Sports News: Fall 2000

October 30, 2000

MORAVIAN AT WILKES FOOTBALL PREVIEW

THE GAME: Moravian looks to win its third straight game and clinch its first winning season since 1997 in a Middle Atlantic Conference game when the Greyhounds travel to Wilkes University on Saturday, November 4th.  Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Ralston Field in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester '73) is in his 14th season at Moravian, with a career record of 87-53-1 (.621).  He entered the season 42nd 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.

Wilkes coach Frank Sheptock (Bloomsburg '89) is in his fifth season at the school with an overall record of 30-19 (.612).

THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the 30th in the series with Moravian holding a 24-14-1 advantage.  The Greyhounds won last year in overtime to snap a three game losing streak to the Colonels.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: In Bethlehem last fall, the Greyhounds won their second game of the season with a 28-22 overtime triumph on a three yard run by tailback P.J. Jankowicz (Belle Mead, NJ/Hillsborough HS).  Moravian jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Rob Petrosky to wide receiver Michael Abbate (South Plainfield, NJ/Bishop Ahr HS).  The Colonels took a 15-6 lead in the second quarter on a 35-yard run by Mike Hankins, a two point conversion by Josh Bradley and a 45-yard blocked punt return by Adam Houseknecht and the extra-point.  Moravian would cut the lead to 15-14 late in the first half on a 25-yard fumble return by linebacker John Cupples (Allentown/ Allentown Central Catholic HS) and a two-point conversion run by Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS).  Moravian would regain the lead in the third quarter on a 51-yard scoring run by tailback Josh Fick (Emmaus/Emmaus HS) and a two-point conversion pass from Petrosky to Kevin McHale.  The Colonels tied the game with 37 seconds left in regulation on a 15-yard pass from quarterback Jeff Marshman to Seth FlookWill McLaughlin's extra-point sent the game into the extra-session.  Moravian stopped Wilkes on downs to start the overtime, which setup Jankowicz's touchdown run.  Linebacker J.D. Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) led the Moravian defense with 12 tackles and three half sacks.

LAST WEEK: Freshman tailback Tim Barlok (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Catholic HS) set a Moravian record with a 95-yard touchdown run in the Greyhounds 52-33 victory over Susquehanna University in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth action.  Barlok finished the game with a season best 197 yards, the fifth best day in school history, on 22 carries and four rushing touchdowns.  Barlok also caught two passes for six yards and a score.  Moravian, which scored over 50 points for the first time since a 50-17 victory over Muhlenberg College in 1994, improved to 5-3 on the season, clinched its first non-losing season since 1997 and finished second in the MAC Commonwealth at 3-2.  The Greyhounds erupted for 43 points in the second half after trailing 14-9 at the intermission.  Moravian also ran for 220 yards after halftime after having minus-three yards in the first two quarters.  Barlok got Moravian on the board with 19 seconds left in the first quarter on a nine-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Charlie Bowden (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial HS).  The Greyhounds led 6-0 after the missed extra-point.  Bowden completed 16 of 24 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.  After a pair of Susquehanna touchdowns, Moravian would score on a 25-yard field goal by junior Jim McIntyre (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown HS) with 19 seconds left before halftime to make the score 14-9.  The Greyhounds would blow the game open in the third quarter with three touchdowns in the first 8:02.  Barlok scored the first two touchdowns on runs of 14 and seven yards.  Bowden completed a two-point conversion to sophomore wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS).  Rhinehart grabbed five passes for 73 yards in the game.  Moravian's third touchdown was a 12-yard pass from Bowden to junior wideout Michael Abbate.  McIntyre's extra-point gave the Greyhounds a 31-14 lead with 6:58 left in the third quarter.  Barlok's second touchdown run and Abbate's touchdown receptions were set up by the Moravian defense recovering fumbles.  Abbate caught five passes for 75 yards.  The teams would trade touchdowns for the rest of the game.  After a Susquehanna score, Moravian would get the lead back to 38-20 on a two-yard touchdown run by Bowden and a McIntyre kick.  The Crusaders would cut the score to 38-27 Moravian with 11:33 left to play.  The Greyhounds would add seven more points on a 24-yard run by Barlok and a McIntyre kick with 10:06 in the fourth quarter to take a 45-27 lead.  Susquehanna scored its final touchdown with 7:57 left in the game to set the score at 45-33 Moravian.  Barlok completed the game's scoring with his school record 95-yard scamper with 3:24 to play.  Barlok took the handoff and followed his blockers off the left side of the line, made one Susquehanna player miss and was off to the races.  His run broke Jack Iannantuono's record of 91 yards set in 1970 at Delaware Valley.  McIntyre's extra-point made the final score of 52-33.  Senior running back P.J. Jankowicz added 20 yards in the game to pass Iannantuono in the Moravian record books with 2,041 career-rushing yards.  Senior cornerback Doug Joseph (Allentown/Parkland HS), sophomore linebacker John Cupples and sophomore cornerback Nate Pogue (Bethlehem/Liberty HS) each had 11 tackles in the game and combined to break-up seven passes.  Cupples, sophomore safety Jarrod Pence and junior safety Mike Wukitsch (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic HS) each had interceptions in the game while sophomore defensive end Brian Cascioli (Center Valley/Southern Lehigh HS) and freshman linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) each had a fumble recovery.

MAC ACCOLADES: Freshman tailback Tim Barlok was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his 197 yard performance against Susquehanna last weekend.  Barlok, who had minus five yards on eight carries in the first half, ran for 202 yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns in the second half with touchdown runs of 14, 7, 24 and a school record 95 yards.  Barlok also caught two passes for six yards with a nine-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring in the 52-33 victory.

SCOUTING WILKES: The Colonels enter Saturday's game with a 5-3 overall record and are coming off a 55-0 victory over Albright College last weekend.  Sophomore quarterback Jeff Marshman leads Wilkes on the field.  This fall, Marshman has completed 127 of 224 passes for 1,625 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.  Senior tight end Frank McCabe has been the top target with 36 receptions for 508 yards and three touchdowns while senior wide receiver Ryan James and junior wideout Brian Miller each have 27 catches.  James has a team high six touchdowns to go along with 462 yards while Miller has four scores and 373 yards.  Junior running back Seamus Geddis leads the Colonels with 245 yards on 64 attempts.  Freshman running back Steve Rogers has 186 yards on 39 carries and he also starts at outside linebacker and has made 39 tackles.  Freshman Ian Silverman is the place kicker for Wilkes and he has made ten of 12 extra-points this fall.  Freshman Mike Walk is listed as the Colonel starting punter and has an average of 31.9 yards on 12 kicks with a long of 54 yards.  Sophomore linebacker Mike DaRe leads the Wilkes defense with 54 tackles including ten for loss and five sacks.  Senior defensive end Jermaine Richardson has 53 stops this fall with 22 tackles for loss and five and a half sacks.  Richardson has forced four fumbles while junior cornerback Mike Vernon has three interceptions and six pass break-ups to lead the team.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED 'HOUNDS: Of the 75 players on the Moravian roster, 25 are freshmen, 30 are sophomores and 13 are juniors.  There are seven seniors on this season's squad and the Greyhounds returns 35 letterwinners and 14 starters.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE MAC: The 'Hounds defense is fourth the Middle Atlantic Conference in scoring defense, allowing just 21.1 points per game.  The Moravian defense also ranks fourth in rushing (112.5 yards per contest), eighth in passing (215.8 yards per game), fifth in total defense (328.3 yards per game), third in pass defense efficiency (104.20) and tied for second in turnover margin (+1.00 per game).  The Greyhounds are a +8 in takeaway/giveaway this season.  On offense, the Greyhounds are sixth in scoring (25.9 points per game), sixth in rushing (119.3 yards per game), fourth in passing (228.0 yards per game), fifth in total offense (347.3 yards per contest) and fourth in pass efficiency (129.84).  Sophomore safety Jarrod Pence is tied for second in the MAC with 0.71 interceptions per game while sophomore safety Mike Wukitsch is tied for fourth at 0.50 interceptions per game.  Senior cornerback Doug Joseph is sixth in kickoff returns with 22.4 yards a run back and sixth in punt returns at 9.5 per return.  Sophomore quarterback Charlie Bowden ranks third in pass efficiency at 133.76, fourth in passing at 218.4 yards per game and fourth in total offense at 203.1 yards per contest.  Freshman Tim Barlok is seventh in kickoff returns at 22.1 yards per return, seventh in rushing per game with an average of 68.0 yards a contest, fifth in all-purpose yardage at 129.5 yards a game, eighth in scoring at 6.0 points per contest and eighth in touchdown scoring at 6.0 points per contest.  Freshman punter Alex Myshak (Lake Ariel/North Pocono HS) is sixth in punting at 32.8 yards per kick.  Junior Michael Abbate is eighth in receiving yards per game at 62.9 yards a game and tenth in touchdown scoring at 4.5 points per game while freshman wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle/Carlisle HS) is ranked ninth in receptions per game with 3.83 catches a contest.  Junior kicker Marc Roesch (Egg Harbor City, NJ/St. Augustine HS) ranks eighth in field goals per game (0.25).  Junior Jim McIntyre is tied for seventh in extra-point percentage at 84.6 percent (11 of 13 kicks) and ninth in scoring at 1.8 points per game.

POLL POSITION: Moravian was selected to tie for fifth in the MAC Commonwealth preseason poll this season while Wilkes was picked to finish second in the MAC Freedom.  Lycoming College was again selected as the top team in the MAC.

BOWDEN LEADS THE 'HOUNDS OFFENSE: Sophomore quarterback Charlie Bowden has completed 130 of 230 passes this season for 1,747 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions, however, Bowden has been sacked 28 times this season.  Bowden threw for 343 yards against Widener University, which was the sixth highest game total in Moravian history and the first 300-yard game since 1997.  Senior quarterback Jed Moyer (Dresher/Upper Dublin HS) has completed six of 12 passes for 77 yards and one interception this fall.  Moravian's quarterbacks have been sacked 31 times this fall.

IN THE BACKFIELD: Freshman Tim Barlok leads the squad with 544 yards on 92 attempts and six touchdowns.  Barlok has had two 100-yard games since getting into the starting line-up.  Sophomore tailback Josh Fick has 25 carries for 118 yards and one touchdown this year.  Senior tailback P.J. Jankowicz, who became the seventh player in Greyhound history to reach 2,000 career yards against FDU-Madison, has 202 yards and three touchdowns on 70 carries this season.  Senior fullback Frank Starner (Nazareth/Nazareth HS) has added 158 yards on 44 carries and one touchdown.  Freshman Dave Darmofal (Clarks Summit/Abington Heights HS) has contributed 33 yards on 12 attempts.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have had 13 players catch a pass this season but have four receivers suffering from injuries.  Freshman Kevin Miltenberger, who suffered a torn ACL against Juniata, has 23 receptions for 228 yards and two touchdowns.  Junior wideout Michael Abbate has 28 catches for a team high 503 yards and five touchdowns while sophomore wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart has grabbed 24 aerials for 264 337yards.  Freshman wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa/Southern Columbia HS), who suffered a broken collarbone in the Juniata game, has eight receptions for 153 yards and a score.  Sophomore tight end Rick Kulp (Bethlehem/Northampton HS) has ten catches for 189 yards and a touchdown while senior tailback P.J. Jankowicz has 12 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns.  Freshman tailback Tim Barlok has grabbed 11 passes for 73 yards and two scores.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Moravian has three starters back on the offensive line this season including senior tackle Adam Smith (Allentown/Parkland HS).  Smith will anchor the line which averages 6'0", 253.  Junior Matt Gray (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant HS) moved from center to the other tackle position.  Junior Jon Williams (Allentown/Parkland HS) returns to one guard spot while sophomore John Giacchi (Franklin, NJ/Pope John XXIII) moved into the starting role in the other guard position.  Sophomore Josh Zagorski (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills HS) is the starting center.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Senior defensive end Dustin Collier (Easton/Freedom HS) leads the Greyhounds front four with 50 tackles with three and a half sacks, eight tackles for loss, five pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries and one interception. Junior defensive tackle John Kwiatkowski (Whitehall/Whitehall HS) has added 41 tackles, ten for loss and a team high five and a half sacks.  Sophomore defensive tackle Pat Mancini (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) has added 37 tackles, including five for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery while sophomore defensive end Brian Cascioli has 27 tackles with two for loss and one sack.  Cascioli, who has a safety and a fumble return of 30 yards, also blocked a punt against Lebanon Valley College and earned a 36-yard return for recovering the block.  Sophomore defensive end Tom Blackledge (Sellersville/Pennridge HS) has 30 tackles with five for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble.

THE LINEBACKER CORP: Senior J.D. Rhinehart leads the Greyhound defense with 74 tackles including 11 for loss, three and a half sacks, three interceptions, five pass break-ups and two forced fumbles.  Sophomore Bill Engler (Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh HS) has 64 tackles this season with seven for loss and three and a half sacks.  Sophomore John Cupples has added 64 tackles this fall with four for loss and one interception.  Freshman Steve Maslanek has 21 tackles this season with two tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a partially blocked a punt against King's.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Sophomore safety Jarrod Pence has made five interceptions this fall to lead the Greyhounds and he has added 62 tackles, one forced fumble, eight pass break-ups and one fumble recovery, which he returned 29 yards for a touchdown against Lebanon Valley.  Senior cornerback Doug Joseph has three interceptions to go along with 49 tackles and 19 pass break-ups.  Junior safety Mike Wukitsch has 40 tackles; four interceptions and 11 pass break-ups while sophomore cornerback Nate Pogue has 52 tackles and 15 pass break-ups.  Freshman safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) has 21 tackles this season after 12 at King's in his first collegiate start.  Junior Jim McIntyre blocked a punt against King's and has 11 tackles this fall.

KICKING GAME: Junior Marc Roesch, who is handling kickoffs, is four of seven on extra-points and two of five on field goal attempts this season.  Roesch has made field goals of 28 and 33 yards.  Freshman Josh Miller (Boyertown/Boyertown HS) is five for seven on extra-points and he missed his only field goal attempt.  Junior Jim McIntyre has made 11 of 13 extra-point attempts this year and a 25-yard field goal last week.  Freshman Alex Myshak is the Greyhounds punter and is averaging 32.8 yards per kick with a long of 45 yards against Widener.  Myshak has punted 35 times this fall.  Freshman John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) punted twice against FDU-Madison with a long of 50 yards but he also had two punts blocked.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Freshman Tim Barlok has 19 kickoff returns for 419 yards while junior Michael Abbate has returned ten punts for 78 yards.  Senior Doug Joseph has 13 kickoff returns for 291 yards and ten punt returns for 95 yards.  Sophomore Josh Fick has returned two punts for 52 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.

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

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 Wilkes SID John Seitzinger at (570/831-4777).