Monday, October 14, 2002

MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 3-2 (3-2 MAC)

DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE AGGIES, 1-5 (0-5 MAC)

1:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 19, 2002
James Work Memorial Stadium (c. 4,000); Doylestown, PA

THE GAME: Moravian will try to extend its winning streak to three straight games in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest at Delaware Valley College. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at James Work Memorial Stadium in Doylestown, PA.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) is in his 16th season at Moravian, with a career record of 96-61-1 (.611). 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.
    Delaware Valley coach G.A. Mangus (Florida ’92) is in his first season at the school with an overall mark of 1-5 (.167).

THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the 40th in the series with Moravian holding a 27-10-2 lead. The Greyhounds have won the last two contests including a 19-10 in the last game in Doylestown in 2000.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Bethlehem last fall, 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 in MAC action. Moravian got on the board just 2:36 into the game when 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. 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. Marc Roesch made the extra-point for a 21-0 lead. On Moravian’s first drive of the second quarter, quarterback Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) connected with tight end Rick Kulp (Walnutport, PA/Northampton HS) on a nine-yard touchdown throw for his first collegiate touchdown pass. Roesch added his second extra-point of the game. Seng connected with wide receiver Scott Silvoy on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left in the second quarter. 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. Defensively for Moravian, linebacker John Cupples (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) 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.

LAST GAME: Senior quarterback Charlie Bowden (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial HS) completed 12 of 20 passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns and he ran for another score as Moravian earned a 39-23 victory over Juniata College in MAC action. Moravian, trailing 7-0, would get on the scoreboard on a 31-yard field goal by freshman Nate Strohl (Coplay, PA/Whitehall HS) with 3:34 to play in the first quarter. Strohl also connected on a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11:52 left in the second quarter. Moravian took its first lead with 6:03 remaining in the second quarter on a Bowden three-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Jed Warsager (Andover, NJ/Newton HS). Bowden found freshman wideout Ben Hawkins (Belmar, NJ/Manasquan HS) open for a 29-yard scoring strike with just nine second left on the clock and Strohl’s extra-point gave Moravian a 19-15 halftime lead. Bowden connected on his third scoring pass of the day, an eight-yard strike to junior tailback David Darmofal (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights HS) with 12:15 to play in the third quarter. Strohl’s extra-point gave Moravian a 26-15 lead. Juniata cut Moravian’s lead to 26-23 with another touchdown pass and looked as if it was about to take the lead early in the fourth quarter but senior defensive back Jarrod Pence read a short pass play and intercepted the ball, returning it out to the Juniata 23-yardline. Moravian would drive the length of the field and score on Bowden’s one-yard sneak with 7:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. Strohl’s kick gave the Greyhounds a 33-23 lead. Bowden finished the game with 21 yards on five carries. Moravian would add an insurance touchdown with 3:08 left in the game when Darmofal ran in from three-yards out. Darmofal led the Greyhound rushing attack with 95 yards on 20 carries while senior tailback Josh Fick had 63 yards on six carries. Strohl had his extra-point attempt blocked for the final score of 39-23. Defensively, junior free safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) and senior linebacker John Cupples led the team with 12 tackles each while Pence contributed eight tackles; the interception and two pass break-ups. Senior linebacker Bill Engler (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) had ten tackles and two pass break-ups.

SCOUTING DELAWARE VALLEY: The Aggies come into Saturday's game with a record of 1-5 on the season and a 0-5 slate in the MAC. Freshman quarterback Adam Knoblauch leads Delaware Valley on the field and he has completed 109 of 201 passes for 1,422 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Knobloach's top targets have been senior wide receiver Rich Gear with 32 receptions for 665 yards and six scores, freshman wideout David Carmon with 29 catches for 306 yards and junior wide receiver Giovanni Brooks, who has 14 receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Senior tailback Al Glackin leads the Aggies on the ground with 306 yards and two scores on 84 carries. Glackin also leads Delaware Valley with an average of 14.7 yards on kickoff returns while Gear is netting ten yards per punt return. Freshman Tom Rady is averaging 30.7 yards per punt and he is 15-for-15 on extra-points and one-for-one on field goals. Defensively for Delaware Valley, sophomore linebacker Andrew Erby leads the squad with 59 tackles including eight for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Sophomore defensive back Dougie Howard has made 38 tackles while junior linebacker Nick Sabean has a team leading nine tackles for loss and three and a half sacks among his 34 tackles. Sabean also has forced three fumbles and blocked two kicks this season. Sophomore defensive lineman Clint LaStella has added 33 tackles this fall. Freshman free safety Keeven Thomas leads the Aggies with three interceptions this year.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 96 players on the Moravian roster, 44 are freshmen, 16 are sophomores and 14 are juniors. There are 22 seniors on the squad, the most ever for head coach Scot Dapp, and the Greyhounds return 42 letterwinners and 18 starters.

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 Juniata was picked 11th. Widener, which reached the NCAA quarterfinals last season, was again selected as the top team in the MAC.

MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Moravian is ranked fifth in the MAC in total defense, allowing 352.2 yards per game. The squad is tied for tenth in passing defense at 273.0 yards per game and the defense is fifth in rushing yards allowed at 79.2. The Greyhounds are fifth in points allowed at 23.6 per game but the squad is tied for eighth in points scored per game at 24.2. Offensively, Moravian is tenth in the MAC at 304.4 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked fifth in rushing offense at 150.0 yards per game and tenth in passing offense at 154.4 yards per game. Moravian is eighth in turnover margin with a -0.8 per game average as the team has committed 17 turnovers while forcing 13 turnovers. Individually, junior tailback David Darmofal is eighth in rushing, averaging 57.2 yards per game. Senior quarterback Charlie Bowden is eighth in yards per game at 144.8 yards per game and he is seventh in pass efficiency at 109.3 and eight in total offense at 135.8 yards per game. Junior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) is fifth punt returns with an average of 10.3 yards while senior tailback Josh Fick is tenth at 5.3 yards per return. Junior wide receiver Jed Warsager is second in kickoff returns, averaging 29.2 yards a return with one touchdown. Junior punter John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) is tied for second in punting at 39.7 yards per kick. Freshman wide receiver Ben Hawkins is tied for fifth in touchdown scoring with 6.0 points per game. Freshman Nate Strohl is tied for first in kick scoring a 6.0 points per game, first in field goals per game at 1.2, fourth in field goal percentage at 85.7 and fourth in PAT percentage at 92.3 percent. Junior cornerback Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) is fourth in interceptions at 0.60 per game while senior cornerback Jarrod Pence is tied for sixth at 0.40 interceptions per game. Senior linebacker John Cupples is fourth in tackles at 8.8 per game while junior safety John Panikiewsky is fifth at 8.6 tackles per game.

NCAA STATISTICS: Moravian had five players ranked in six categories, and the Greyhounds’ defense was ranked in the top 40 in the fourth release of the NCAA Division III football statistics for the 2002 season. Moravian’s highest ranked individual was junior defensive back Nate Pogue who was tied for ninth in passes defended at 2.3 per game. Pogue was also tied for 28th in the nation in interceptions with 0.8 per contest. Senior defensive lineman Tom Blackledge was tenth in the country this week in tackles for loss with an average of 2.8 per game. Moravian’s other three players were ranked in special teams categories with freshman kicker Nate Strohl tied for 20th in field goals per game with an average of 1.0, junior punter John McLain 21st in the country in punting with an average of 40.4 yards per punt, and sophomore Jed Warsager ranked 25th in the nation in kickoff returns with an average of 28.8 yards per return. The Greyhounds were 15th in the country in rushing defense, only allowing 70.5 yards per contest on the ground.

MILESTONE WATCH: Senior wideout Jarod Rhinehart (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone last season. Rhinehart has 1,254 yards (11th) on 96 career receptions (sixth). Rhinehart needs six receptions to move to fifth and 11 yards to move into ninth. Senior quarterback Charlie Bowden is also moving up the record books. He has completed 336 (fourth) of 660 (fourth) passes for 4,380 (fourth) yards with 33 touchdowns (fourth). Bowden needs 1,151 yards, 80 completions, 129 attempts and two touchdowns to move into third in each category. Senior tailback Josh Fick became the 17th Greyhound to reach 1,000 yards rushing in the Lebanon Valley game. Fick has 1,091 yards on 194 carries with 17 touchdowns in his career.

BOWDEN LEADING THE ‘HOUNDS OFFENSE: Senior quarterback Charlie Bowden has completed 51 of 113 passes for 724 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions this year. Junior Will Seng has completed three of seven passes for 25 yards while freshman Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong HS) has completed one of two attempts for 23 yards.

IN THE BACKFIELD: Junior tailback David Darmofal leads the Greyhounds with 286 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries. His 100-yard game against FDU-Florham was the first of Darmofal's career. Senior fullback Eric Gustafson (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood HS) has picked up 166 yards on 36 carries while sophomore fullback Bill Carasia (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) has 70 yards on 21 carries. Senior tailback Josh Fick has 181 yards and a touchdown on 45 attempts while freshman Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley) has 24 yards on seven carries.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Senior tight end Rick Kulp has pulled down a team high 11 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns while freshman wideout Ben Hawkins has nine receptions for 234 yards and four scores. Senior wide receiver Jarod Rhinehart has caught ten passes this season for 132 yards while junior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger has eight receptions for 96 yards. Junior wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) has five catches for 64 yards while junior tailback David Darmofal has five receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Senior defensive end Tom Blackledge leads the Hounds up front defensively with 32 tackles including 14 for loss and two of Moravian's nine sacks. Sophomore defensive end Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has added 14 tackles with five for loss and two fumble recoveries while senior nose tackle Pat Mancini (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional HS) has 13 stops with three for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries. Sophomore lineman Kevin McLaughlin (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic HS) has added five tackles.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Senior John Cupples leads the defense with 44 tackles. Cupples also has one and a half sacks, three pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and seven tackles for loss. Senior Bill Engler (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has 36 tackles with one fumble recovery and three pass break-ups while senior Vince Cowlishaw (Chatham, NJ/Chatham HS) has added 28 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass break-ups and four tackles for loss. Junior Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) has 23 tackles with five for loss while freshman Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) has added 15 tackles, one and half a sack, a forced fumble and six tackles for loss.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Junior safety John Panikiewsky leads the Moravian defensive backs with 43 tackles. He has added six tackles for loss, one sack, a fumble recovery, three pass break-ups and an interception. Senior cornerback Jarrod Pence has made 28 tackles and six pass break-ups and two interceptions while junior cornerback Nate Pogue has added 23 tackles and three interceptions, three pass break-ups and two forced fumbles. Sophomore rover Bill Skriletz has 23 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 seven tackles and five pass break-ups

KICKING GAME: Freshman Nate Strohl is 12-for-13 on extra-points in his debut and six-for-seven 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 six field goal attempts. Junior John McLain has been called on to punt 28 times this season and he is averaging 39.7 yards per kick with six punts over 50 yards, one of 60 yards and six downed inside the 20.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore Jed Warsager has returned 14 kickoffs for 409 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 three kickoff returns for 64 yards. Senior Josh Fick has made six punt returns for 32 yards and three kickoff returns for 50 yards while junior Kevin Miltenberger has eight punt returns for 82 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.

WINNING WAYS: Moravian had 11 consecutive winning seasons—all under Coach Scot Dapp, from 1987 to 1997 and has had 12 winning seasons in Dapp’s 15 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 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 Jim Wills.