Tuesday, November 12, 2002

EIGHT GREYHOUND FOOTBALL PLAYERS & MORAVIAN DEFENSE RANKED NATIONALLY

INDIANAPOLIS, IN --- The Moravian College football team has eight players ranked and the Greyhounds’ defense is ranked in the top 40 in the ninth release of the NCAA Division III football statistics for the 2002 season.

Moravian’s highest ranked individual is senior linebacker John Cupples (Allentown, PA/ Allentown Central Catholic HS), who is first in the nation in forced fumbles per game at 0.56. Senior defensive lineman Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/ Pennridge HS) is tied for 12th in the country this week in tackles for loss with an average of 2.4 per game. Junior defensive back Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/ Liberty HS) is tied for tenth in passes defended at 2.0 per game while senior defensive back Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) is tied for 14th in the nation in passes defended at 1.9 per game. Pogue is also tied for 23rd in the country in interceptions with 0.7 per game while junior safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) is tied for 31st in passes defended at 1.7 per game.

Moravian’s other three players are ranked in special teams categories with freshman kicker Nate Strohl (Coplay, PA/Whitehall HS) tied for 28th in field goals per game with an average of 0.9, junior punter John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) fourth in the country in punting with an average of 40.2 yards per punt, and sophomore wide receiver Jed Warsager (Andover, NJ/Newton HS) ranked 19th in the nation in kickoff returns with an average of 26.2 yards per return.

The Greyhounds, who are 7-2 on the year, are eighth in the country in rushing defense, only allowing 70.2 yards per contest on the ground.

Moravian, which has won six straight games for the first time since the end of the 1995 and beginning of the 1996 season, will return to action on Saturday, November 16th when the Greyhounds host rival Muhlenberg College to close out the regular season. Moravian will be looking to extend its winning streak to seven straight games, which would be a school record for a single season.