2001 Review

By winning its final two games of the 2001 season, the Moravian College football team was able to finish the season at .500 with a 5-5 overall record in what was a strange season for the Greyhounds. Two of Moravian's five losses came late in the game after Moravian lost large leads (13-0 to King's College and 35-3 to Juniata College) and for the first time since 1942, the Greyhounds played a regular season game after playing rival Muhlenberg College due to a game at FDU-Madison postponed on September 15th.

Head coach Scot Dapp, who completed his 15th season at the head of Moravian's program with a career record of 93-59-1, saw a little of everything this season but with a 17-7 victory over rival Muhlenberg and 27-0 shutout at FDU-Madison, coach Dapp has high hopes for the futures especially with 75 players scheduled to return next season. The Greyhounds were 4-5 in the Middle Atlantic Conference this season and tied for fifth.

The Greyhound offense finished the season ranked sixth in the MAC, averaging 351.1 yards per game. Moravian was eighth in passing at 170.7 yards a contest, third in rushing offense at 180.4 yards per game and sixth in scoring offense at 25.3 points per game. Defensively, the Greyhounds were fifth in total defense, allowing 332.2 yards an outing. Moravian was fourth rushing defense, allowing just 118.4 yards per game, eighth in passing defense at 213.9 yards per contest and fifth in scoring defense at 21.0 points per game. The Greyhounds were sixth in turnover margin at 0.00 per game with a giveaway/takeaway margin of 0. Moravian ranked second in the MAC in kick off returns, averaging 19.4 yards per return, second in sacks against, allowing just 17 sacks this season and the Greyhounds led the MAC in time of possession, averaging 33:16 per game on offense.

On the offensive side of the ball, junior quarterback Charlie Bowden (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial HS) completed 117 of 243 passes (48.1 percent) for 1,413 yards with ten touchdowns and ten interceptions for the Greyhounds. He finished the season with 26 yards on 44 carries with one touchdown. Bowden, who was sacked 13 times, hit 11 different receivers with a pass while 14 different Greyhounds catching a pass this season. Bowden was eighth in the MAC passing offense at 157.0 yards per game; eighth in pass efficiency at 102.3 and eighth in total offense at 159.9 yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) completed 21 of 35 passes (60.0 percent) for 294 yards and three touchdowns this season. Seng was intercepted three times and sacked just four times. Seng ran 14 times for 32 yards and one score.

The Greyhounds have had 14 different players catch a pass this season, led by senior wideout Michael Abbate (South Plainfield, NJ/Bishop Ahr HS), who had 543 yards on 39 receptions and five touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) had 25 receptions for 281 yards and two scores while junior wideout Jarod Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) added 27 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore wideout Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) had seven receptions for 45 yards while junior tailback Josh Fick (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) had eight catches for 107 yards. Junior tight end Rick Kulp (Walnutport, PA/Northampton HS) added 11 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

In the backfield, Fick, who has missed the last five weeks of the season with a knee injury, led the Greyhounds on the ground with 468 yards on 79 carries with eight touchdowns, including a 46-yard score. Sophomore tailback Tim Barlok (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) had 308 yards and two touchdowns on 85 attempts while sophomore tailback David Darmofal (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights HS) had 339 yards on 76 attempts with two scores. Junior fullback Eric Gustafson (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood HS) added 288 yards on 61 attempts with two touchdowns. Abbate added 134 yards on 30 carries with four touchdowns. Freshman tailback Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) had all 72 of his season yards in the final game of the season while sophomore Ray Burgan (Egg Harbor, NJ/Oakcrest HS) completed the year with 60 yards on 18 carries.

The offensive line led by senior right tackle Matt Gray (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant HS) and junior center Josh Zagorski (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills HS) allowed the Greyhounds to average 351.1 yards per game this season including 180.4 yards per contest on the ground. The line also allowed Moravian quarterbacks to be sacked just 17 times this season. Zagorski was named to the MAC All-Star First Team. The other starters were junior left guard John Giacchi (Franklin, NJ/Pope John XXIII HS), freshman Andrew Leska (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) and sophomore right guard Jeff Andruczyk (Hampton, NJ/Voorhees HS).

Abbate has finished moving up the Moravian record books. After catching three passes for 30 yards at FDU-Madison in the season finale, Abbate completed his career with 114 career receptions (fourth) for 1,619 yards (third) and 13 touchdown catches (third) and he ranks second in career punt returns with 81 and career punt return yardage with 680 yards. Rhinehart surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone versus Juniata College. Rhinehart has 1,122 yards (12th) on 86 career receptions (eighth). Rhinehart needs just 14 catches next season to become the sixth player in school history with 100 receptions. Bowden hit the 3,000-yard passing mark at Juniata as well and he is fourth all-time with 3,656 yards. Bowden has completed 285 (fourth) of 547 (fourth) passes with 24 touchdowns (fourth). Barlok needs just 27 yards next season to become the 17th Greyhound to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark as he has 973 career yards on 207 attempts with ten touchdowns. Fick needs just 90 yards to reach 1,000. Fick has 910 yards on 149 carries with 16 touchdowns in his career. 

On special teams this season, senior Marc Roesch (Egg Harbor City, NJ/St. Augustine HS) kicked off and punted for the Greyhounds. He had 49 kickoffs this year and he was called on 40 times to punt. Roesch averaged 31.0 yards per punt with a long of 44 yards with 11 of his punts placed inside the 20-yard line. Roesch also kicked a career-long 40-yard field goal against King's College and was two for four on field goals and 11-for-17 on extra-points. Freshman punter/defensive back Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) punted eight times with an average of 29.9 yards. Senior kicker/defensive back Jim McIntyre (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown HS) made a 32-yard field goal against King's and he was 11 for 13 on extra-points.

Roesch was eighth in the MAC in kick scoring at 1.7 points per game, ninth in extra-point percentage at 64.7 percent (11 of 17) and tied for fifth in field goal percentage at 50.0. Roesch was tied for seventh in field goals per game at 0.20 while McIntyre was tenth in the MAC in field goals with 0.10 per game. McIntyre, who was tied for seventh with two fumble recoveries and tied for fifth with 17 passes defended, was tied for first in field goal percentage at 1.000, second in extra-point percentage at 84.6 (11 of 13) and ninth in kick scoring at 1.4 points per game. 

Abbate, who was eighth in the MAC in punt return yardage at 7.1 yards per return and tenth in touchdown scoring with 54 points for an average of 5.4 per contest had six kickoff returns for 176 yards, an average of 29.3 yards per return, with a long of 57 yards at Widener University and he added 31 punt returns for 221 yards and a long of 23 yards. Darmofal had 12 kickoff returns for 206 yards and a long of 35 yards. Fick returned seven kickoff for 141 yards and four punts for 13 yards with a long of seven yards. Barlok added 119 yards on seven kickoff returns with a long of 22 yards. Gustafson had three kickoff returns for 61 yards with a long of 31 yards at FDU-Madison. Freshman Brandon Newkirk (Elmer, NJ/Woodstown HS) blocked two punts this season.

Defensively, the Greyhounds used a balanced attack led by the linebackers. Junior linebacker John Cupples (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) led the Greyhound defense with 79 tackles with 17 tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, four pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. Cupples was named to the MAC All-Star Second Team this season. Sophomore linebacker Bill Engler (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) made 69 tackles this year with ten tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. 

Sophomore linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) added 57 tackles including five pass break-ups, one interception, five and a half sacks and nine tackles for loss. Maslanek has also recovered one fumble and forced another. Junior linebacker Vince Cowlishaw (Chatham, NJ/Chatham HS) had 45 tackles, including eight for losses, two sacks, one forced fumble and five pass break-ups. Freshman linebacker Shaun Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) contributed 27 tackles in his debut season with three for loss, a half a sack two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery while sophomore linebacker Josh DiGiacomo (Zionsville, PA/Emmaus HS) had 16 tackles.

Junior defensive end Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge HS) led the Moravian front six with 45 tackles; 17 for loss, five and a half sacks and one fumble recovery. Junior nose tackle Pat Mancini (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) added 37 tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Senior defensive end John Kwiatkowski (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) had 41 tackles with 11 behind the line of scrimmage and five sacks while junior nose guard Brian Cascioli (Center Valley, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) had nine tackles with two stops coming for a loss and one sack. Sophomore defensive end Justin Moyer (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) added nine tackles this season.

Junior cornerback Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) made 51 tackles this season with two for loss; five interceptions and a team high 36 pass break-ups. Pence was a MAC First Team All-Star this season and he was on the Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette All-South Region Third Team and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Honorable Mention All-Star. McIntyre had 42 tackles, two fumble recoveries for four yards, four interceptions with 35 yards in returns and 18 pass break-ups while senior safety Mike Wukitsch (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) added 28 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, five pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. 

Sophomore safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) had 39 tackles this season with seven for loss, half a sack, one forced fumble, one pass break-up and one fumble return. Skriletz contributed 35 tackles with three for loss, seven pass break-ups, two interceptions with a 39-yard return and two forced fumbles. Junior cornerback Eric Paul (Reading, PA/Reading Central Catholic HS) and freshman cornerback Michael Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) each added nine tackles.

Cupples was tied for 12th in the MAC in tackles with 7.9 per game and he was tied for ninth with 17 tackles for loss. Blackledge also tied for ninth with 17 tackles for loss. Pence led the MAC with 36 pass break-ups and he is tied for eighth with 0.50 interceptions per game with five picks on the season. Cupples, Skriletz, Nelson and Mancini were all tied for fifth in the MAC with two forced fumbles.

Moravian had eight members on the MAC Fall All-Academic Team with Abbate, Blackledge, Cascioli, Gustafson, Kwiatkowski, Paul, Wukitsch and junior Chris McGinnis (Brick, NJ/Brick HS) all making the squad.

The Greyhounds will have a lot of players returning next season with game experience and the squad looks to challenge for the MAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.