FINAL RECORD: Moravian completed the 2003 season with a 3-7 overall record and a 3-6 slate in the Middle Atlantic Conference.

POST-SEASON AWARDS: Freshman running back Chris Jacoubs (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) of the Moravian football team has been named the 2003 Middle Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Year and seniors John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) and Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) and juniors Kevin McLaughlin (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic HS) and Andrew Leska (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) earned spots on the All-Conference Second Team announced by the MAC.

Jacoubs broke Moravian’s single season rushing record on his final carry of the season, finishing the year with 1,051 yards on 216 carries with seven touchdowns. He passed Jim Joseph’s mark of 1,048 yards set in 1985 when Joseph was a senior. Jacoubs and Joseph are the only two player in Moravian history to run for more that 1,000 yards in a season. Joseph holds the career mark with 2,751 yards on 648 carries. Jacoubs broke the single game rushing record with 319 yards on 51 carries with three touchdowns in a 28-24 loss at Albright College on November 8th. He passed James Evanko’s record of 256 yards set against Wagner College on November 14, 1953.
Jacoubs had just 241 yards on 43 carries when he became the starter in the fifth game of the season. He had 126 yards on 26 attempts in that game at King’s College, and Jacoubs also ran for 136 yards on 23 carries the next week versus Wilkes University. Jacoubs had the ability to break off a long run with eight carries over 20 yards after becoming the starter with four attempts for more than 40 yards with his longest run of the season, a 65-yard touchdown at King’s on his second carry of the game. Jacoubs also caught five passes this season for the Greyhounds for 30 yards with a long reception of 19 yards against Muhlenberg College. Jacoubs was also called on to return kickoffs for Moravian with 11 returns for 215 yards. His longest kickoff return was a 44-yarder versus Lycoming College.

Panikiewsky, a defensive back, led the Moravian defense in tackles this season with 82 stops including 55 solo tackles. Panikiewsky added five tackles for loss, one and a half sacks, a fumble recovery and he tied for the team lead with three interceptions, 11 passes defended and two forced fumbles. Panikiewsky earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors in 2002 and completed his career with 207 tackles with 19 tackles for loss, four sacks, seven interceptions, 25 passes defended, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Pogue, a defensive back, was second on the Greyhound squad this season in tackles with 69 stops, including 44 solo tackles. Pogue also had five tackles for loss, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while tying for the team lead in passes defended with 11. Pogue, who was a member of the All-Conference Second Team in 2002, completed his career with 221 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 15 interceptions with 158 return yards and one touchdown, 58 passes defended, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

McLaughlin, a nose tackle, helped anchor the Greyhounds defensive front this fall. McLaughlin made 39 tackles (eighth on the squad) with five tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and a pass break-up. McLaughlin, who was in his first season as a starter in 2003, has made 46 career tackles. Leska, Moravian’s starting left tackle, was one of two returning starters on the Greyhounds’ offensive line, which started as many as three freshmen this season. Leska helped the Moravian offense average 297.6 yards per game, including 174.3 yards per contest on the ground.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: Beginning two seasons ago, the Middle Atlantic Conference became an 11-team conference instead of two separate leagues. Moravian was selected to finish seventh in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll this season while Lycoming College was selected as the top team in the MAC. The Greyhounds finished tied for eighth in the MAC this year with a 3-6 conference record while Lycoming did finish in first place with an 8-1 mark and received the conference's automatic berth in the 2003 NCAA Division III Playoffs.

THE MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds ranked seventh in the MAC in total defense, allowing 386.5 yards per game. The squad was ninth in passing defense at 223.8 yards per game and the defense was sixth in rushing yards allowed at 162.7. The Greyhounds were third in the MAC in points allowed at 20.9 per game but the squad was tenth in points scored per game at 17.7. Offensively, Moravian was tenth in the MAC at 297.6 yards per game. The Greyhounds were ranked fifth in rushing offense at 174.3 yards per game and 11th in passing offense at 123.3 yards per game. Moravian was seventh in turnover margin with a -0.20 per game average as the Greyhounds committed 21 turnovers while forcing 19 turnovers. The Greyhounds led the MAC in kickoff return average at 21.4 yards per return and the squad was first in fewest penalty yards per game at 27.2 and first in kickoff coverage, allowing only 12.3 yards per return. Individually, junior quarterback Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong HS) was tied for ninth in the MAC in pass efficiency with an 88.4 rating. Freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs was fourth in rushing yards per game at 105.1 yards a contest. Sophomore defensive back Tyler Chomik (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) was second in the MAC in kick off return average at 27.8 yards per return. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) was eighth in punt return average at 8.0 yards per return while sophomore wide receiver John Miles (Warriors Mark, PA/Council Rock HS) was ninth in punt returns at 7.6 yards per return. Senior Josh Miller (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) was tied for ninth in kick scoring at 3.7 points per contest, and he was tied for third in field goals per game at 0.60, second in field goal percentage at 75.0 percent (6 of 8) and sixth in extra-point percentage at 90.5 percent (19 of 21). Junior punter John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) was fifth in the MAC in punting average at 36.4 yards per punt. Chomik, senior cornerback Nate Pogue and senior safety John Panikiewsky were tied for eighth in the MAC in pass break-ups with 11. Panikiewsky was 11th in the MAC in tackles per game with an average of 8.1 while Pogue was tied for 20th in tackles with an average of 6.9 stops per game. Junior linebacker Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) was 23rd in the MAC in tackles at 6.8 per contest. Chomik was ninth in the MAC in interceptions per game at 0.33. Sophomore safety Gerald Weiss (Gilbertsville, PA/St. Puis X HS) was tied for second with three fumble recoveries.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 81 players on the Moravian roster, 30 were freshmen, 28 were sophomores and 13 were juniors. There were ten seniors on this season’s squad, and the Greyhounds returned 44 letterwinners and nine starters.

THE QUARTERBACKS: Sophomore Jerry Venturino completed 48 of 136 passes for 807 yards, five touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Venturino was sacked 15 times this season and gained 65 yards on 54 carries. Senior Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) completed 35 of 73 pass attempts for 426 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Seng was sacked eight times this season, and he ran for 25 yards on 24 carries.

IN THE BACKFIELD: In the backfield, freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs led the Greyhounds with a school record 1,051 yards and seven touchdowns on 216 carries. Jacoubs surpassed the 100-yard mark in his first two starts of his career, with 126 yards at King's College and 136 yards against Wilkes University. Jacoubs had 319 yards at Albright College, breaking the old record of 256 yards set by James Evanko in 1953. Jacoubs is just the second player in school history to reach 1,000 yards in a season and the third to have more than 200 carries in a year. He broke Jim Joseph's single season record of 1,048 yards set in 1985 on 245 attempts. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley HS) had 179 yards on 48 carries. Junior tailback Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) added 103 yards on 18 carries while senior fullback Ray Burgan (Egg Harbor, NJ/Oakcrest HS) had 49 yards on 16 attempts. Freshman Marc Panepinto (Perkiomenville, PA/Boyertown HS) added 33 yards on five rushes while freshman Earl Kunkel (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe HS) had 24 yards on five carries.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Senior wideout Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) led the Greyhounds with 36 receptions for 471 yards and four scores. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger caught 14 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown while freshman wideout Shawn Martell (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) had eight receptions for 184 yards and two scores. Junior tight end Chad Opdyke (Bath, PA/Northampton HS) grabbed nine aerials for 100 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich had six receptions for 51 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Russ Demko (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley HS) has three receptions for 52 yards. A total of 12 players caught at least one pass for Moravian.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Junior defensive end Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) led the Greyhounds up front defensively with 44 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass break-ups. Junior nose tackle Kevin McLaughlin contributed 39 stops, five tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and one pass break-up while sophomore defensive end Bryan Kohlbecker (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South HS) added 33 tackles with three for loss, half a sack, a forced fumble and two pass break-ups. Sophomore defensive end Robert Stockley (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South HS) had 26 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and three pass break-ups while senior defensive end Justin Moyer (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) has made seven stops with a sack, a forced fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown against King's College.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Junior linebacker Richie Cline led the Moravian linebackers with 68 tackles, five tackles for loss, a pass break-up, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. Senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo (Zionsville, PA/Emmaus HS) added 62 tackles, three tackles for loss, half a sack and one pass break-up. Senior linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS), who was injured against Albright College, contributed 47 stops, seven tackles for loss, one and a half sacks, an interception and three pass break-ups while junior linebacker Bill Carasia (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) made 51 tackles, four pass break-ups, two tackles for loss and an interception. Sophomore linebacker Steve Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) had 29 tackles with three for loss. Freshman linebacker Matt Lieberwirth (Chester, NJ/Mendham HS) made 14 tackles with one for loss and a sack while sophomore linebacker Eric Williams (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland HS) had eight stops. Sophomore linebacker Chad DiFelice (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) contributed seven tackles while freshman Cliff Garr (Easton, PA/Notre Dame HS) added five tackles.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Senior free safety John Panikiewsky led Greyhound defense with 82 tackles, three interceptions, five tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and 11 pass break-ups. Senior cornerback Nate Pogue made 69 tackles, two interceptions, five tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and 11 pass break-ups this season while sophomore cornerback Tyler Chomik added 32 tackles, three interceptions and 11 pass break-ups. Junior safety Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) had 17 tackles while freshman defensive back Israel Aguila (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) made 32 tackles. Skriletz had one pass break-up on the year while Aguila had three pass break-ups this season. Junior Jim D’Agostino (Oakland, NJ/Ramsey HS) had 15 tackles with one tackle for loss while sophomore Gerald Weiss made 24 tackles with two for loss, a half a sack, a forced fumble, two pass break-ups and three fumble recoveries, one he returned 42 yards for a touchdown against Widener University.

KICKING GAME: Junior punter John McLain averaged 36.4 yards on 56 attempts. Three of his punts ended up as touchbacks, 14 others were inside the 20-yard line and four were fair caught. McLain had a long punt of 58 yards against Muhlenberg College. Senior kicker Josh Miller made his first career field goal attempt, a 27-yard field goal, to open the scoring for the Greyhounds this season against FDU-Florham, and he was six-for-eight on attempts this season with a long of 28 yards versus Wilkes University. He added 19 extra-points on 21 tries on the year.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Kevin Miltenberger returned 11 punts for a total of 88 yards with a long return of 21 yards. Sophomore Tyler Chomik had two punt return for 20 yards with a long of 15 yards while sophomore John Miles led Moravian with 14 punt returns for 106 yards with a long of 38 yards. Freshman Chris Jacoubs returned 11 kickoffs for 215 yards with a long of 44 yards for the Greyhounds while freshman Marc Panepinto had seven kickoff returns for 146 yards with a long of 27 yards. Chomik Led Moravian with 13 kickoff returns for 361 yards and a long of 96 yards for a touchdown against Lycoming College. It was the second longest kickoff return in school history. Junior Cody Hendershot had two kickoff returns for 28 yards. Freshman wide receiver Josh Kline (Reading, PA/Exeter HS) blocked an extra-point this season while freshman wide receiver Shawn Martell had a blocked punt and eight tackles on special teams this fall.

OVERTIME ‘HOUNDS: Moravian has played a total of seven overtime games since the NCAA instituted the rule for the 1996 season and is 5-2 all-time in the extra-session. The Greyhounds were 0-1 in overtime last year.

WINNING WAYS: Moravian had 11 consecutive winning seasons—all under Coach Scot Dapp, from 1987 to 1997 and has had 13 winning seasons in Dapp’s 16 years. The 11-straight winning seasons is the longest in school history. Dapp ranks third among Greyhound coaches in winning percentage.

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.