Tuesday, November 19, 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 twice in the top 40 in the tenth 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 tied first in the nation in forced fumbles per game at 0.50. Senior defensive lineman Tom Blackledge (Sellersville, PA/ Pennridge HS) is tied for 19th in the country this week in tackles for loss with an average of 2.2 per game. Junior defensive back Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/ Liberty HS) is tied for ninth in passes defended at 2.1 per game while senior defensive back Jarrod Pence (Livingston, NJ/Livingston HS) is tied for 17th in the nation in passes defended at 1.8 per game. Pogue is also tied for 13th in the country in interceptions with 0.7 per game while junior safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) is tied for 38th in passes defended at 1.5 per game.

Moravian’s other three players are ranked in special teams categories with freshman kicker Nate Strohl (Coplay, PA/Whitehall HS) tied for 34th in field goals per game with an average of 0.8, junior punter John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) tenth in the country in punting with an average of 39.1 yards per punt, and sophomore wide receiver Jed Warsager (Andover, NJ/Newton HS) ranked 26th in the nation in kickoff returns with an average of 25.3 yards per return.

The Greyhounds, who are 7-3 on the year, are 11th in the country in rushing defense, only allowing 79.5 yards per contest on the ground and the squad is 40th in scoring defense, allowing just 15.9 points per game.

Moravian, which had its six-game winning streak snapped last Saturday in an 8-0 loss to rival Muhlenberg College, will return to action on Saturday, November 23rd when the Greyhounds travel to McDaniel College for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southeast Championship game at 12:00 p.m. The postseason appearance is Moravian’s third in the 16-year tenure of head coach Scot Dapp and the school’s first-ever berth in the ECAC Championships.