Monday, September 29, 2003

MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 2-2 (2-2 MAC)

KING'S COLLEGE MONARCHS, 2-2 (1-2 MAC)

1:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 4, 2003
Robert L. Betzler Fields (c. 1,700); Wilkes-Barre, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to win its second straight game in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest at King's College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Robert L. Betzler Fields in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) is in his 17th season at Moravian, with a career record of 102-65-1 (.610). He entered the season 45th in winning percentage among NCAA Division III active coaches. Dapp has earned Coach-of-the-Year honors from the MAC three times including Co-Coach of the Year in 1997 and has led the ’Hounds to two appearances in the NCAA playoffs and the ECAC Southeast Championship game in 2002

King's coach Rich Manello (Springfield ’83) is in his 11th season at the school and he has an overall record of 43-63-1 (.407).

THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the ninth in the series with King's owning a 5-3 lead. Moravian's last win in the series was in 1996 with a 14-12 win in Wilkes-Barre. Last fall, King's shutout the Greyhounds 33-0 at home.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Wilkes-Barre last fall, the Greyhounds suffered a 33-0 loss to King’s College in Middle Atlantic Conference action. The Monarchs scored all 33 of their points in the first half and forced the Greyhounds into six turnovers. The Moravian offense gained 113 passing yards but was held to minus-27 yards rushing. Quarterback Charlie Bowden was 7-for-24 for 103 yards but he was intercepted three times and sacked four times. Wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) had three receptions for 37 yards while wideout Jarod Rhinehart made three catches for 35 yards. Tailback David Darmofal (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights HS) led the rushing attack with 16 yards on five carries. On defense, linebackers John Cupples and Bill Engler led the team with 12 tackles in the game with Cupples forcing a fumble. Defensive back Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) added eight tackles with one for loss, a sack and an interception. Safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) contributed nine tackles with two sacks. Punter John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) was called on nine times during the game and he averaged 37.4 yards per punt with two 50-yard kicks.

LAST WEEK: Sophomore quarterback Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong HS) completed seven of 14 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start and senior tailback David Darmofal ran for 70 yards and two scores on 15 carries to lead Moravian team to a 42-7 victory over Lebanon Valley College in MAC action. Moravian jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 12:33 to play in the first quarter. The Greyhounds received the opening kickoff but were forced to punt after three plays. However, Lebanon Valley fumbled the punt and Moravian's Shawn Martell (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) recovered the ball on the LVC ten-yard line. Two plays later, Darmofal scored Moravian’s first rushing touchdown of the season on a six-yard run. Senior Josh Miller (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) added his first of six extra-points. Lebanon Valley took the ensuing kickoff and needed just three plays to tie the game. The Greyhounds would score the game’s next 35 points beginning with a 17-yard pass from Venturino to senior wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) with 9:38 left to play in the second quarter. Darmofal would score his second touchdown on a three-yard run with 2:26 remaining in the first half. The Greyhounds would add one more touchdown before halftime when Venturino hooked up with Martell on a 77-yard scoring strike with 57 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Greyhounds made the lead to 35-7 with 9:10 remaining in the third quarter when freshman running back Chris Jacoubs (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) scored on a 19-yard run up the middle. Jacoubs finished with 61 yards on ten carries as the Greyhounds had 12 different players run the ball for 251 yards. Lebanon Valley had a chance to score with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter but Moravian sophomore linebacker Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) knifed through the right side of the line to block the kick. Moravian finished off the scoring with 3:49 left in the game when freshman running back Aaron Barnes (Media, PA/Penncrest HS) scored from one-yard out on his first college carry. Sophomore John Miles (Warriors Mark, PA/Council Rock HS) had a 38-yard punt return to set up the drive. Cline led the Moravian defensive with ten tackles, including one for loss and a pass break-up. Freshman defensive back Israel Aguila (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS), senior defensive back Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) and senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo (Zionsville, PA/Emmaus HS) each had six tackles. Senior linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) had the Greyhounds only sack.

SCOUTING KING'S: The Monarchs enter the contest with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference. Senior quarterback David Hessler leads King's on the field and has completed 42 of 113 passes for 629 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver Julian Walker has been the top target, catching 16 passes for 247 yards and four scores while sophomore tight end Matt Nicodemus has grabbed 13 passes foe 199 yards and a touchdown. Junior tailback Richard Jackson leads the King's running attack with 483 yards and three touchdowns on 111 carries. Hessler has added 106 yards on 32 attempts while sophomore running back T.D. Callahan has 100 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Callahan also returns kickoffs for the Monarchs and has 111 yards on seven returns. Junior cornerback Derek Zambino is King's punt returner, and he has 141 yards on 13 punt returns. Senior Matt VonTanhausen is the Monarchs place kicker and punter. He is one-for-two on field goal attempts with a long of 30 yards, and he has made all 13 of his extra-point attempts. VonTanhausen is averaging 31.0 yards per punt with a long of 40 yards. He also leads the team with two interceptions from his free safety position, and he has added 29 tackles. Junior linebacker Casey Meehan leads the King's defense with 35 tackles including seven for loss, an interception and four pass break-ups. Freshman linebacker John Haller has contributed 22 tackles with five for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery while sophomore cornerback Antonio Robinson has 20 tackles with one for loss. Zambino has made 19 tackles with three pass break-ups and an interception while senior defensive end Bill Gill has 17 tackles with six and a half stops behind the line of scrimmage and three sacks.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 85 players on the Moravian roster, 32 are freshmen, 29 are sophomores and 13 are juniors. There are 11 seniors on this season’s squad, and the Greyhounds return 46 letterwinners and 11 starters.

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 King's was picked fourth and received two first-place votes in the MAC poll. Lycoming College was selected as the top team in the MAC.

THE MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds are ranked fifth in the MAC in total defense, allowing 330.5 yards per game. The squad is seventh in passing defense at 204.2 yards per game and the defense is fifth in rushing yards allowed at 126.2. The Greyhounds lead the MAC in points allowed at 15.5 per game but the squad is eighth in points scored per game at 21.5. Offensively, Moravian is fourth in the MAC at 364.2 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked fourth in rushing offense at 194.5 yards per game and seventh in passing offense at 169.8 yards per game. Moravian is ninth in turnover margin with a -0.25 per game average as the Greyhounds have committed eight turnovers while forcing seven turnovers. Individually, junior quarterback Jerry Venturino leads the MAC in pass efficiency at 148.0 and he is ninth in passing yards per game at 107.3 while senior quarterback Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) is seventh in pass efficiency at 112.8. Freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs is tenth in rushing yards per game at 60.2 yards a contest. Sophomore defensive back Tyler Chomik (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) is second in the MAC in kickoff return average at 28.0 yards per kickoff return. Chomik is also tied for fourth with four pass break-ups. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger is seventh in punt return average at 8.5 yards per return while senior wideout Jeff Lowry is tied for ninth in touchdown scoring with 4.5 points per game. Senior Josh Miller is seventh in kick scoring at 3.5 points per contest, and he is tied for sixth in field goals per game at 0.25 and tied for third in extra-point percentage at 91.7 percent (11 of 12). Junior punter John McLain is second in the MAC in punting average at 39.5 yards per punt. Senior cornerback Nate Pogue and senior safety John Panikiewsky are tied for the lead in the MAC in pass break-ups with eight and they are both tied for ninth in interceptions with 0.50 per game.

THE QUARTERBACKS: Senior Will Seng has completed 28 of 56 pass attempts for 357 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Seng has been sacked six times this season, and he was run for 28 yards on 21 carries. Sophomore Jerry Venturino has completed 18 of 38 passes for 322 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Venturino has been sacked three times this season and gained 21 yards on nine carries.

IN THE BACKFIELD: In the backfield, freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs leads the Greyhounds with 241 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries. Senior tailback David Darmofal has added 227 yards and two scores on 66 attempts. Darmofal went over 1,000 yards in his career versus FDU-Florham, and he now has 1,202 yards as a Greyhound, 14th all-time. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley HS) has 90 yards on 20 carries. Junior tailback Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) has added 70 yards on 16 carries while senior fullback Ray Burgan (Egg Harbor, NJ/Oakcrest HS) has 41 yards on 13 attempts. Freshman Marc Panepinto (Perkiomenville, PA/Boyertown HS) has added 33 yards on five rushes while freshman Earl Kunkel (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe HS) has 24 yards on five carries.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Senior wideout Jeff Lowry leads the Greyhounds with eight receptions for 129 yards and three scores. Senior tailback David Darmofal has added five catches for 48 yards while sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich has five receptions for 39 yards. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger has caught six passes for 107 yards and a touchdown while freshman wideout Shawn Martell has five receptions for 149 yards and two scores. Junior tight end Chad Opdyke (Bath, PA/Northampton HS) has grabbed six aerials for 75 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Russ Demko (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley HS) has three receptions for 52 yards. A total of 12 different players have caught at least one pass for Moravian this season.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Junior defensive end Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) leads the Greyhounds up front defensively with 19 tackles, three tackles for loss and half a sack. Sophomore defensive end Bryan Kohlbecker (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South HS) has added 11 tackles while junior nose tackle Kevin McLaughlin (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic HS) has nine stops, two tackles for loss and a sack. Sophomore defensive end Robert Stockley (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South HS) has six tackles, a sack and two pass break-ups while senior defensive end Justin Moyer (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) has made five stops with a sack.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Sophomore linebacker Richie Cline leads the linebackers with 19 tackles, a pass break-up and a blocked kick. Senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo has added 23 tackles, a tackle for loss, half a sack and one pass break-up. Senior linebacker Steve Maslanek also has added 23 stops, four tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and three pass break-ups while sophomore linebacker Steve Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) has 12 tackles with one for loss. Junior linebacker Bill Carasia (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) has made 14 tackles and an interception. Sophomore linebacker Chad DiFelice (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) has contributed six tackles while sophomore linebacker Eric Williams (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland HS) has five tackles. Freshman Cliff Garr (Easton, PA/Notre Dame HS) has added four tackles.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Senior free safety John Panikiewsky leads the Moravian defense with 22 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Senior cornerback Nate Pogue has made 15 tackles, two interceptions, two tackles for loss and eight pass break-ups this season while sophomore Tyler Chomik added 11 tackles and four pass break-ups. Junior Bill Skriletz has 11 tackles while freshman defensive back Israel Aguila made ten tackles. Both Skriletz and Aguila each have one pass break-up this season. Junior Jim D’Agostino (Oakland, NJ/Ramsey HS) has ten tackles with one tackle for loss while sophomore Gerald Weiss (Gilbertsville, PA/St. Pius X HS) made three stops before leaving the FDU-Florham game with an injury.

KICKING GAME: Junior punter John McLain is averaging 39.5 yards on 18 attempts. Three of his punts have ended up as touchbacks, three others have been inside the 20-yard line on one has been fair caught. McLain had a long punt of 48 yards. Senior kicker Josh Miller (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) made his first career field goal attempt, a 27-yard field goal, to open the scoring for the Greyhounds this season, and he is one-for-two on attempts this season. He added 11 extra-points on 12 tries on the year. Sophomore place-kicker Nate Strohl (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has missed four games with an injury.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Kevin Miltenberger returned ten punts for a total of 85 yards with a long return of 21 yards. Sophomore Tyler Chomik also has two punt return for 20 yards with a long of 15 yards while sophomore John Miles has one punt return to 38 yards. Freshman Chris Jacoubs returned two kickoffs for 47 yards for the Greyhounds while freshman Marc Panepinto has two kickoff returns for 53 yards. Chomik has added six kickoff returns for 168 yards and a long of 47 yards while senior Ray Burgan has one kickoff return for 21 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 second 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 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.

ON THE AIRWAVES: For the seventh straight year, the Greyhounds football game will be aired on WGPA, Sunny 1100 AM. Phil May will be the play-by-play announcer this week with color commentary from Jim Wills or Chris Michael.