski (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) as time expired. Campbell completed 27-of-43 passes for a career-best 279 yards and three touchdowns, including 19-of-27 attempts for 206 yards after intermission. Falkenstein had eight catches for 100 yards, and senior Dan MacDonald (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook) posted 11 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks. The victory marked the second straight year Widener has posted a six-game winning streak. The Pride ended with a 374-366 disadvantage in total offense, but recorded a 263-121 margin in the second half. Kelly completed 22-of-30 passes for 253 yards, three scores and added 21 carries for 79 yards. Stephen Asay (Gibbstown, NJ) had 11 catches for 79 yards.


Lebanon Valley 27, FDU-Florham 24: Lebanon Valley College orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback with late touchdowns by sophomores Matt Donley and Charlie Parker to win the game. Donley caught a 37-yard heave from sophomore Pat Weiss to put the Dutchmen (3-6, 2-4 MAC) up 20-17 with just over nine minutes to go. Parker then rumbled in for what held up as the game-winning score with 4:23 left in the game. Parker racked up his fifth 100-yard game of the season with 28 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Weiss was 11-of-23 for 172 yards and two touchdowns, and for the first time this season, the LVC quarterback did not throw an interception. Senior Adam Brossman was Weiss' primary target, catching seven balls for 100 yards. Mike Barnard booted three field goals for FDU-Florham, with his first, a 33-yard effort, opening the scoring in the first quarter.








Skipping the Sidelines for October 27
By Bill Albright


It was a big weekend for small college football, especially in the PSAC and PAC conferences. Here is a closer look at those big games along with action from the MAC.

PSAC

California (PA) 22, Slippery Rock 13: It was for a share of the top spot in the PSAC-West, and when it was all over, the California (PA) Vulcans sat alone with a perfect 5-0 conference mark as a result of a 22-13 win over Slippery Rock at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

The Vulcans struck first when they engineered a 62-yard drive on eight plays for a score, Cal tailback Brandon Lombardy taking it in from two yards out for the score.

However, after that, it was a case of too many mistakes and the inability to finish drives that cost The Rock a possible win over the Vulcans.

"We didn't panic when things didn't go our way," said Cal coach John Luckhardt. "We fought back and had guys make plays on both sides of the ball. To be honest about it, that is what you need in order to win big games."

Although the victory was a sweet one for the Vulcans, they also suffered a huge loss.

Just prior to halftime when the pile unfolded after a running play, Cal's outstanding tailback Brandon Lombardy lay on the artificial surface at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, obviously in a lot of pain.

Ten to 15 minutes later when Lombardy was loaded on a John Deere Gator and taken off the field with an air cast on his leg, it was apparent that his season, and his input in leading Cal to a possible NCAA championship, was more than likely finished.

"He's done. He's done for the year," said Luckhardt. "We'll get him to the doctor, get him taken care of as soon as we can and get him back for next year."

Here is a closer look at how the pluses and minuses for The Rock figured in the outcome of the game:

First Big SRU Mistake: After a three-and-out, SRU took over on their own 20. On the first play of the possession, quarterback Nate Crookshank was intercepted by Cal linebacker Darren Burns who returned the "pick" to the 6-yard line. On the third play following the turnover, Lombardy carried the mail for the final yard and Cal's second touchdown. A failed extra point left the score at Cal 12, SRU 0.

"I am very proud of our team because when they took the first two drives down and scored, we could have folded the tents," said SRU coach Dr. George Mihalik. "We fought back, but we just came up a little short."

Second Big SRU mistake: On the first possession following Cal's second score, The Rock picked up a first down before facing a fourth-and-8 at their own 42. The punt was blocked by Vulcan Juan Butler blocked the SRU punt. The defense stiffened at that point and fortunately for The Rock, a Cal field goal attempt was no good.

Cory Manfull, the workhorse: Taking over on their own 31, the Rock maneuvered down the field 69 yards for its first score, Manfull carrying all six times for the 69 yards, including his final run of eight yards for the score. C.J. Bahr's PAT cut the Cal lead to 12-7 with 12:30 left in the first half.

Third Big SRU Mistake: After an exchange of possessions, the Rock was forced to punt. With his back to the wall, the SRU punter "shanked" his kick to give the Vulcans excellent field position at the SRU 24. Six plays later, Vulcan place-kicker Tyler Lorenz connected from 21 yards out for a field goal that extended the Cal lead to 15-7 with 5:36 on the clock.

Fourth Big SRU Mistake: Crookshank threw into coverage again and was picked off by Cal's Brian Mohr at the California 18. Fortunately for SRU, its defensive unit stepped up and kept Cal out of the end zone 12 plays following the turnover when Corey Lacek pounced on a Cal fumble caused by Robert Doiley at the Rock 31.

First Bit of Unfinished Business by SRU: Taking over on its own 10, The Rock marched downfield, picking up four first downs along the way until it was faced with a fourth-and-11 at the Cal 33. However, unable to capitalize on the drive, a Crookshank aerial fell short of the mark on the fourth-down play and Cal took over.

Taking Care of Business: On the fourth play following the stalled drive, A.J. Saunders stepped in front of a Joe Ruggerio aerial at the 16. Fourteen plays later, Crookshank connected with Paul Favers for a 31-yard scoring strike to cut the Cal lead to 15-13.

Second Bit Of Unfinished Business by SRU: After cutting the Vulcan lead to just two points, the Rock defense couldn't get off the field on Cal's next possession when a third-and-1 play resulted in a gain of 12 yards by a scrambling Ruggerio. Ruggerio then came back to connect with his favorite target, Nate Forse, for a 39-yard touchdown connection on yet another third down play from the SRU 39 to set the final at Cal 22, Slippery Rock 13.

"We have other weapons (in addition to Lombardy) and the big drive at the end of the game was huge for us," added Luckhardt. "The defense had been on the field for the entire second half and we needed the offense to get something done and they did it. We got a couple big plays along the way, one on the third-and-short and then the big throw to Nate (Forse) that broke for a score."

Mihalik also felt that his club was wearing the Vulcans down with their two big drives.

"I thought we were wearing them down," he said. "In terms of stats, they are number one in the nation. They are tough. But I thought we moved the ball well on them, we were controlling the ball and in the second half, we did what we needed to do to win the football game."

Coming Up Big For The Vulcans: Mohr registered a game and career-high 13 tackles, including seven solo hits, and his first interception of the season. He became the second player this season to reach 200 career tackles (now 204).

Mohr's partner in the middle, senior linebacker Josh Zunic added nine stops and raised his career total to 228 and moved past 2005 grad Lloyd Price into fifth place on Cal?s career list.
Junior defensive back Juan Butler also had a strong game in the Cal secondary, recording eight stops, including six solo hits. He also broke up two passes and blocked a kick.

Ruggiero completed 15-of-24 passes for 199 yards and the game-clinching TD to Forse, who had three receptions for 71 yards.

Making Noise For The Rock: The Rock, led by Corey Manfull's 175-yard, one touchdown effort, amassed 207 yards on the ground against a defense that came into the game as the nation's top-ranked defense against the run in Division II, allowing just 52.6 yards per game.

Tid-Bits: The win assured California (9-0, 5-0), ranked sixth in the latest AFCA national poll, of at least a share of its third straight PSAC-West title. The Vulcans also matched a school record for best start and consecutive wins..... The loss dropped Slippery Rock, ranked 24th in the AFCA poll, to 7-2, 2-2.....For Cal, it is the third straight year with five PSAC wins and the fifth time since 1960 Cal has won five league games in a season.



Shippensburg 56, Lock Haven 10: Coming up with a pair of 100-yard rushers, another pair of 100-yard receivers and a 300-yard passer, the Red Raiders set a school record for total offense in the lopsided win. For Ship, it was the first home win of the season and the Red Raiders third victory in their last four games. Shippensburg's 749 yards were not only the most in school history, but also the second most in the history of the PSAC, only eight behind the 757 yards totaled by California (Pa.) in an 88-12 victory over Mansfield at home on Sept. 10, 2005. The previous school record for total offense was 644 yards set on Nov. 7, 1998 in a 52-12 victory at California (Pa.). In that game, Shippensburg (3-6, 2-2 PSAC West) totaled 351 yards rushing and 293 passing. On Saturday, the Red Raiders had 340 yards rushing and 369 yards passing. In his final game at Seth Grove Stadium, red-shirt senior Gabe Maiocco (Media/Marple Newtown) totaled 369 yards passing, the fifth-highest single-game total in school history. Maiocco's previous career-high was 263 yards set earlier this season in a 33-18 loss at home to Edinboro on September 29. The last Red Raider to throw for over 300 yards was Tony Gomez who totaled 312 in a 20-16 loss at home to Indiana (Pa.) on Oct. 21, 2006. Maiocco's favorite target was red-shirt senior Tim Devanney who had a career-high 182 yards receiving and one touchdown on just five catches. Devanney totaled 82 yards on his first two catches, a 40 and 42-yard reception in the first quarter, and had four receptions for 104 yards at halftime. His 182 yards were the sixth-most in a single-game in school history. Devanney's final catch of the game came with 47 seconds left in the third quarter when he caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Maiocco which marked Shippensburg's longest play of the season and gave the Red Raiders a 42-10 lead. Red-shirt senior Kyle Fogarty who, like Devanney, also totaled 100 yards receiving in his final game, hauling in three receptions for 102 yards and 75-yard touchdown pass. In addition to two 100-yard receivers, the Red Raiders also two 100-yard rushers as red-shirt freshman Kevin Marshall had a career-high 135 yards and red-shirt senior Aaron Dykes totaled 129. The last time Shippensburg had two 100-yard rushers in the same game was Oct. 30, 2004 when John Kuhn totaled 156 and Walter Crump had 134. It was the fifth-time in school history that the Red Raiders have totaled two 100-yard rushers in the same game. Not to be overlooked from Saturday's game was the play of Shippensburg's defense that held Lock Haven (0-9, 0-4 PSAC West) to just 126 yards of total offense on 56 plays, an average of just 2.2 yards per play. Leading the way was red-shirt junior Josh Oswalt (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) who had nine tackles, five for loss and 1.5 sacks en route to earning Shippensburg VFW Defensive Player of the Game honors. Red-shirt senior Jaron Nalewak (Chambersburg/Chambersburg) had five tackles and half a sack while red-shirt senior Jonathan Aldridge (Pittsburgh/Seneca Valley) also added five stops. As a result of today's victory, Shippensburg is now in a three-way tie for third-place in the PSAC Western Division standings with Slippery Rock and Edinboro. The Red Raiders will travel to Indiana (Pa.) next week, looking to end a 19-game losing streak to the Crimson Hawks that dates back to 1989. Leading the LHU ground attack was Ibrahim Smith who ran the ball six times for 17 yards. Through the air LHU was led by sophomore quarterback Ilio DiPaolo, who in two quarters of work was 8-16 for 78 yards and an interception. Leading the receiving core was junior DeMar Dowell with three catches for 31 yards. Defensively LHU was led by a 12 tackle performance by senior linebacker Corey Gildea.


Bloomsburg 32, East Stroudsburg 26: The Huskies scored 29 unanswered points to rally for the win. Jamar Brittingham rushed for a game-high 190 yards and one touchdown. Leading 22-20, the Huskies came up with the play of the game when Jesse Cooper intercepted a Tim Roken pass and returned the "pick" 50 yards for a score to give Bloom a 28-20 lead with less than six minutes left to play. With his 190 yards rushing, Brittingham moved to within 239 yards of former California (PA) standout Wesley Cates for the all-time career rushing mark in the PSAC. Defensively, Jeremy Lightner wound up with eight tackles, while Greg Myers added seven more stops to the Bloom defensive effort. For ESU, Roken finished with 19-for-35 for 245 yards and four scores. He was intercepted once.


IUP 38, Clarion 31: Kareem Dutrieuille rushed for a career-high 192 yards, Poohbear McNeal scored twice on the ground and Andrew Krewatch tossed three touchdown passes as IUP held off a determined Clarion Golden Eagle squad for a 38-31 victory. The win was the third in a row for the Crimson Hawks since their only loss of the season on October 6 against California and improved their record to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the PSAC West. The Golden Eagles remained winless in nine games, including four in the division. Trailing 14-10 at halftime, IUP responded by building fourth quarter leads of 31-21 and 38-28. But it was not until Steve Cooper recovered an on-side kick with 1:41 remaining that the Crimson Hawks were able to secure the win. Dutrieuille posted his second 100-yard game of the season, averaging 7.1 yards on his 27 carries, a total that was one shy of his career high. He also reached the 1,000-yard mark in his career, completing the game with a total of 1,039. McNeal rushed for 51 yards and became the tenth player in PSAC history to rush for 4,000 career yards, finishing the game with 4,031. Krewatch completed 18 of 27 passes for 267 yards and touchdown strikes of 34 yards to Garrett Lestochi, 48 yards to Anthony Cellitti and three yards to Dan Pickens. Lestochi finished with career highs of nine receptions for 133 yards. Krewatch has three touchdown passes in four of eight games this season and moved into a tie for ninth all-time at IUP with 29 career scoring aerials. Eddie Emmanuel scored two touchdowns for Clarion, and his four-yard run on the first drive of the third quarter increased the Golden Eagles lead to 21-10. IUP responded with Krewatch's first two touchdown passes of the game to Lestochi and Cellitti, the latter capping a 90-yard drive that gave the Crimson Hawks their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Tyler Huether completed 24 of 45 passes for 260 yards for Clarion. He was intercepted by Quinton Cobb and Shayne Fletcher and sacked four times, including twice each by Rob Plowman and Anthony Guerra. Plowman finished with a team-leading 10 tackles, with six coming behind the line of scrimmage. Terrence Jackson and Cobb both had eight tackles for IUP.



PAC

Washington & Jefferson 22, Waynesburg 21: Any way you look at it, this was the game of the year in the President's Athletic Conference. With his team trailing, junior quarterback Bobby Swallow sneaked one-yard with 7:29 remaining in the game to give the President's their narrow win. The Presidents turned the ball over on downs twice over the next seven minutes deep in Waynesburg territory, but finally jumped ahead with 7:29 remaining after Swallow dove in for the eventual game-winning touchdown. Swallow completed all five of his pass attempts on the 11-play drive. The Presidents (8-0, 4-0 PAC) can now clinch the PAC?s first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a win at Thomas More next week or against Bethany the following week. Robert Heller galloped 89 yards on the second play of the Yellow Jacket drive (1st play of second quarter) to tie the game, 7-7. Heller, just a freshman, continued his record-setting campaign breaking two school records against the Presidents. The Ringgold product broke his own single-game rushing record 289 yards with two touchdowns on 30 attempts. The two touchdowns moved Heller past wide receiver Don Herrmann (1968) for most single-season touchdowns with 21 (20 rushing, one receiving). Swallow was sacked three times on the next two W&J possessions and Heller capitalized with a 1-yard scoring run at the 4:05 mark of the second quarter to give the Yellow Jackets (7-1, 4-1 PAC) a 14-7 lead at halftime. Heller put Waynesburg in field-goal position with a 36-yard jaunt on Waynesburg?s first play following the touchdown, but Kyle McBride?s 45-yard attempt with 3:10 remaining was short. The Yellow Jackets forced a punt and had the ball with 51 seconds remaining, but Kiper was picked off by senior cornerback Ryan Mullen and W&J escaped with the win. Swallow completed 27-of-42 passes for 208 yards, but was sacked six times. Junior running back Kevin Mathews steadied the W&J offense with 115 yards on 21 attempts, while senior wide receiver Tom McCafferty (Large, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) hauled in eight passes for 100 yards. Junior linebacker John Fahey led the defense with nine tackles, while sophomore defensive end Jacob Bloomhuff had six tackles, including three for a loss, and two sacks. Heller topped his previous school record mark for single-game rushing yards with 289 on 30 attempts. Kiper was limited to 4-of-15 passing for 52 yards. Dan Andreassi led the Waynesburg defense with a game-high and career-best 18 tackles (12 solo). He also forced a fumble as well as recovered a W&J bobble. W&J was outgained for the first time this season (358-311), but the Prexies held a 35:10-24:50 edge in time of possession, including a 10-minute edge in the second half. Senior defensive back Stefon Strothers made nine stops (five tackles) with a forced fumble and pass breakup. Senior defensive end Mike Czerwien and junior defensive end D. J. DeWitt each finished with three sacks and two quarterback hurries. Czerwien finished with five tackles (five solo) with 3.0 TFL for a total loss of 21 yards. The one-point contest is the first since the 1997 season when the Presidents won 28-27 in Waynesburg... The Yellow Jackets held the edge in total offense, 358-311, despite running 19 fewer plays, 79-60 ? The Waynesburg defense allowed an opposing team to amass 100-plus yards in a game for the first time all season (103 yards on 37 attempts).

Westminster 34, Frostburg State 30: The Titans stepped outside the PAC and posted a hard-fought win. The win evened the Titans record at 4-4 on the season, Westminster scored touchdowns on its first five possessions, while the Bobcats reached paydirt on their first three drives. Sophomore tailback Nick McKolosky set a new career high with 156 rushing yards and tied his career high with 28 carries. McKolosky also scored the first two Westminster touchdowns in the first quarter, the first on a 4-yard run and the second on a 15-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Kevin Franz. Franz completed 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Brett Ziegler, a 36-yarder in the second quarter and a 28-yard connection in the third quarter that gave the Titans a 34-23 lead. Ziegler, who caught five passes for 99 yards, is now ranked third all-time in school history with 126 career receptions. He is 14 receptions away from the record with two games remaining in the season. Freshman fullback Jacob Shaffer scored the other Westminster touchdown, giving the Titans a 27-20 lead just before halftime. Frostburg State (2-6) nearly rallied back from the 11-point third quarter deficit when Derek Saunders scored on a 52-yard interception return, but with the Bobcats, facing a four-point spread, then fumbled, punted and turned the ball over on down for their final three possessions. The Titan defense keyed in stopping the Bobcats, as junior linebacker Scott Brucker forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman linebacker Adam Falkowski in the fourth quarter with the Bobcats driving on the Titan 29-yard line. Falkowski, who finished the game with eight tackles, also stopped quarterback Andre Dixon on fourth down short of the first-down mark on the Bobcat 34-yard line during Frostburg's final drive in the fourth quarter with one minute remaining. Westminster out-gained the Bobcats in total yards, 402-319. Wade Anton led the Bobcats with 80 rushing yards on 14 carries, while quarterack Andre Dixon completed 14 of 27 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns for Frostburg. Junior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski led the Titans with nine tackles, while senior cornerback Eric Brown made five tackles and led the Titans with two pass break-ups.


Bethany 35, Thomas More 14: The Saints dropped their second straight game with the loss to the Bison. The Bison scored the game's first 28 points, all in the first half, before Thomas More finally got on the board with 32 seconds remaining in the half. The scoring drive had freshman quarterback Joey Zerhusen connecting with senior Kyle James on three straight completions, including a 22-yarder for the score. James completed the game with a team-high 94 yards, while senior John Resch hauled in a team-high eight passes for 72 yards and a score. Zerhusen finished the contest 24-of-51 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The 54 pass attempts were just three off the Thomas More single-game record set by John Paul Case in 1990, and ties Dustin Hicks for second. His 313 yards were the fifth-highest game total in TMC history. Freshman Matt Clark recorded 14 tackles to lead the Saints. Senior Les Colegrove finished with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and interception, while sophomore Andy Poe and junior Tyler Grant finished with 10 tackles each.

MAC

Lycoming 26, FDU-Florham 14: With the win, the conference win put Lycoming head coach Frank Girardi in sole possession of 15th place on the NCAA's all-time winningest coaches list. With starting running back Josh Kleinfelter out of action with an injury, sophomore Mark Rosa took over and manufactured Lyco's first 100-yard effort of the season. Rosa finished with 160 yards overland while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He gained 75 net yards on the Warriors final possession, running six times, including bursts of 43 and 20 yards. Lycoming scored touchdowns on its first two possessions when wideout Brad Shellenberger caught a 16-yard scoring pass from freshman quarterback Tim Hook and Bill Margetich followed with he hauled in a 13-yard scoring strike on the Warriors' next drive. After FDU cut Lycoming's lead to 20-14, Rosa took things in his own hands as he racked up the final 23 yards on three totes for a score to put the Warriors in front 26-14. Shellenberger ended the day with five catches for 41 yards, while
Margetich had four grabs for 42 yards. Hook was 16 of 29 for 147 yards. Middle linebacker Mike DiPlacido (Perkasie, PA) led Lycoming with nine tackles (five solo) and two sacks. The Warriors had 288 yards rushing on
the afternoon.

Albright 27, Lebanon Valley 20: With the win, the Lions claim possession of the Pretzel Bowl for another year. The Dutchmen (2-6, 1-4 MAC) received big performances from both its primary offensive weapons, as sophomore Charlie Parker rushed for 140 yards and senior Adam Brossman caught six passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, Albright (7-1, 5-0 MAC) stayed atop the MAC and will clash with the conference's other undefeated team, Widener, next week. Freshman kicker Brittany Ryan made history as she came into the game to boot an extra point on LVC's final touchdown, becoming the first female player in program history to see game action.

Albright built up a 27-13 lead, but LVC didn't go away quietly as thd Dutchmen came back to score on Sean Donovan's 21-yard run with 9:53 left in the game. Ryan's PAT made it a one-score game at 27-20. After holding Albright on the 1-yard line, the Dutchmen marched to midfield, but that is where the drive stalled as LVC turned over the ball on downs.

After stopping Albright one more time, the Dutchmen had one final crack at tying or winning the game. Quarterback Patrick Weiss completed a 44-yard pass to the Albright 32, but following an incomplete pass, Weiss was intercepted by Brett Gaul and the comeback effort was halted.

Skipping the Sidelines For September 29

By BILL ALBRIGHT

The college football season is heading into the second half of the regular season and things are tightening up in the PSAC, MAC and PAC conferences.

Here is a closer look at how many of last weekend's games unfolded:

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:
West Chester 30, East Stroudsburg 15
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.





Skipping the Sidelines For September 29

By BILL ALBRIGHT

College football is closing in on the halfway point of the season, and with that happening, some big games are beginning to appear in the President's Athletic Conference, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the Middle Atlantic State's Conference.

In the PAC, Waynesburg and Westminster remained at the top of the heap with victories over Thomas More and Grove City respectively, Indiana University of Pennsylvania edged Slippery Rock with a last-second field goal in a key PSAC matchup and Wilkes defeated Lebanon Valley in a key MAC contest.

Here is a closer look at how those games and other unfolded during the past weekend:

PAC

Westminster 14, Grove City 7

NEW WILMINGTON -- Homecoming is supposed to be a happy time for the home team, and for the Westminster football team, that was the case last Saturday.

Rolling out the red carpet to arch-rival Grove City College, the Titans gave the alums a lot to cheer about as they made two first-half touchdowns stand up for a 14-7 win over the Wolverines.

"Our defense played solid football today and they made plays when they had to," said Titan coach Jeff Hand. "It was a real nice win for us on homecoming and we are real proud of that. We are obviously happy with the victory and now we are going to take a look at the film for the positives and negatives of today's game."

Although disappointed with his team's fourth loss in five decisions, GCC coach Chris Smith had a lot of good things to say about his troops.

"We play hard and with a lot of heart," said Smith. "We got another great effort and played hard enough to win, but at the same time, we make enough errors not to win. That has been the case for us in most of our losses this season."

After Westminster (3-1, 1-0) saw its first possession end with a lost fumble, the Titans came back to take a 7-0 lead with a 68-yard drive that took eight plays, reserve running back Jacob Shaffer going in from one yard out for the score. The big play in the drive was a 32-yard pass hookup between quarterback Kevin Franz and wideout Jason Discello.

However, not to let things get away from them, the Wolverines answered with their first possession of the second quarter on a 1-yard plunge to paydirt by Matt Weil.

During the next 10 minutes, the defensive units of both squads took control of the game until the Titans set up shop on their own 37.

Ten plays and 63 yards later, Franz hit Discello with a 6-yard scoring pass, and with his second conversion of the game, Fred Romeo (Poland Seminary) set what would turn out to be the final at 14-7 Titans with 30 seconds left before halftime.

For Discello, his half dozen catches matched his career best, while his 77 receiving yards was a new career high.

Although there was no scoring in the second half, the Wolverines (1-4, 1-2) had numerous opportunities to put points on the board, but it just didn't happen.

During the final 30 minutes, the Wolverines ran 20 more (46 to 26) plays than did the Titans, but they were unable to put any points on the board as the Titan defensive unit bent, but didn't break.

"Our defense plays our hearts out every game and today was just another one of those days," said Titan defensive end Andrew Robison (Wilmington Area). "We didn't come through as well as we would have liked on some third down plays, but overall, we were able to stop them when it really mattered."

As for not being able to finish the drives, Smith feels it is just a matter of not coming up with the big play at the critical time.

"We have to come up with the 20-yard play, the 33-yard play or whatever it takes," he said. "In our last drive, we worked hard to get the first-and-10, but then we had a breakdown in blocking that resulted in a 7-yard loss because of a sack."

If there was a Workhorse of the Game award to be given, it would have to go to Titan running back Nick McKolosky who rushed 26 times for 108 yards while also catching three passes for another 24 yards.

"Our Dawgs up front were getting a great push and making the correct blocks," said McKolosky of his success. "I have to give a lot of credit to our fullback Josh Kutzner because he made some great blocks and I was getting good reads from him."

As for eclipsing the century mark in yards, McKolosky said that was simply a bonus for his efforts.

"The first goal of the team is just to win the game," he said. "As running backs, we have goals of averaging four yards every time we carry the ball and I think I got that (4.2). As long as I am over four yards a carry, I am happy."



Washington & Jefferson 64, St. Vincent 6

LATROBE, Pa. -- Washington & Jefferson College piled up a school-record 863 yards of total offense during its lopsided victory over Saint Vincent on Saturday afternoon at Chuck Noll Field.

The 12th-ranked Presidents (4-0) set a school-record with 424 rushing yards on 42 attempts, while three W&J quarterbacks combined to complete 31-of-38 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns. The 439 yards passing also set a new school record.

Individually, sophomore place-kicker Chuck Grabner (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Pickerington) broke a school record with five field goals (30, 19, 36, 23, 25). Grabner booted four in the second half.

After totaling 863 yards and 41 first downs on 80 plays from scrimmage, the Presidents are now averaging 626.6 yards per game and 9.0 yards per play this season.

Junior running back Kevin Mathews (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) totaled 227 all-purpose yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He rushed eight times for 122 yards and two scores (21, 20), while catching four passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns (11, 31).

Grabner drilled all four of his second-half field goal attempts and the Bearcats (0-4) finally got on the scoreboard with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter on a touchdown pass from Mike Speal to Jake Gabelt.

Swallow completed 16-of-19 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns in 25 minutes of action. Junior Zack Zebrasky (Canonsburg, Pa./Washington) completed 12-of-15 attempts for 98 yards after filling in for Swallow.

McCafferty compiled a career-high 171 yards on six catches, while Ravida posted 70 yards on five receptions. Junior linebackers David Gitlitz (Columbus, Ohio/Bexley) and John Fahey (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman) had six tackles, while senior free safety Todd Keenan (Bloomingdale, Ohio/Indian Creek) and sophomore strong safety Mike Sedunov (Herminie, Pa./Yough) both added interceptions.

Saint Vincent was limited to 210 yards and 10 first downs. Three SVC quarterbacks combined to complete 8-of-22 pass attempts for 74 yards. Speal led the Bearcat runners with 53 yards on five carries.



Waynesburg 20, Thomas More 6

With the two teams tied at 6-all, Waynesburg scored two third-quarter touchdowns to break deadlock and post the Presidents' Athletic Conference victory over Thomas More.

Thomas More falls to 2-2 on the season and 1-2 in the PAC, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 4-0 overall, 2-0 PAC.

Senior receiver John Resch (Louisville/Trinity) scored the only Thomas More touchdown, hauling in a 37 yard pass from freshman Josh Gauger (Avon, IN/Avon) in the second quarter. The extra point was blocked, and the teams went into the locker room tied at 6-6.

Freshman Matt Clark (Cincinnati, OH/McNicholas) had a career-high 15 tackles to lead the Saints, while sophomore Andy Poe (Reading, OH/Reading) pulled down 10 stops. Three players - senior Terence Toone (Columbus, OH/South), senior David Dransman (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) and sophomore Brandon Kohrs (Newport/Newport Central Catholic) - all had nine tackles.

Resch finished the game with four catches for 84 yards, while sophomore Cordario Collier (New Albany, IN/New Albany) yielded 68 yards on 21 carries. The 68-yard game broke a string of four straight 100-yard games for the sophomore back.

Gauger went 8-of-13 for 100 yards, one touchdown and one interception.





Thiel 37, Bethany 13

Thiel College senior running back Steve Minton (Cranberry Twp./Seneca Valley) took over another career mark Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium as Minton led the Tomcats to a convincing 37-13 win over rival Bethany College in a President's Athletic Conference matchup.

Minton rushed for 238 yards to establish his new school mark.

Minton carried the ball 24 times Saturday for a career-best 238 yards and a pair of scores (76, 23). His 238 yards passed Justin Napotnik '04, who ran for 225 yards in the Tomcats' 31-28 victory over Kenyon College on Nov. 15, 2003, on the single-game rushing list. Minton's 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of action was the longest run from scrimmage in his career.

Complementing Minton's effort was junior running back Dan Hess (Apollo/Kiski) as Hess wouldn't be left out by rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 28 totes. The Tomcats (2-3, 1-1) rushed for a school-record 425 yards on 64 attempts, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Thiel held a huge 38:18-21:42 edge in time of possession and limited Bethany (2-2, 0-1) to just 218 total offensive yards. Saturday was the first time in their careers that both Minton and Hess eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the same afternoon. For Minton it was his 12th time over 100 while for Hess it was his fifth.

Senior wide receiver Marc LaScola (Wellsville, Ohio/Wellsville) was called into action early in the contest when sophomore quarterback Willie Bova (Port Allegany/Port Allegany) was sidelined. LaScola, recruited to play quarterback, made an effortless move under center and finished out the contest. Despite completing just one-of-eight passes for 27 yards, LaScola ran an effective offense, running for 30 yards on five carries on his own.
Senior place-kicker Sammy Koyl (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Benedictine) converted on a career-high three field goals, knocking in three-of-four with a long of 35 (twice).

Starring for the Tomcats on defense was senior defensive end Chris Lorber (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/Benedictine) who recorded 8.0 tackles (2.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Junior linebacker Sam Swartzfager (Shippenville/Keystone) and senior linebacker Michael Stimac (East Brady/Karns City) each posted 6.0 tackles.

Senior defensive end Robert Hughes (Youngstown, Ohio/Rayen) notched his third career defensive touchdown, scoring from 11 yards out on a fumble recovery with 11 seconds to play in the third quarter to give his team a 31-13 lead. Senior cornerback Antonio Quarterman (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg) and senior defensive end Aaron Gorka (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop) each added an interception.

PSAC

IUP 34, SRU 31

Matt McNelis kicked a 28-yard field goal in the final play of the game to give IUP a 34-31 win over Slippery Rock in the PSAC West opener for both teams.

IUP, ranked 21st in the American Football Coaches Association Poll, remained undefeated at 4-0 overall and won its PSAC West opener for the 25th consecutive season. Slippery Rock suffered its first loss and is 4-1 and 0-1 in the division.

Andrew Krewatch completed 27 of 39 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first quarter, as the Crimson Hawk built a 21-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Anthony Cellitti grabbed a team-high seven receptions for 62 yards while Dan Pickens and Ken Witter both had six catches and combined for 129 receiving yards.

IUP never trailed in the contest and led 31-24 after a 42-yard field goal by McNelis with 13:10 remaining in the game. Slippery Rock tied the game for the third time at 31-31 with 8:46 left on a 37-yard touchdown run by Ryan Lehmeier.

IUP got the ball back for the final time at its own 43 with 4:27 remaining. The Crimson Hawks put together a drive of 46 yards to the Slippery Rock 11, the drive including a pair of crucial third-down conversions.

Following an attempt by The Rock to "ice" McNelis, he maintained his focus and drilled the game-winning field goal. For IUP, it was its eighth win in the last nine meetings with SRU.
Nate Crookshank completed 10 of 19 passes for 206 yards for the Rock and a touchdown but was intercepted twice in the second half by Quinton Cobb and Mike Reid. Corey Manfull rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns in the first half but did not see action in the second half due to an injury. Although it came out on the short end of the final score, Slippery Rock managed a slim 411-408 edge in total offense for the game.

Cheyney 30, Lock Haven 19

In a game matching two winless squads, the Wolves (1-4) came out of the battle with its first win of the season as they defeated the University Bald Eagles, 30-19.

LHU the game despite racking up 19 first downs and rushing for 160 yards.

Leading the LHU charge was Ibrahim Smith who ran for 114 yards on 23 carries. Smith's 100 yard performance was the first in nearly three seasons for LHU.

Cheyney quarterback Derrick Murray threw for 267 yards, Murray's favorite target Dominique Curry piling up 190 receiving yards in the win.

Mistakes killed the Bald Eagles as Lock Haven was penalized 17 times for 143 yards in the game.

Leading the Bald Eagles defensively was Linebacker Shawn Crebs (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) who had six tackles on the afternoon.

The win snapped a 23 game losing streak for Cheyney.





West Chester 44, Bloomsburg 28

The Huskies dropped their PSAC-East opener to the Rams by the final of 44-28.

The loss drops the Huskies 2-3, 0-1 in the PSAC East, while West Chester improves to 4-1, 1-0 in the PSAC East.

Mike Washington made most of the noise for West Chester as the wide receiver scored four touchdowns in the win, three through the air and one on the ground.

The first half featured a see-saw battle as West Chester scored first, but Bloomsburg answered. The Golden Rams went on top 14-7, but again the Huskies had an answer for a 14-all tie.

Just before halftime, WC made the most of three third-down conversions to move 61 yards for a score to lead by 21-14 at the intermission.

Not being able to finish drives has hurt the Huskies at times in their first four games, and Saturday was to be no different as both of their scoring opportunities in the third period produced no points by coming up short of the end zone.

Bloomsburg was led by quarterback Dan Latorre who rushed five times for a career-high 81 yards, while also completing 12 of 26 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Brahin Bilal caught five passes for 145 yards and three scores.

Osagie Osunde gained 134 yards on 24 carries, while Washington caught four passes for 134 yards and three scores. Quarterback Bill Zwaan finished 14-24 for 278 yards and four TDs.




California (PA) 56, Clarion 0

California junior RB Brandon Lombardy (Moureland Hills, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) rushed for a game and season-high 177 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns, all in the first half, to lead the 12th-ranked Vulcans (5-0, 1-0 PSAC West) to the shutout victory over Clarion (0-5, 0-1 PSAC) Saturday in the opening PSAC West football game for both teams.

Lombardy had a big first half for the Vulcans running for 177 yards and 3 td?s on 16 carries. QB Joe Ruggiero completed 10 of 15 passes for 104 yards and 1 td in the first half as well. Lombardy did not have a carry I the second half and Ruggiero did not play.

Cal's defense, which entered the game ranked first in NCAA Division II in total defense, third in rushing defense and fourth in scoring defense, held Clarion to 22 yards rushing, 62 yards passing, 84 yards total offense and recorded its second-straight shutout.

Combined with Cal?s 57-0 win at Cheyney on Sept. 15, the Vulcans registered consecutive shutout victories for the first time since 1934 and scored 50 or more points in back-to-back wins for the first time in team history.

Lombardy scored on runs of 40, 1 and 36 yards and fumbled the ball into the end zone at the one yard line on another try. Senior WR Nate Forse (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) recovered the loose ball in the end zone for the first of his two touchdowns.

Lombardy, who entered the game tied for 22nd in the country in rushing yards per game, finished with his third-highest career rushing game and became the third player in Cal history to gain more than 2,500 career rushing yards (now 2,510).

In addition to the fumble recovery in the end zone, Forse caught an 18-yard scoring pass from Sr. QB Joe Ruggiero (Detroit, Mich./Franklin) late in the second quarter. Ruggiero completed 10-of-15 passes for 104 yards. Forse had five receptions for 53 yards.

The Cal defense, which had three sacks and nine tackles in the Clarion backfield, was led by Sr. LB Josh Zunic (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny), who had seven tackles and recorded his 200th career stop. Zunic had two of Cal?s nine tackles for loss.

Clarion RB Eddie Emmanuel had 36 yards on 17 carries while WR Herb Carraway had three receptions for 34 yards to lead the Golden Eagles offense.

Clarion quarterback Tyler Huether injured his hand in the first half and was removed in place of backup Gino Rometo who finished the game.

While the Vulcans racked up 519 yards total offense, Clarion managed only 22 rushing yards and 62 passing yards for a total offense of 84 yards.

Defensively Clarion's Dane Williams had 10 tackles, Nick Sipes had 9 stops and 1 tfl, and Quintyn Brazil posted 7 hits, 2 tfl?s and 1 int.



Edinboro 33, Shippensburg 18

Fighting Scot quarterback Trevor Harris completed 33-of-44 pass attempts, both school records, for 331 yards and three touchdowns as Edinboro won just its second PSAC Western Division opener in the last 11 seasons. Ironically, both victories have come against Shippensburg in 2005 and 2007.

The loss marked the first time since 1961 that the Red Raiders (0-5, 0-1 PSAC West) have started a season with five consecutive losses. That year, the team finished 0-8 under Hall of Fame coach Jack Roddick.

Saturday marked the fourth-straight game in which Harris has thrown at least three touchdowns and the eighth time in his 16 career starts. In two games against Shippensburg, he has thrown for 768 yards and eight touchdowns while completing 58-of-81 passes for 71.6-percent. Last year, Harris threw for a school-record 437 yards and five touchdowns on 25-of-37 passing.

On Saturday, the Fighting Scots (4-1, 1-0 PSAC West) jumped out to a 20-0 lead with 11:15 remaining in the second quarter when Harris connected with David Bostic for an 80-yard touchdown, the first of Bostic's career.

However, as has been its trademark this season, Shippensburg refused to quit and battled back on consecutive touchdown runs of 11 and two yards, respectively, by red-shirt senior Aaron Dykes (West Chester/Downingtown), eventually pulling the Red Raiders within one possession, 26-18.

After a stop by the Shippensburg defense that forced an Edinboro punt, the Red Raider offense took over at their own 16-yard line with 2:48 left. Following a 15-yard run by Maiocco and completions of 13 yards and 16 yards to red-shirt senior Tim Devanney (Mifflinburg/Mifflinburg) and red-shirt sophomore Mike Harris (East Earl/Garden Spot), S