Monday, October 8, 2001

MORAVIAN VS. DELAWARE VALLEY FOOTBALL PREVIEW

1:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 13, 2001
Steel Field (c. 2,500); Bethlehem, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to win its second game of the season versus Delaware Valley College in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest.  Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Steel Field in Bethlehem.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester '73) is in his 15th season at Moravian, with a career record of 89-57-1 (.609).  He entered the season 43rd in winning percentage among NCAA Division III active coaches.  Dapp has earned Coach-of-the-Year accolades from the MAC three times including Co-Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and has led the 'Hounds to two appearances in the NCAA playoffs.

    Delaware Valley coach Matt DiBernardo (Tampa '90) is in his second season at the school with an overall mark of 5-10 (.333).

THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the 39th in the series with Moravian holding a 26-10-2 lead.  The Greyhounds won last season's contest, 19-10, snapping a two-game winning streak by the Aggies.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Doylestown last fall, quarterback Charlie Bowden (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial HS) completed 11 of 20 passes for 136 yards and led all four scoring drives as Moravian earned a 19-10 victory at Delaware Valley.  Bowden led the Greyhounds to a 3-0 lead with 3:56 remaining in the second quarter.  Kicker Marc Roesch (Egg Harbor City, NJ/St. Augustine HS) connected on a 28-yard field.  After falling behind 7-3 with 33 seconds to play in the second quarter, Moravian started at its own 38-yard line.  On the first play of the drive, Bowden hit wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) for a 22-yard completion.  After a timeout, Bowden connected with wideout Michael Abbate (South Plainfield, NJ/Bishop Ahr HS) for an 11-yard gain out of bounds.  Bowden then connected with Rhinehart again for a 26-yard completion to the Delaware Valley three-yard line.  Bowden flipped the ball to Abbate on an option play after the timeout to give the Greyhounds a 9-7 halftime lead.  Bowden led the Greyhounds to ten points in the final stanza.  The Greyhounds took the lead for good 26 seconds into the fourth quarter as Josh Fick (Emmaus/Emmaus HS) took a Bowden handoff 40 yards up the middle for a touchdown.  Moravian's final score came with 6:40 left on a 33-yard field goal by Roesch.  On defense for the Greyhounds, linebacker Bill Engler (Coopersburg/ Southern Lehigh HS) had 10 tackles with two for loss and half a sack.  Linebacker J.D. Rhinehart had 12 tackles with one and a half sacks, a forced fumble and three tackles for loss.  Safety Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) had a pair of interceptions and six tackles while safety Mike Wukitsch (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic HS) had one interception, three pass break-ups and five tackles.

LAST WEEK: The Greyhounds lost a 35-6 lead in a 39-35 loss to Juniata College in MAC action.  Moravian jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter on a 12-yard run by junior tailback Josh Fick, who had 83 yards on 26 carries (the third highest game attempt total in Moravian history), and the extra-point by senior Marc Roesch.  The score was setup by a 24-yard interception return by senior cornerback Jim McIntyre (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown HS) to the Juniata 22-yard line.  Moravian extended the lead to 14-0 on a 17-yard touchdown strike from junior quarterback Charlie Bowden to senior wide receiver Michael Abbate, who had ten receptions for 99 yards.  Roesch added the extra-point.  Juniata kicked a pair of second quarter field goals before the Greyhounds would score again.  With 19 seconds left in the second quarter, Bowden hit sophomore wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) on a nine-yard scoring strike.  Roesch added the extra-point for a 21-6 halftime lead.  Moravian gained possession for the drive when junior nose tackle Pat Mancini (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) had a sack on a Juniata fourth down play.  The Greyhounds extended the lead to 28-6 with 8:18 left in the third quarter when Fick capped a seven-play, 87-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run.  Junior fullback Eric Gustafson (Collingswood, NJ/ Collingswood HS), who finished with a career high 121 yards on 14 carries, setup the touchdown with a 57-yard run on the previous play.  Bowden, who completed 22 of 39 passes for 220 yards but was intercepted twice in the game, connected on his third touchdown pass with 3:50 left in the third quarter when he hit junior wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart with a seven-yard pass.  Roesch added the extra-point to give the Greyhounds a 35-6 lead.  Juniata scored the final 33 points of the game.  Roesch had a 24-yard field goal attempt blocked with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter that would have given the Greyhounds a five-point lead.  The Eagles down the field for the winning touchdown on the ensuing drive.  Sophomore linebacker Bill Engler paced the Greyhound defense with 11 tackles while freshman safety Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) had eight tackles and two pass break-ups.

SCOUTING DELAWARE VALLEY: The Aggies come to Bethlehem with an overall mark of 2-3 and a MAC record of 1-3.  Delaware Valley is coming off a 41-25 loss to Wilkes University last Saturday.  Senior quarterback Duke Greco leads the Aggies on the field, having completed 84 of 172 passes for 1,278 yards and 16 touchdowns.  Greco has thrown 13 interceptions on the season while rushing for 23 yards and two scores.  His top targets have been senior Rich Gear, who has 34 catches for 608 yards and eight touchdowns, and sophomore wideout Giovanni Brooks, who has 13 receptions for 198 yards and three scores.  Sophomore wide receiver Nick Brady has 11 catches for 174 yards and a score but was knocked out for the rest of the season with an injury last Saturday.  Freshman tailback Dougie Howard leads Delaware Valley's ground game with 231 yards on 64 carries.  Sophomore fullback Derek Milligan has added 139 yards on 34 attempts.  Freshman Andrew Frazier is eight of 12 on extra-points this season and he has not attempted a field goal.  Sophomore Pat Conerly handles the punting duties and is averaging 31.9 yards on 25 attempts.  Conerly has had two punts blocked this season.  Junior tailback Al Glackin is the Aggies kick returner; averaging 7.0 yards per punt return on eight attempts and 19.4 yards per kickoff return on 13 returns.  Sophomore linebacker Nick Sabean leads Delaware Valley's defense with 33 tackles, ten tackles for loss, two sacks and two blocked kicks.  Sophomore linebacker Mika Miller also has 33 tackles including six for loss while senior linebacker Brian Christy has added 30 tackles, six for loss and a team high three and a half sacks and five pass break-ups.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED 'HOUNDS: Of the 84 players on the Moravian roster, 30 are freshmen, 19 are sophomores and 26 are juniors.  There are nine seniors on this season's squad and the Greyhounds return 39 letterwinners and 16 starters.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: Beginning this season, the Middle Atlantic Conference will be an 11-team conference instead of two separate leagues.  Moravian was selected to finish fourth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll this season while Delaware Valley was picked 11th in the MAC poll.  Widener University, who reached the NCAA semifinals last season, was selected to win the MAC again this year.

MILESTONE WATCH: Senior wide receiver Michael Abbate is closing in on a milestone only four other Greyhounds have reached.  After catching ten passes at Juniata, Abbate now has 96 career receptions and he needs just six catches to move into fourth all-time.  He is eighth in Moravian history with 1,291 yards and he needs just ten yards to move into seventh.  Junior wideout Jarod Rhinehart surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone versus Juniata.  Rhinehart has 1,021 yards on 73 career receptions.  Junior quarterback Charlie Bowden hit the 3,000-yard passing mark at Juniata as well and he is fifth all-time with 3,093 yards.  Bowden needs 471 yards to move into fourth place.  He has completed 239 (4^th) of 451 (5^th) passes with 20 touchdowns (4^th).

MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhound offense is currently ranked third in the MAC, averaging 371.0 yards per game.  Moravian is sixth in passing at 227.8 yards a contest, sixth in rushing offense at 143.2 yards per game and fourth in scoring offense at 27.0 points per game.  Defensively, the Greyhounds are tenth in total defense, allowing 427.5 yards an outing.  Moravian is fourth rushing defense, allowing just 113.5 yards per game, tenth in passing defense at 314.0 yards per contest and seventh in scoring defense at 29.2 points per game.  Individually, quarterback Charlie Bowden is sixth is passing offense at 212.8 yards per game, sixth in pass efficiency at 100.9 and sixth in total offense at 203.0 yards per game.  Tailback Josh Fick is sixth in the MAC in rushing at 72.0 yards per game.  Fick is fifth in scoring with 9.0 points per game, eighth in all-purpose yardage at 137.2 yards per game, eighth in kickoff return yardage with 20.1 yards per return and tenth in punt return yardage at 3.2 yards per run back.  Wide receiver Michael Abbate leads the MAC in kickoff return average at 31.2 yards per return.  Abbate is sixth in receptions per contest at 5.25, eighth in punt return yardage at 6.7 yards per return and tenth in all-purpose yardage at 131.5 yards per game.  Kicker Marc Roesch is eighth in the MAC in kick scoring at 2.5 points per game, fourth in extra-point percentage at 77.8 percent (seven of nine) and eighth in field goal percentage at 33.3.  Roesch is tied with cornerback/kicker Jim McIntyre for eighth in the MAC in field goals with 0.25 per game.  McIntyre is tied for first in field goal percentage at 1.000, tenth in kick scoring at 1.5 points per game, tenth in extra-point kicking at 60.0 percent and tied for first in fumbles recovered with two.  Linebackers Bill Engler and John Cupples are tied for sixth in tackles with 9.0 per game while linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) is tied for tenth with 8.2 tackles per game and tied for fifth with four interceptions.  Safety Bill Skriletz is fourth in the MAC in interceptions per game at 0.67 and tied for second in forced fumbles with two.  Cornerback Jarrod Pence leads the MAC with 13 pass break-ups.

BOWDEN LEADING THE 'HOUNDS OFFENSE: Charlie Bowden completed 71 of 147 passes for 851 yards with six touchdown and seven interceptions for the Greyhounds.  Bowden has hit ten different receivers with a pass while 12 different Greyhounds have caught a pass.  Sophomore quarterback William Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) has completed three of five passes for 60 yards this season.

IN THE BACKFIELD: Junior tailback Josh Fick leads the Greyhounds on the ground with 288 yards on 57 carries with six touchdowns, including a 46-yard score.  Junior fullback Eric Gustafson has added 137 yards on 24 attempts after a 121-yard performance at Juniata.  Senior wide receiver Michael Abbate has added 49 yards on ten carries while David Darmofal (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights HS) has 64 yards on 13 attempts with one score.  Senior fullback Jerod Dobry (Pottstown, PA/St. Pius X HS) has added 36 yards on nine carries while sophomore tailback Tim Barlok has 13 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.  Barlok left the game against Widener University early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and has missed the last two contests.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have had 12 different players catch a pass this season, led by senior wideout Michael Abbate, who has 235 yards on 21 receptions and two touchdowns.  Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Lowry has 17 receptions for 192 yards and two scores while junior wideout Jarod Rhinehart has 14 catches for 220 yards and two touchdowns.  Sophomore wideout Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) has four receptions for 27 yards while junior tailback Josh Fick has eight catches for 107 yards.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Moravian has three starters back on the offensive line this season led by senior right tackle Matt Gray (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant HS).  Also back on the line are center sophomore Josh Zagorski (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills HS) and junior left guard John Giacchi (Franklin, NJ/Pope John XXIII HS).  Moravian's offensive line will average 6'0", 265 this season.  The two new starters on the line are freshman Andrew Leska (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) and sophomore right guard Jeff Andruczyk (Hampton, NJ/Voorhees HS).

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Junior nose tackle Pat Mancini leads the front six for the Greyhounds with 16 tackles.  Mancini has forced one fumble, made three tackles for loss and two sacks this season.  Junior defensive end Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge HS) added 14 tackles; four for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery.  Senior defensive end John Kwiatkowski (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has made ten tackles with five behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks while junior nose guard Brian Cascioli (Center Valley, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has six tackles with two stops coming for a loss.  Sophomore Justin Moyer (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) has nine tackles this season.

THE LINEBACKER CORP: Junior John Cupples leads the Greyhound defense with 36 tackles with six tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and one forced fumble.  Sophomore Steve Maslanek has added 33 tackles including three pass break-ups, three and a half sacks and seven tackles for loss.  Maslanek has also recovered one fumble and forced another. Sophomore Bill Engler has made 36 tackles this year with five tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.  Junior Vince Cowlishaw (Chatham, NJ/Chatham HS) has 25 tackles, including five for losses, one sack, one forced fumble and three pass break-ups.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Junior cornerback Jarrod Pence has made 31 tackles this season with two for loss, one interception and a team high 13 pass break-ups.  Senior cornerback Jim McIntyre has 20 tackles, two fumble recoveries for four yards, one interception with a 24-yard return and four pass break-ups while senior safety Mike Wukitsch added 12 tackles and a fumble recovery.  Sophomore safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) has ten tackles this season but left the Widener game with an injury and has missed the last two weeks.  Freshman safety Bill Skriletz has 19 tackles, four pass break-ups, two interceptions with a 39-yard return and two forced fumbles after stepping in for Panikiewsky.

KICKING GAME: Senior Marc Roesch is kicking off and punting for the Greyhounds this season.  He has had 21 kickoffs this year and he has been called on 25 times to punt.  Roesch averaged 31.2 yards per punt with a long of 44 yards with six of his punts placed inside the 20-yard line.  Roesch also kicked a career-long 40-yard field goal against King's College and is seven-for-nine on extra-points.  Senior Jim McIntyre made a 32-yard field against King's and he is three for five on extra-points.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Michael Abbate has five kickoff returns for 156 yards, an average of 31.5 yards per return, with a long of 57 yards.  Sophomore Dave Darmofal has five kickoff returns for 91 yards.  Junior Josh Fick has returned seven kickoff for 141 yards and four punts for 13 yards with a long of seven yards while Abbate has 13 punt returns for 87 yards and a long of 14 yards.

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.  Last year was the first time since 1996 that the Greyhounds did not play at least one overtime game.

WINNING WAYS: Moravian had 11 consecutive winning seasons-all under Coach Scot Dapp, from 1987 to 1997 and the squad has had 12 winning seasons in Dapp's first 14 years.  The 11-straight winning seasons is the longest streak in school history.  Dapp ranks third among Greyhound coaches in winning percentage.

ON THE AIRWAVES: For the fifth straight year, the Greyhounds football game will be aired on WGPA, Sunny 1100 AM.  Phil May calls the play-by-play call with color commentary from Jim Wills. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact SID Mark Fleming, either at Moravian's sports information office (610/861-1472) or at home (610/758-8721) or Delaware Valley College SID Matt Levy at (215/489-2937).