Monday, October 28, 2002
MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 5-2 (5-2 MAC)
ALBRIGHT
COLLEGE LIONS, 2-5
(2-4 MAC)
1:00
p.m.; Saturday, November 2, 2002
Steel Field (c. 2,500); Bethlehem, PA
THE GAME: Moravian will try extend its winning streak to five consecutive
games in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest versus Albright College. Kickoff is slated for
1:00 p.m. at Steel Field in Bethlehem, PA.
THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) is in his 16th season at
Moravian, with a career record of 98-61-1 (.616). He entered the season 45th 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.
Albright coach E.J. Sandusky
(Penn State ’92) is in his
sixth season at the school with an overall mark of 28-30 (.483).
THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the 58th in the series with
Albright holding a 32-24-1 advantage. The Lions won last year, 30-21, in Reading while Moravian
captured the last contest in Bethlehem, 27-17, in 2000.
LAST TIME THEY MET: In Reading last fall, Moravian wideout Michael
Abbate pulled down a 33-yard reception early in the second quarter for the 100th
of his career, making him the fifth Greyhound in school history to catch 100 passes. Abbate finished
the game with six receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown but it wasn’t enough as
the Greyhounds fell to Albright College, 30-21, in Middle Atlantic Conference action and
Albright’s annual Pretzel Bowl. Moravian jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 7:10 left in
the first quarter on a ten-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Charlie Bowden (Parlin,
NJ/Sayreville War Memorial HS) to tailback Tim Barlok. Senior Jim
McIntyre made the extra-point. Albright scored the next 16 points in the game with
the first eight coming off an interception of Bowden to start the drive
and the final two when the Lions blocked a punt attempt by kicker Marc Roesch.
Albright scored on its first possession of the second half to take a 23-7 lead with 13:25
left in the third quarter. The Greyhounds cut Albright’s lead to 23-15 with 7:42 remaining
in the third quarter on a nine-yard touchdown scamper off the left side by tailback David
Darmofal (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights HS) and a run by Bowden for
the two-point conversion. Darmofal finished the game with 55 yards on ten
carries while the Moravian running attack was led by Barlok, who had 97
yards on 23 carries. Moravian kept itself in the game with a 22-yard pass from Bowden,
who completed 15 of 34 passes for 159 yards, to Abbate. A failed two-point
conversion made the score 30-21 with 6:35 left to play in the fourth quarter. Defensively
for Moravian, linebacker Bill Engler (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) had
11 tackles. Defensive back John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) had
ten tackles while linebacker John Cupples (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic
HS) added seven tackles with two for loss in the game.
LAST GAME: Junior tailback David Darmofal ran for a career
high 107 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries to lead Moravian to a 22-7 victory over Wilkes
University in MAC action. The victory was Moravian’s fourth in a row, its longest winning
streak since a five-game streak in 1997. Moravian took a 7-0 with 10:09 remaining in the first
quarter on a seven-yard touchdown run by Darmofal and an extra-point kick
by freshman Nate Strohl (Coplay, PA/Whitehall HS). The Colonels tied the score
with 10:29 left in the second quarter. Moravian would take the lead for good with 4:33 remaining
in the third quarter on a three-yard scamper by Darmofal. Strohl would
have the next three points in the game, connecting on a 35-yard field goal with 5:41 remaining
in the contest. On the drive, Moravian moved the ball just 23 yards on eight carries by Darmofal and
one by senior quarterback Charlie Bowden. The Greyhounds finished out the
scoring on Wilkes next drive when senior cornerback Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston
HS) stepped in front of a pass and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown. Strohl missed
the extra-point to set the final score at 22-7 with 4:24 remaining in the contest. Bowden completed
eight of 18 pass attempts for 90 yards but he was intercepted twice. Bowden also
added 11 yards on five carries. Senior wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren
Hills Regional HS) caught two passes for 34 yards while senior tight end Rick
Kulp (Walnutport, PA/Northampton HS) gradded two passes for 19 yards in the victory.
Senior linebacker John Cupples led the defense with 11 tackles, including
two for loss and one of four Greyhound interceptions in the game. Senior defensive lineman Pat
Mancini (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) had nine tackles while sophomore
defensive end Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) and junior
linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) both had seven
tackles in the game. Junior cornerback Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) and
freshman linebacker Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) had interceptions
in the game.
SCOUTING ALBRIGHT: The Lions come into Saturday's game with a record of 2-5
and a 2-4 slate in the MAC. Albright is coming off a 35-12 loss at Lycoming College last Saturday.
Sophomore quarterback John Port leads the Lions on the field. Port has
completed 159 of 257 passes for 1,970 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His
top targets have been sophomore wide receiver Nick Cushman, who has 47 receptions
for 512 yards and four scores, junior wideout Jesse Dorais, who has 35 catches
for 609 yards and six touchdowns, and senior wide receiver Jason Scheerer,
who has 32 receptions for 367 yards and three scores. Sophomore tailback Adam Hubley leads
the Albright rushing attack with 390 yards and five touchdowns on 104 carries. Senior running
back Keith Johnson has added 182 yards and a score on 63 carries. Scheerer is
averaging 11.7 yards on 15 punt returns while Cushman is netting 18.8 yards
a kickoff return. Junior punter Burt Wenzel is averaging 33.8 yards per punt
this fall while freshman kicker Dustin Kaplan is 26 of 29 this season on extra-point
attempts and two for four on field goals attempts with a long of 34 yards. Defensively for
Albright, senior linebacker Mike Gancarz leads the squad with 62 tackles including
nine tackles for loss and two and a half sacks. Sophomore linebacker Brian Alboucq and
sophomore safety Mikki Sprenkle both have contributed 47 tackles with Sprenkle adding
two interceptions and three pass break-ups. Junior cornerback Jack Byers leads
the Lions with three interceptions this season while sophomore defensive end Marc Shoemaker has
a team leading five and a half sacks among his 21 stops this year. Shoemaker has
a total of eight tackles for loss.
MAC HONORS: Moravian had a pair of players named to the Middle Atlantic Conference
Weekly Honor Roll for their performances last week at Wilkes University. Senior linebacker John
Cupples and junior tailback David Darmofal were both honored by the
MAC for their contributions in Moravian's 22-7 victory.
GREYHOUNDS IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: Beginning last season, the
Middle Atlantic Conference became an 11-team conference instead of two separate leagues. Moravian
was selected to finish sixth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll this season while Wilkes was
picked eighth. Widener, which reached the NCAA quarterfinals last season, was again selected
as the top team in the MAC.
MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Moravian is ranked fourth in the MAC in total defense,
allowing 330.3 yards per game. The squad is tenth in passing defense at 248.7 yards per game
and the defense is third in rushing yards allowed at 81.6. The Greyhounds are third in points
allowed at 19.7 per game and the squad is seventh in points scored per game at 25.1. Offensively,
Moravian is ninth in the MAC at 312.1 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked fifth in rushing
offense at 162.3 yards per game and ninth in passing offense at 149.9 yards per game. Moravian
is tied for seventh in turnover margin with a -0.29 per game average as the team has committed
21 turnovers while forcing 19 turnovers. Individually, junior tailback David Darmofal is
seventh in rushing, averaging 61.3 yards per game and he is tied for sixth in scoring at 6.0
points per game. Senior quarterback Charlie Bowden is seventh in passing yards
per game at 143.0 yards per game and he is fifth in pass efficiency at 119.5 and eight in total
offense at 144.9 yards per game. Junior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle,
PA/Carlisle HS) is sixth in punt returns with an average of 7.6 yards. Sophomore wide
receiver Jed Warsager (Newton, NJ/Andover HS) is second in kickoff returns,
averaging 28.1 yards a return with one touchdown. Junior punter John McLain (Belvidere,
NJ/Belvidere HS) leads the MAC in punting at 40.1 yards per kick. Freshman Nate
Strohl is second in kick scoring a 5.3 points per game, first in field goals per game
at 1.0, second in field goal percentage at 77.8 and seventh in PAT percentage at 80.0 percent.
Junior cornerback Nate Pogue leads the MAC in interceptions at 0.71 per game
and second in pass break-ups with 13 while senior cornerback Jarrod Pence is
tied for seventh at 0.43 interceptions per game and first in pass break-ups with 15. Senior
linebacker John Cupples is fifth in tackles at 9.0 per game and he leads the
conference with four forced fumbles.
NCAA STATISTICS: Moravian has eight players ranked and the Greyhounds’ defense
was ranked in the NCAA Division III football statistics last week. Moravian’s highest
ranked individual was senior linebacker John Cupples, who was tied for first
in the nation in forced fumbles per game at 0.67. Senior linebacker Vince Cowlishaw
(Chatham, NJ/Chatham HS) was tied for sixth in the same category at 0.50 forced fumbles
per game. Senior defensive lineman Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge HS) was
tied for 11th in the country last week in tackles for loss with an average of 2.5 per game.
Senior defensive back Jarrod Pence was tied for eighth in the nation in passes
defended at 2.3 per game while junior defensive back Nate Pogue was tied for
24th in passes defended at 1.8 per game. Moravian’s other three players were ranked in
special teams categories with freshman kicker Nate Strohl tied for 17th in
field goals per game with an average of 1.0, junior punter John McLain was
13th in the country in punting with an average of 40.3 yards per punt, and sophomore wide receiver Jed
Warsager ranked 18th in the nation in kickoff returns with an average of 29.2 yards
per return. The Greyhounds were 15th in the country in rushing defense, allowing 74.2 yards
per game on the ground.
MILESTONE WATCH: Senior wideout Jarod Rhinehart surpassed
the 1,000-yard milestone last season. Rhinehart has 1,322 yards (eighth) on
99 career receptions (sixth). Rhinehart needs three receptions to move to
fifth and 79 yards to move into seventh. Senior quarterback Charlie Bowden is
also moving up the record books. He has completed 353 (fourth) of 689 (fourth) passes for 4,657
(fourth) yards with 36 touchdowns (third). Bowden needs 874 yards, 63 completions,
and 100 attempts to move into third in each category and he needs 12 touchdowns to tie the
school record of 48. Senior tailback Josh Fick (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) became
the 17th Greyhound to reach 1,000 yards rushing in the Lebanon Valley game. Fick has
1,155 yards (14th) on 210 carries with 17 touchdowns in his career. Fick needs
158 yards to move into 12th in career rushing.
BOWDEN LEADING THE ‘HOUNDS OFFENSE: Senior quarterback Charlie
Bowden has completed 68 of 142 passes for 1,001 yards with 12 touchdowns and 11
interceptions this year. Junior Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) has
completed three of seven passes for 25 yards while freshman Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong,
NJ/Hopatcong HS) has completed one of three attempts for 23 yards.
IN THE BACKFIELD: Junior tailback David Darmofal leads the
Greyhounds with 429 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries. His 100-yard game against Wilkes
was the second of Darmofal's season and career. Senior fullback Eric
Gustafson (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood HS) has picked up 218 yards on 48 carries
while sophomore fullback Bill Carasia (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) has
96 yards on 29 carries. Senior tailback Josh Fick has 245 yards and a touchdown
on 61 attempts while freshman Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley) has
52 yards on 12 carries.
THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Senior tight end Rick Kulp has pulled
down a team high 14 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns while junior wide receiver Kevin
Miltenberger has 13 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Jarod
Rhinehart has also caught 13 passes for 200 yards while freshman wideout Ben
Hawkins (Belmar, NJ/Manasquan HS) has 11 receptions for 242 yards and four scores.
Junior wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) has six
catches for 88 yards while junior tailback David Darmofal has six receptions
for 48 yards and two scores. Senior fullback Eric Gustafson has pulled down
four aerials for 14 yards while sophomore wideout Jed Warsager has three receptions
for 72 yards and a touchdown.
DEFENSIVE FRONT: Senior defensive end Tom Blackledge leads
the Hounds up front defensively with 44 tackles including 19 for loss, three pass break-ups
and two and a half of Moravian's 11 sacks. Sophomore defensive end Shawn Nelson has
added 23 tackles with five for loss and two fumble recoveries while senior nose tackle Pat
Mancini has 25 stops with four for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries. Sophomore
lineman Kevin McLaughlin (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic HS) has added
seven tackles.
THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Senior John Cupples leads the defense
with 63 tackles. Cupples also has one and a half sacks, four pass break-ups, four forced fumbles,
an interception and ten tackles for loss. Senior Bill Engler has 44 tackles
with one fumble recovery and two pass break-ups while senior Vince Cowlishaw has
added 41 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass break-ups and seven tackles for
loss. Junior Steve Maslanek has 35 tackles with six for loss while freshman Richie
Cline has added 19 tackles, one and half a sack, a forced fumble and seven tackles
for loss.
THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Junior safety John Panikiewsky leads
the Moravian defensive backs with 50 tackles. He has added seven tackles for loss, one sack,
a fumble recovery, seven pass break-ups and an interception. Senior cornerback Jarrod
Pence has made 32 tackles and 13 pass break-ups and three interceptions while junior
cornerback Nate Pogue has added 29 tackles and five interceptions, nine pass
break-ups and two forced fumbles. Sophomore rover Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern
Lehigh HS) has 25 tackles, two for loss, a sack, an interception and seven pass break-ups
while senior Paul Block (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park HS) has contributed
10 tackles and five pass break-ups. Freshman Andy Fick (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) has
added six tackles, two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.
KICKING GAME: Freshman Nate Strohl is 16-for-20 on extra-points in his debut
and seven-for-nine on field goal attempts with a career-long of 43 yards against Widener. Strohl,
who made his first 12 extra-point attempts before missing, has made his last seven of his last
eight field goal attempts. Junior John McLain has been called on to punt 35
times this season and he is averaging 40.1 yards per kick with nine punts over 50 yards, two
of 60 yards and ten downed inside the 20 yard line.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore Jed Warsager has returned 15 kickoffs
for 422 yards. Warsager had a 98-yard touchdown return at Lebanon Valley that
broke Ralph Eltringham’s record of 95 yards set on October 2, 1965 at
Wilkes. Sophomore Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) has five kickoff
returns for 113 yards. Senior Josh Fick has made six punt returns for 32 yards
and three kickoff returns for 50 yards while junior Kevin Miltenberger has
12 punt returns for 91 yards.
OVERTIME ‘HOUNDS: Moravian has played a total of eight overtime games
since the NCAA instituted the rule for the 1996 season and is 5-3 all-time in the extra-session
including this year's loss to Widener. The Greyhounds hadn't played an overtime game since
October 16, 1999 versus Juniata College.
ON THE AIRWAVES: For the sixth 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 Chris Michael.
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