At Muhlenberg College – Lost 52-26

Freshman running back Josh Fick ran for 85 yards on five carries with two touchdowns and senior quarterback Rob Petrosky tied the school career record for touchdown passes but it wasn’t enough as Moravian College fell to arch-rival Muhlenberg College, 52-20, in non-conference action Saturday to complete the 1999 season.

The loss drops the Greyhounds record to 2-8 for the season, the worst record for the Greyhounds since a 0-8-1 season in 1981. Muhlenberg finishes the year at 6-4; the Mules first winning record since 1989.

Muhlenberg scored first in the game on an 11-yard touchdown run by Joshua Carter and a Chris Reed extra-point.

Moravian drove right down the field and tied the game on a 29-yard pass from Petrosky to sophomore wide receiver Mike Buscio. Sophomore Jim McIntyre tied the game with his extra-point kick. The touchdown pass was the 48th of Petrosky’s career, tying the school mark set by Sean Keville. Petrosky completed 13 of 30 passes in the game for 241 yards and he was intercepted once. He completes his career ranked in the top three of all major passing categories.

Petrosky’s top two targets on the afternoon were freshman wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart and sophomore wideout Michael Abbate. Both players had four receptions with Rhinehart gaining 98 yards and Abbate going for 67 yards.

Muhlenberg would score the next 21 points in the game on three touchdown passes by Michael McCabe. McCabe connected with Carter on pass routes of 47 and 20 yards and then found Kenyamo McFarlane from 24 yards out. Reed had extra-points on all three touchdowns. McCabe completed 17 of 31 passes for 261 yards and a Muhlenberg record-tying five touchdowns passes.

The Greyhounds cut the lead to 28-13 on a one-yard touchdown run by Petrosky with 6:15 left in the second quarter. McIntyre’s extra-point was blocked.

On the ensuing kickoff, Carter took the ball on his own 22-yard line and returned it 78 yards for another Muhlenberg score. Carter completed the game with 308 all-purpose yards, one shy of the Muhlenberg school record. The Mules would score once more in the first half on a nine-yard pass from McCabe to Anthony Wolfshon. Reed’s extra-point made the halftime score 42-13 Muhlenberg.

The Mules extended their lead to 49-13 in the third quarter on a 16-yard pass from McCabe to Bryan Steele and Reed’s kick. Reed would also score Muhlenberg’s final three points of the game on a 19-yard field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Fick tallied both of Moravian’s touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one from 19 yards out and the other a 55-yard scamper. Fick completed the season with six rushing touchdowns; the Greyhounds had 11 as a team. Three of Fick’s touchdown runs this year were for over 50 yards.

On defense for Moravian, the Greyhounds had a pair of players reach the century mark for tackles in a season, the first time that has happened at Moravian since 1990. Senior free safety Steve DiRenzo had a team high 14 tackles and two pass break-ups in the game to give him 106 tackles on the year. Senior strong safety Jason Goldan made five tackles in the game to finish the 1999 season with 102 tackles. Junior linebacker J.D. Rhinehart had ten tackles in the game with one sack and one other tackle for loss. Rhinehart also had one pass break-up and one interception in the game.

Vs. Wilkes University – Won 28-22 (overtime)

The Greyhounds won their second game of the 1999 season in overtime last Saturday, defeating Wilkes University, 28-22 in overtime, in a Middle Atlantic Conference game. The overtime contest was the third of the season for Moravian, which has a 2-1 record in those games, and the seventh in the last four years for the Greyhounds since the NCAA instituted the overtime rule in 1996.

Moravian led 6-0 in the first quarter when senior quarterback Rob Petrosky, playing his last game at Steel Field, connected with sophomore wide receiver Michael Abbate for a 22-yard scoring strike. Sophomore Jim McIntyre attempted the extra-point but it was blocked. Petrosky completed 10 of 25 passes for 118 yards and the touchdown but was intercepted twice. Abbate had four receptions for 63 yards.

After Wilkes took a 15-6 lead on a 35-yard run by Mike Hankins, a botched snap on an extra-point that was run in for two points and a blocked punt returned 45 yards for a touchdown, the Greyhound defense put Moravian right back in the game just before halftime with one of a number of big plays on the afternoon. Freshman linebacker John Cupples intercepted a ball that was batted in the air after it looked like a completed pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. McIntyre’s extra-point was blocked again, however, the ball bounce right back to Moravian’s holder, freshman Jarrod Pence, who ran it in for the two-point conversion.

The Greyhounds scored the only points of the third quarter on a 51-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Josh Fick. Petrosky hit senior tight end Kevin McHale with the two-point conversion attempt to put Moravian on top 22-15. Fick led a balanced running attack with 65 yards on 14 carries while senior fullback Kirk Harryn had 59 yards on 11 tries and junior tailback P.J. Jankowicz added 50 yards on 15 attempts.

Wilkes would tie the game with just 37 seconds left in regulation to force the overtime session. Moravian won the coin toss and elected to play defense first. The ‘Hounds would make the decision pay off as the defensive squad stopped Wilkes on a fourth-and-one from the 16-yard line and give the ball to the offense needing just a field goal to win the game. On the Greyhounds possession, Jankowicz took the first hand-off 16 yards to the nine-yard line. Fick took the next carry for one yard and then Harryn drove the ball down to the three-yard line setting up a third and goal from the three. Jankowicz took the next snap off the right side and scored the winning touchdown.

On defense for Moravian, which had eight sacks, ten other tackles for loss, two fumbles and one interception, was led by senior linebacker J.D. Rhinehart with 12 tackles and three sacks. Senior defensive end Kyle Geiger had four tackles in the game but they were all for loss including two sacks. Geiger also had three pass break-ups. Freshman cornerback Nate Pogue had ten tackles in the game.

Vs. Susquehanna University – Lost 27-24

The football team suffered a 27-24 loss to Susquehanna University in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League action snapping a seven-game winning streak in Homecoming games. Moravian led by ten points twice in the game, 10-0 in the first quarter and 24-14 in the fourth quarter.

The Greyhounds jumped out to the 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 36-yard field goal by sophomore Jim McIntyre with 9:08 remaining in the stanza. Moravian stretched the lead to 10-0 with five seconds left in the quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass from senior Rob Petrosky to freshman Jarod Rhinehart and McIntyre’s extra-point. Petrosky, who needs three touchdown passes in the last two games of the season to set the Moravian College record at 49, completed 11 of 24 passes for 169 yards but was intercepted twice. Rhinehart had four receptions for 93 yards while sophomore Michael Abbate had four catches for 57 yards.

Susquehanna scored 14 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 14-10 halftime lead. The Greyhounds then scored 14 points in the third quarter on a pair of one-yard runs by Petrosky and McIntyre’s extra-points. Junior P.J. Jankowicz led the Moravian running attack with 88 yards on 24 carries while freshman Josh Fick had 68 yards on nine attempts and senior Kirk Harryn had 41 yards on eight carries.

Moravian was about to put the game away with 9: 53 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Greyhounds had a third and goal from the one-yard line but Petrosky mishandled the snap and fumbled it into the endzone where Susquehanna recovered it. On the ensuing drive, Susquehanna would score a touchdown on a third and 22 from their own 36. On Moravian’s next possession, the Greyhounds had the ball on their own 44 and faced a fourth and 11 when freshman punter Jason Navarro managed just a 15-yard punt after being rushed by Susquehanna.

The Crusaders drove down the field in 12 plays to score the go ahead touchdown with just 44 seconds remaining in the game. The extra-point attempt after the score was blocked by junior defensive tackle Dan Kowalchuk. The block left Moravian needing just a field goal to tie the game but Petrosky was sacked twice and threw two incomplete passes to end the game.

On the defensive side of the ball for Moravian, senior strong safety Jason Goldan and senior linebacker Josh Wren had 13 tackles apiece. Junior cornerback Doug Joseph made 11 tackles, two pass-break-ups, one interception, one fumble caused and one fumble recovery.

At FDU-Madison – Lost 13-10

The Greyhounds suffered a 13-10 loss to FDU-Madison in Middle Atlantic Conference action despite tying a pair of school records in the game. Senior free safety Steve DiRenzo tied the Moravian record for tackles in a game with 20, including 11 solo stops. He also made one of the Greyhounds’ school-record tying five interceptions in the game. Freshman cornerback Nate Pogue had a pair of interceptions in his first career start while senior linebacker J.D. Rhinehart and junior cornerback Doug Joseph also had interceptions. Pogue added 12 tackles and Joseph had 10 tackles and two kickoff returns for 72 yards including a 51-yard return. Senior linebacker Josh Wren had 14 tackles after returning to the line-up after missing two weeks with an injury. The defense limited FDU-Madison to 320 yards on 74 plays. While the defense was on the field for 74 plays Saturday, the offense managed just 107 yards on 46 plays. Senior fullback Kirk Harryn led the running attack with 51 yards on 11 carries while senior quarterback Rob Petrosky completed just four of 17 passes for 52 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Freshman tight end Rick Kulp grabbed two passes for 35 yards including a 22-yard score in the third quarter that put Moravian on top, 10-6. Sophomore Jim McIntyre made a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Greyhounds a 3-0 lead.

At Juniata College – Won 38-37 (overtime)

The Greyhounds snapped a seven game losing streak and won its first game of 1999 in a thrilling 38-37 overtime victory over Juniata College in MAC Commonwealth Conference action on a blocked extra-point attempt by sophomore Mike Buscio. The overtime contest was the fourth consecutive between the two schools, a NCAA all-division record, and the fifth straight year the game between Moravian and Juniata was tied after the 60 minutes of regulation.

Moravian trailed 14-0 with less than two minutes left in the second quarter when freshman linebacker John Cupples intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to the Juniata 20 yard line. After a three-yard loss on a running play, senior quarterback Rob Petrosky connected with sophomore wide receiver Michael Abbate on a 23-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore Jim McIntyre’s extra-point kick cut the score to 14-7 at halftime. Petrosky completed 11 of 24 passes in the game for 193 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

After Juniata took a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter, the Greyhounds scored a pair of running touchdowns to even the score at 21-21 before the fourth quarter started. Junior P.J. Jankowicz, who finished with 72 yards on 21 carries, scored the first touchdown from six yards out. Freshman Jason Fick tied the score with a 57-yard jaunt with one minute left in the third quarter. The run was the longest play for the Greyhounds this season.

Juniata retook the lead at 28-21 before Petrosky connected with senior tight end Kevin McHale for a 72-yard touchdown tying the game again at 28-28. McHale grabbed four passes for 114 yards in the game. The Greyhounds took the lead for the first time in the game with 30 seconds left in regulation, McIntyre connected on a 22-yard field goal, the first made field goal of the season for Moravian, to give the ‘Hounds a 31-28 lead.

Juniata had a chance to score after sophomore Marc Roesch tried to kick the ball on the ground but Roesch kicked it into a Juniata player at midfield. The Eagles drove down the field and with eight seconds left almost won the game but freshman cornerback Nate Pogue knocked the ball out of Juniata’s Matt Eisenberg’s hands. The Eagles settled for a 31-yard field goal by Bill Reddinger to tie the game at 31-31 as time expired.

Moravian had the ball first in the extra session and scored in four plays on a one yard touchdown run by Fick, who has three of Moravian’s four rushing touchdowns this fall. McIntyre’s extra-point gave Moravian a 38-31 lead and proved to be the game-winner. McIntyre made five extra-point attempts and his only field goal attempt in the game. Juniata took seven plays to score. Buscio was inserted on the extra-point attempt and broke through on the left side to block the extra-point and seal the victory.

Senior strong safety Jason Goldan led the Greyhound defense with 18 tackles, 13 solo stops, one tackle for loss and a pass break-up. Cupples added nine tackles while senior free safety Steve DiRenzo and junior linebacker Phil Black had 12 tackles each. Black and sophomore linebacker Jake Hallman each had sacks for the Greyhounds. Senior linebacker J.D. Rhinehart and Pogue had interceptions along with Cupples in the game.

Vs. King’s College – Lost 21-19

King’s College running back junior Damon Saxon ran for a career high 146 yards on 32 carries and the Monarchs held off a fourth quarter rally by Moravian to earn a 21-19 victory in Middle Atlantic Conference action. King’s, 3-2 on the season, jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead on a one yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Tom Pierantozzi with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter and a six yard jaunt by Saxon with 3:17 remaining in the second stanza. Freshman Ty Brady connected on extra-point attempts after each touchdown. Saxon had 110 yards on 20 carries in the first half. Pierantozzi completed six of 13 passes for 56 yards and one interception. Moravian, now 0-5 on the season for the first time since 1979, held the ball for just 8:49 of the entire first before dominating possession time in the third quarter. The Greyhounds held the ball for nearly 12 minutes of the stanza and scored a touchdown with 4:39 remaining in the quarter on a 15-yard pass from senior quarterback Rob Petrosky to freshman wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart. Junior Kevin Smith’s kick was wide to the right, making the score 14-6 King’s. Petrosky completed 11 of 25 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns against one interception. Rhinehart grabbed five aerials for 81 yards. The Monarchs extended their lead with 7:08 remaining in the game on a 28 yard run by sophomore fullback Chris Shivery, who gained 66 yards on 12 carries on the afternoon. Brady’s extra-point made the score, 21-6. Petrosky took Moravian down the field on the ensuing possession and again connected with Rhinehart from ten yards out for another score. The Greyhounds tried a two-point conversion but Petrosky’s pass was too high for senior tight end Kevin McHale. Moravian tried an onside kick but King’s recovered it. The Monarchs were able to get one first down on the drive but Moravian’s senior defensive tackle Chris Buzas stopped Shivery on a fourth down and three play for no gain and Moravian took over on its own 37 with 48 seconds left to play. Petrosky completed three of six passes on the drive and connected with senior wide receiver Dan Oliynik from 26 yards out for a touchdown with just 17 seconds remaining. Sophomore Jim McIntyre made the extra-point to make the score 21-19. The Greyhounds again tried an onside kick, but the ball went out of bounds and Pierantozzi kneeled down to end the contest. Moravian was limited to 92 yards on the ground led by 63 from junior tailback P.J. Jankowicz while King’s gained 274 yards on the ground. Freshman linebacker John Cupples, making his first career start, with 18 tackles including one for loss led the Moravian defense. Senior strong safety Jason Goldan added 17 tackles and one interception.

At Widener University – Lost 40-14

The football team dropped a 40-14 game to Widener University in MAC Commonwealth Conference action last Saturday. Senior quarterback Rob Petrosky completed 16 of 29 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Greyhounds offense. Petrosky’s touchdown passes were to junior fullback Frank Starner and freshman wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart. Junior tailback P.J. Jankowicz gained 26 yards on 11 carries to lead the running attack. Junior linebacker Phil Black made 11 tackles last week including six solo stops to lead the Greyhound defense. Senior cornerback Gordy Frack had an interception, which he returned 22 yards, four pass break-ups and eight tackles. Junior cornerback Doug Joseph returned four kickoffs for 66 yards and two punts for 11 yards. Joseph had six solo tackles in the loss. Senior free safety Steve DiRenzo made a total of nine tackles last Saturday and added two pass break-ups while senior linebacker Josh Wren made seven tackles.

Vs. Lebanon Valley College – Lost 24-13

The Greyhounds team lost its third game of 1999 and its fifth straight game, falling to Lebanon Valley College 24-13. The Greyhounds jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their first play of the game early in the first quarter on a 21-yard pass from Rob Petrosky to sophomore wide receiver Keith Moore with 11:14 remaining in the first quarter. The drive was set-up by a 34-yard punt return by junior cornerback Doug Joseph. The Greyhounds scored on their first drive of the second half on a six-yard pass from Petrosky to freshman tight end Rick Kulp. Moravian used three quarterbacks in the game with Petrosky, Moyer and freshman Charlie Bowden combining for 154 yards on 15 of 28 attempts. The trio was intercepted four times and completed passes to ten different players. Junior tailback P.J. Jankowicz led the ground game with 56 yards on 15 carries. Senior fullback Kirk Harryn gained 33 yards on ten attempts. Sophomore wide receiver Mike Buscio blocked an extra-point attempt in the first quarter. Junior linebacker Phil Black led the Greyhound defense with 12 tackles and one of the team’s four sacks. Senior free safety Steve DiRenzo and Joseph each had interceptions in the game.

At Albright College – Lost 21-8

The Greyhounds lost their second game of 1999 and their fifth straight in the 21-8 loss in a MAC Commonwealth Conference game. Senior Rob Petrosky completed 16 of 42 passes for 186 yards including a 36 yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Keith Moore. Senior fullback Kirk Harryn led the ‘Hounds in rushing with 44 yards on 11 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker J.D. Rhinehart had 15 tackles including 13 solo tackles. Senior free safety Steve DiRenzo added 14 tackles with 12 solo stops, two tackles for loss and an interception. Senior cornerback Gordy Frack also made an interception, his fourth in the last two games against Albright College.

Vs. Delaware Valley – 26-20 (overtime)

The football team opened the 1999 season with a tough 26-20 overtime loss Delaware Valley College in Middle Atlantic Conference action. The Greyhounds, who jumped out to a 12-0 first quarter lead behind a pair of touchdown passes by senior quarterback Rob Petrosky, had a chance to win the game as time expired but junior place-kicker Kevin Smith’s 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

In overtime, Delaware Valley struck first with a touchdown run but missed the extra-point leaving the door open for the Greyhounds. On Moravian’s possession, Petrosky was intercepted in the endzone on a second and goal play from the eight-yard line to end the game. Petrosky completed 13 of 23 passes for 104 yards. His two touchdown passes were to freshman wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart and senior tight end Kevin McHale. McHale caught the two-point conversion pass from Petrosky, after a two-yard touchdown run by freshman Josh Fick, to tie the game at 20-20 with 6:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. Senior fullback Kirk Harryn had the first 100-yard rushing day of his career with 101 yards on 15 carries.

Senior linebacker Josh Wren made a team high 12 tackles including 10 solo stops while sophomore defensive end John Kwiatkowski was named to the MAC Weekly Honor Roll after making seven tackles, five of the solo stops, and three and a half sacks. Kwiatkowski also forced the fumble that led to the Greyhounds game-tying touchdown. The Greyhounds had nine sacks on the day including two by senior defensive tackle Chris Buzas. Senior linebacker J.D. Rhinehart and junior cornerback Doug Joseph each had ten tackles on the day. Joseph also broke up two passes.