Monday, October 15, 2001

MORAVIAN VS. WILKES FOOTBALL PREVIEW

1:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 20 2001
Steel Field (c. 2,500); Bethlehem, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to win its second consecutive game and its third home contest of the season versus Wilkes University in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest.  Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Steel Field in Bethlehem.  The game is Moravian's annual Homecoming contest.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester '73) who won the 90^th game of his career last week, is in his 15th season at Moravian with a career record of 90-57-1 (.611).  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.

Wilkes coach Frank Sheptock (Bloomsburg '89) is in his sixth season at the school with an overall mark of 33-25 (.569).

THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the 31st in the series with Moravian holding a 25-14-1 advantage.  The Greyhounds have won the last two years, 28-21 last season in Wilkes-Barre and 28-22 in overtime the last time the two schools played in Bethlehem.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Wilkes-Barre last fall, Tailback Tim Barlok (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Catholic HS) scored on a six-yard touchdown run with 1:11 left in the game to give Moravian a 28-21 victory over Wilkes.  The Greyhounds trailed 14-0 after the first quarter and committed seven turnovers in the game (three interceptions and four fumbles).  Quarterback Charlie Bowden (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial HS) scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 3:15 left in the second quarter.  Junior Jim McIntyre (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown HS) made the extra-point.  Bowden, who completed 21 of 37 passes for 240 yards, was not sacked in the game but was intercepted three times.  The Greyhounds would score the next 14 points in the game after a scoreless third quarter.  Tailback Dave Darmofal (Clarks Summit/Abington Heights) scored on a one-yard run with 14:29 left in the fourth quarter.  Moravian started its drive on the one-yard line after a 21-yard interception return by Nate Pogue.  Pogue would also make an interception on Wilkes' final play of the game to preserve the win.  Wide receiver Michael Abbate (South Plainfield, NJ/Bishop Ahr HS) returned the punt 29 yards for a touchdown to give Moravian a 21-14 lead with 9:47 left in the game.  Abbate also caught eight passes for 90 yards in the game.  Barlok scored the final touchdown on a six-yard run with just 1:11 left in the game.  Barlok led the Moravian rushing attack with 46 yards on 18 carries.  Linebacker John Cupples (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic HS) led the Moravian defense with 15 tackles.

LAST WEEK: Junior tailback Josh Fick (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) ran for 172 yards, the ninth highest single game total in school history, on 21 carries with two first quarter touchdowns to lead Moravian to a 41-0 victory over Delaware Valley College in MAC action.  Moravian's last shutout came in 1998 when the Greyhounds blanked FDU-Madison, 35-0 on homecoming and the last time Moravian won by more than 40 points was in 1993 with a 49-0 victory versus King's College.  Moravian got on the board just 2:36 into the game when senior wide receiver Michael Abbate ran in from three yards out to give the Greyhounds a 6-0 lead.  The Greyhounds went 80-yards on five plays two possessions later with Fick carrying the ball three times with a 54 yard run and a four yard touchdown scamper.  Moravian made the score 14-0 with a two-point conference pass from sophomore quarterback Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) to junior tight end Rick Kulp (Walnutport, PA/Northampton HS).  Seng started the game for junior quarterback Charlie Bowden, who missed the game after dislocating a finger on his throwing hand in practice during the week.  Junior cornerback Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) had an interception on the first play of the next possession to set up a Fick 10-yard touchdown run with two seconds left in the first quarter.  Senior Marc Roesch (Egg Harbor City, NJ/St. Augustine HS) made the extra-point for a 21-0 lead.  On Moravian's first drive of the second quarter, Seng connected again with Kulp, this time on a nine-yard touchdown throw for his first collegiate touchdown pass.  Roesch added his second extra-point of the game.  Seng connected with freshman wide receiver Scott Silvoy (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left in the second quarter.  Moravian led 35-0 at halftime after Roesch's extra-point.  Seng completed his first six passes of the game and finished eight of 13 for 127 yards.  Moravian closed out the scoring 1:37 into the fourth quarter when Abbate ran a reverse in from 19 yards out for his second touchdown of the game.  Abbate had 48 yards on seven carries and he caught three passes for 51 yards.  Sophomore tailback David Darmofal added 50 yards on 13 carries as Moravian ran for 299 yards on 50 attempts.  Defensively for Moravian, junior linebacker John Cupples had ten tackles with nine solo stops, two for loss, one sack and an interception return of 46 yards that ended Delaware Valley's best scoring chance of the day.  Junior defensive end Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge HS) had two sacks among his six tackles while freshman safety Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) had eight tackles in the game.  Freshman defensive lineman John Dowling (Keyport, NY/Keyport HS) added two sacks in the game.

SCOUTING WILKES: The Colonels come to Bethlehem with an overall mark of 3-3 and a MAC record of 3-2.  Wilkes is coming off a 34-11 loss to Albright College last Saturday.  Junior quarterback Jeff Marshman leads the Wilkes offense on the field.  Marshman has completed 55 of 124 passes for 572 yards this season with four touchdowns and nine interceptions.  His top targets have been senior wide receiver Keith Witkowski, 18 catches for 199 yards and two scores, and junior wide receiver Chris Banyas, who has 11 receptions for 175 yards and one touchdown.  Banyas also does returns for the Colonels and is averaging 23.9 yards per kickoff return and 6.7 yards per punt return.  On the ground, freshman running back Brett Trichilo leads the Colonels with 745 yards on 132 carries with six touchdowns.  Senior Anthony Melchiorre has added 85 yards on 30 attempts with two touchdowns.  Junior Will McLaughlin handles the placekicking duties for Wilkes and he is 13 of 15 on extra-points this season and four of six on field goals with a long of 37 yards.  Freshman Ryan Amos has been called on 39 times to punt this season and he is averaging 35.5 yards per punt with a long of 54 yards.  Defensively for the Colonels, junior linebacker Mike DaRe has 43 tackles with five for loss and three saves.  Senior safety Mark Hendry, junior linebacker Matt Schiefen and sophomore defensive end Nick Rollman each have 31 tackles this season with Schiefen adding six tackle for loss, two sacks, three interception and 11 pass break-ups and Rollman contributing six tackle for loss and three sacks.  Sophomore linebacker Steve Rodgers has 30 tackles and two interceptions while senior cornerback Brian Hosler leads the Colonels with four interceptions.

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 Wilkes was picked fifth 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 three passes versus Delaware Valley, Abbate now has 99 career receptions and he needs just three catch to move into fourth all-time.  He is seventh in Moravian history with 1,342 yards and he needs just 59 yards to move into sixth.  Junior wideout Jarod Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) 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).  Junior tailback Josh Fick needs just 90 yards to become the 17^th Greyhounds to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark.  Fick has 910 yards on 149 carries with 16 touchdowns in his career.

MAC ACCOLADES: Junior linebacker John Cupples was been named the Middle Atlantic Conference Player of the Week for his performance in the Greyhounds 41-0 victory over Delaware Valley last Saturday.  Junior Josh Fick earned a spot on the MAC Honor Roll for his performance as well.  Cupples led the Greyhounds to their first shutout since the 1998 season in the victory over Delaware Valley.  Cupples paced the Moravian defense with ten tackles, including nine solo stops, two for loss, one of Moravian's nine sacks and one of Moravian's four interceptions which he returned 46 yards, ending the Aggies best scoring chance of the game.  The Greyhounds allowed just 56 yards rushing on 35 attempts for Delaware Valley in addition to the four interceptions and nine sacks.  Fick had the best day of his collegiate career and the ninth best day in Moravian College history, gaining 172 yards on 21 carries with two first-quarter touchdowns.  Fick averaged 8.19 yards per carry and had runs of 54 yards and 32 yards to go with his touchdown runs of four and ten yards.  The 100-plus yard game was Fick's second in three games and Moravian's third straight 100-yard rusher.

MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhound offense is currently ranked third in the MAC, averaging 382.0 yards per game.  Moravian is seventh in passing at 207.6 yards a contest, fourth in rushing offense at 174.4 yards per game and third in scoring offense at 29.8 points per game.  Defensively, the Greyhounds are eighth in total defense, allowing 386.4 yards an outing.  Moravian is fourth rushing defense, allowing just 102.0 yards per game, 11th in passing defense at 284.4 yards per contest and fourth in scoring defense at 23.4 points per game.  The Greyhounds are tied for fourth in turnover margin at +0.20 per game.  Individually, quarterback Charlie Bowden is fifth is passing offense at 212.8 yards per game, seventh in pass efficiency at 100.9 and sixth in total offense at 203.0 yards per game.  Tailback Josh Fick is fifth in the MAC in rushing at 93.3 yards per game.  Fick is tied for second in scoring with 9.6 points per game, fifth in all-purpose yardage at 145.4 yards per game and seventh in kickoff return yardage with 20.1 yards per return.  Wide receiver Michael Abbate leads the MAC in kickoff return average at 31.2 yards per return.  Abbate is tied for seventh in receptions per contest at 4.80, tied for sixth in punt return yardage at 6.2 yards per return and tenth in all-purpose yardage at 125.2 yards per game.  Kicker Marc Roesch is eighth in the MAC in kick scoring at 2.6 points per game, seventh in extra-point percentage at 71.4 percent (ten of 14) and ninth in field goal percentage at 33.3.  Roesch is tied with cornerback/kicker Jim McIntyre for eighth in the MAC in field goals with 0.20 per game.  McIntyre is tied for first in field goal percentage at 1.000 and tied for second in fumbles recovered with two.  Linebacker John Cupples is fourth in tackles with 9.2 per game while sophomore linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) is tied for seventh with five sacks.  Safety Bill Skriletz is tied for sixth in the MAC in interceptions per game at 0.50 and tied for second in forced fumbles with two.  Cornerback Jarrod Pence leads the MAC with 18 pass break-ups.

BOWDEN LEADING THE 'HOUNDS OFFENSE: Quarterback Charlie Bowden completed 71 of 147 passes for 851 yards with six touchdown and seven interceptions for the Greyhounds.  Bowden, who has been sacked nine times, has hit ten different receivers with a pass while 13 different Greyhounds have caught a pass this season.  Quarterback Will Seng has completed 11 of 18 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns this season.  Seng has been intercepted twice but sacked just once.

IN THE BACKFIELD: Tailback Josh Fick leads the Greyhounds on the ground with 468 yards on 79 carries with eight touchdowns, including a 46-yard score.  Junior fullback Eric Gustafson has added 141 yards on 25 attempts after a 121-yard performance at Juniata.  Wide receiver Michael Abbate has added 97 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns while tailback David Darmofal has 114 yards on 26 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 three contests.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have had 13 different players catch a pass this season, led by wideout Michael Abbate, who has 286 yards on 24 receptions and two touchdowns.  Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) has 18 receptions for 229 yards and two scores while 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 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 defensive end Tom Blackledge leads the front six for the Greyhounds with 20 tackles; seven for loss, three sacks and one fumble recovery.  Junior nose tackle Pat Mancini (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) has added 19 tackles, forced one fumble, made four tackles for loss and two and a half sacks.  Senior defensive end John Kwiatkowski (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has made 11 tackles with six behind the line of scrimmage and two and a half 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 46 tackles with eight tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, one interception, three pass break-ups and one forced fumble.  Sophomore Bill Engler has made 39 tackles this year with eight  tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.  Sophomore Steve Maslanek has added 36 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.  Junior Vince Cowlishaw (Chatham, NJ/Chatham HS) has 30 tackles, including seven for losses, two sacks, one forced fumble and three pass break-ups.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Junior Jarrod Pence has made 31 tackles this season with two for loss, two interceptions and a team high 18 pass break-ups.  Senior cornerback Jim McIntyre has 22 tackles, two fumble recoveries for four yards, two interceptions with 35 yards in returns and ten pass break-ups while senior safety Mike Wukitsch (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) added 13 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 three weeks.  Freshman safety Bill Skriletz has 27 tackles, seven 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 28 kickoffs this year and he has been called on 28 times to punt.  Roesch averaged 31.5 yards per punt with a long of 44 yards with seven 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 10-for-14 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 six kickoff returns for 113 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 14 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 Wilkes University SID John Seitzinger at (570/408-4777).