Red Devils earn title, pail, playoffs
From today's Patriot-News:
DICKINSON 30, GETTYSBURG 14
Red Devils earn title, pail, playoffs
Sunday, November 05, 2006
BY BOB BLACK Of The Patriot-News
CARLISLE - There was more than the Little Brown Bucket at stake when Dickinson hosted Gettysburg yesterday at Biddle Field.
The Red Devils were also playing for the Centennial Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
And they were playing against a team that was far from full strength.
More than a dozen Gettysburg players were scratched from yesterday's lineup after being suspended for the game two days ago for a violation of team policy.
Gone was conference rushing leader Tom Sturgess. Ditto leading kicker Josh Huson. And still Gettysburg was in the game deep in the third quarter before the Red Devils scored twice to win 30-14.
Hello, Little Brown Bucket. Hello, playoffs.
"I can't comment on what happened," Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter said. "But it took away a lot of the things we could do and we just made the announcement Thursday, so we didn't have much time to change our game plan."
Dickinson (8-1, 5-0) had its own plan -- simply score points and hang on to the football.
The leader of Dickinson's game plan was quarterback Matt Torchia, one of 17 seniors playing their final regular-season game at Biddle Field.
"There was a lot of pressure on us because of the magnitude of this game," Torchia said. "But we've had the kind of players to handle it this year. We've really come together and played well.
Now everybody's looking forward to the playoffs."
Torchia, who threw for 214 yards, also ran for 59 yards and a 22-yard touchdown as Dickinson maintained possession for 37:54.
"There's no question he gives us a solid game out there," Dickinson coach Darwin Breaux said.
"But we have a lot of big plays guys and a talented defense."
Even though Matt Stark's two first-quarter field goals gave the Red Devils a 6-0 lead, Gettysburg (4-5, 2-3) found a way to score the first touchdown. Dusty Green capped an 80-yard, 17-play drive with a 1-yard score with 6:54 remaining in the first half.
Gettysburg freshman quarterback Matt Flynn set up the TD by scrambling for 24 yards just two plays earlier.
Torchia guided a 12-play drive that resulted in Stark's third field goal with 2:53 until the break, then scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 22-yard run.
Although Gettysburg cut the margin to just two points on a 19-yard scoring pass to tackle-eligible James Russell, Dickinson's 225-pound senior fullback Ryne Cantwell provided the final margin on TD runs of 1 and 15 yards.
"It's important for us to win next Saturday at Ursinus," said senior Dickinson receiver Clay Merris (West Perry), who caught three passes for 45 yards. "We'd like to play that game at home and I think we'd have a good opportunity to do so if we finish 8-1."
Dickinson won its first outright Centennial Conference title since the 1994 season.
DICKINSON 30, GETTYSBURG 14
Red Devils earn title, pail, playoffs
Sunday, November 05, 2006
BY BOB BLACK Of The Patriot-News
CARLISLE - There was more than the Little Brown Bucket at stake when Dickinson hosted Gettysburg yesterday at Biddle Field.
The Red Devils were also playing for the Centennial Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
And they were playing against a team that was far from full strength.
More than a dozen Gettysburg players were scratched from yesterday's lineup after being suspended for the game two days ago for a violation of team policy.
Gone was conference rushing leader Tom Sturgess. Ditto leading kicker Josh Huson. And still Gettysburg was in the game deep in the third quarter before the Red Devils scored twice to win 30-14.
Hello, Little Brown Bucket. Hello, playoffs.
"I can't comment on what happened," Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter said. "But it took away a lot of the things we could do and we just made the announcement Thursday, so we didn't have much time to change our game plan."
Dickinson (8-1, 5-0) had its own plan -- simply score points and hang on to the football.
The leader of Dickinson's game plan was quarterback Matt Torchia, one of 17 seniors playing their final regular-season game at Biddle Field.
"There was a lot of pressure on us because of the magnitude of this game," Torchia said. "But we've had the kind of players to handle it this year. We've really come together and played well.
Now everybody's looking forward to the playoffs."
Torchia, who threw for 214 yards, also ran for 59 yards and a 22-yard touchdown as Dickinson maintained possession for 37:54.
"There's no question he gives us a solid game out there," Dickinson coach Darwin Breaux said.
"But we have a lot of big plays guys and a talented defense."
Even though Matt Stark's two first-quarter field goals gave the Red Devils a 6-0 lead, Gettysburg (4-5, 2-3) found a way to score the first touchdown. Dusty Green capped an 80-yard, 17-play drive with a 1-yard score with 6:54 remaining in the first half.
Gettysburg freshman quarterback Matt Flynn set up the TD by scrambling for 24 yards just two plays earlier.
Torchia guided a 12-play drive that resulted in Stark's third field goal with 2:53 until the break, then scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 22-yard run.
Although Gettysburg cut the margin to just two points on a 19-yard scoring pass to tackle-eligible James Russell, Dickinson's 225-pound senior fullback Ryne Cantwell provided the final margin on TD runs of 1 and 15 yards.
"It's important for us to win next Saturday at Ursinus," said senior Dickinson receiver Clay Merris (West Perry), who caught three passes for 45 yards. "We'd like to play that game at home and I think we'd have a good opportunity to do so if we finish 8-1."
Dickinson won its first outright Centennial Conference title since the 1994 season.
posted by Pat McConnell | 7:54 AM
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