McDaniel Week!

The bye week is behind us and McDaniel is ahead of us!

Click here for the Centennial Conference previews for the up coming week.

Also, the following is taken from the D3Football.com Kickoff Season Preview Edition:

McDaniel Green Terror

Last playoff appearance: 2001

Last year: 4-6, 2-4 CC

Last conference title: 2002

Wins increase from 05-06: Minus-1

Preseason ranking: 137 of 238

Head coach: Tim Keating, 20th year, 121-71-3

Starters returning: 15 (seven offense, six defense, two special teams)

Position battle to watch: Center. Junior Jason Bryan is coming off a knee injury that caused him to miss part of last season; if he's healthy, he could push senior incumbent Ross Adams. No matter who gets the nod, they'll work with experienced quarterback Brad Baer, who started all 10 games a year ago.

Pressure is on: The offensive line as a whole. The Green Terror allowed a Centennial Conference-high 40 sacks in 2006; Johns Hopkins, the next worst, allowed 22. McDaniel was also last in the conference in rushing offense, averaging a meager 2.2 yards per carry. Adams returns, as does junior Joe Bowers and sophomore Paul Selfinger, but the unit must get better quickly if McDaniel is to improve on 2006's 4-6 record.

Where did he come from? Sophomore Matt Bergbauer, a slot receiver who spent last year as a tight end. McDaniel took a shot at recruiting Bergbauer out of Westminster (Md.) High, which is in the same town as McDaniel. But head coach Tim Keating knew that Bergbauer was likely headed for bigger things. Indeed, he enrolled at I-AA James Madison in Virginia, but never played football. He moved back after a year, spent the following year at a nearby community college and dropped by McDaniel to ask Keating if he could play football. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Bergbauer made an immediate impact, catching 16 passes for 194 yards and 2 TDs. "He was a real pleasant surprise throwing the ball to last year - great routes, great hands, big plays. We're expecting a lot of him this year," Keating said.

Their season will be defined by: The rivalry game against Johns Hopkins. The two Maryland-based Centennial programs' series dates to 1892, but the Blue Jays have won the past six meetings. The first win in that streak came in McDaniel's last championship year, 2001, and the current Green Terror seniors have yet to defeat their rivals. "I would really like for these guys to have a chance to beat Hopkins. We have not done that," Keating said. "It's not Army-Navy, but [it's] big."

Predicted record: 1-9, 0-8

Capsule: Since the end of its run of winning or sharing five straight Centennial Conference titles, McDaniel has struggled to get back to that success. Its only winning record in the past four seasons was a 6-4 campaign in 2004. In order to get back there, McDaniel needs improvement on both sides of the ball. The running game struggled in 2006; the Green Terror rushed for 658 yards, nearly half that of Muhlenberg, who finished next to last. Seven starters do return to that unit, however, including several skill positions; quarterback Brad Baer, running back Eric Zwilsky, receiver Matt Cahill and tight end Josh Murray; and half of the offensive line. On the other side, McDaniel finished next-to-last in rush defense, pass defense and total defense. They must also replace their most celebrated defender, defensive back Drew Abbamonte. But hope comes in the experience of their linebackers, three of whom return to McDaniel's 3-4 look: seniors Derek Zabko and David Roccio along with junior Ryan Sheahin. But simply returning isn't enough; injuries have plagued the unit for several years, and staying healthy will be key.
Head coach Tim Keating is also looking for another inside backer, and had a large pool of candidates.

Weekly Awards

Congratulations to Tom Sturges and Charles Curcio for earning Centennial Conference Honor Roll recognition for their efforts this past Saturday against Dickinson.

You can read more about the awards and this week's Centennial Conference preview here.

Enjoy the bye week!

Big Second Half Lifts Dickinson Over Bullets, 42-28

Combine Parent's Weekend and our wedding anniversary and I'm just getting around to update the blog.

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Big Second Half Lifts Dickinson Over Bullets, 42-28

Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Dickinson College scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to break open a close game and come away with a 42-28 Centennial Conference victory over host Gettysburg at sunny, windy Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Ian Mitchell led Dickinson (6-1, 4-1 CC) with 98 yards rushing and two touchdowns while completing 11 of 18 passes for 113 yards and an additional touchdown while senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries to lead Gettysburg (5-3, 4-2 CC). Sturges also surpassed Dwayne Marcus ’95 for second on Gettysburg’s all-time rushing list and fifth on the Centennial Conference career rushing list. He now has 3,951 yards for his career.

The first half lived up to its billing as a marquee match-up between two of the top teams in the Centennial, with the Red Devils using a late touchdown drive to assume a 14-10 halftime advantage. Junior Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean) drilled a 35-yard field with 11:24 left in the third quarter to pull the Bullets to within one before a pair of special teams plays sparked Dickinson’s run.

Ryan Heinig got things going for the Devils, blocking a punt at around the 20-yard line. The ball dribbled just in front of the end zone, where Michael Dalton scooped it up and fell past the goal line for the touchdown, making it 21-13 with 7:29 on the third-quarter clock. Dickinson then forced Gettysburg to go three-and-out, and Chris McInerney returned a punt 51 yards for a touchdown with 5:53 left in the quarter as Dickinson assumed a 28-13 lead.

Gettysburg’s troubles continued on the first play of the ensuing drive, as Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) had his pass intercepted by Heinig at the Bullet-40. Three plays later, Mitchell took a quarterback keeper into the end zone to give Dickinson a 35-13 advantage with 4:35 to go in the third quarter.

The Bullets fumbled on their second straight possession when Flynn dropped a pitch-out at the Dickinson-31 on the eighth play of a drive. Once again, the Devils took advantage, going on a 6-play, 66-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown run by Tim Wells with 14:30 left as Dickinson’s lead swelled to 42-13.

Backup quarterback Mike Lynch (Richboro, Pa./LaSalle College) rallied the Bullets to a pair of late touchdowns to set the final score. First, he led Gettysburg on a 14-play, 79-yard march that was capped by 1-yard touchdown run by freshman Anthony DeSalva (Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow), the first of his collegiate career. After the Bullets recovered on onside kick, Lynch drove the Bullets 55 yards on seven plays and found junior Pat Murray (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) for a 6-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion toss to senior Sean Incremona (Selden, N.Y./Centereach) with 51 seconds left.

Huson gave the Bullets a 3-0 lead when he kicked a 30-yard field goal to cap a 13-play, 61-yard scoring drive on Gettysburg’s first drive. Mitchell gave the Bullets a 7-3 lead on the ensuing possession, rushing in from 19 yards out with 6:53 to go in the opening quarter.

Sturges restored Gettysburg’s lead when he ran in a 6-yard touchdown run, capping a 15-play, 83-yard Bullet scoring drive, making it 10-7 with 3:50 left in the first half. The Bullets went 3-for-3 on third-down conversions along the way. But Dickinson rallied with their late drive, moving 81 yards on 10 plays. After going 0-for-5 on their first five third-down attempts, the Red Devils converted two in a row at the end of their march, which was capped by a 4-yard touchdown grab by McInerney after Mitchell faked a spike on a second-and-goal.

McInerney finished with 88 yards on 10 catches while senior Matt Welsh (Lafayette Hill, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep) caught seven passes for 71 yards for the Bullets. Flynn threw for 99 yards on 15-of-31 passing while Lynch finished with 110 yards, completing 11 of 17 aerials.

Freshman Charles Curcio (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) posted his third-straight 100-yard all-purpose game for Gettysburg, finishing with 174. He returned six kickoffs for 130 yards.

Dickinson linebacker Eric Dube led all players with 15 tackles while sophomore linebacker Tim Widdoes (Newark, Del./St. Mark’s) had nine tackles for Gettysburg.

After taking their bye week, the Bullets return to action on Saturday, Nov. 3 when they host McDaniel College at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.

Dickinson, Gettysburg have much at stake

From today's Harrisburg Patriot-News:

Friday, October 19, 2007

BY BOB BLACKOf The Patriot-News

They have buckets, pails, wagons and other paraphernalia symbolic of football rivalries.

The one for Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Gettysburg with Dickinson is a Little Brown Bucket.

But there's a lot more than symbolism involved when the two teams get together for this Centennial Conference matchup.

For one thing, the winner still will be very much alive in the battle for the conference title and postseason play.

For another, even with a win Dickinson will face a second straight tough road game when it travels to unbeaten Muhlenberg next week. Gettysburg already has faced Muhlenberg, losing 14-13 in the fourth game of the season.

"Believe me, no one is even thinking about Muhlenberg right now," said Dickinson sophomore quarterback Ian Mitchell, who took over that position this season following the graduation of three-year starter Matt Torchia.

"Gettysburg has been a solid team all season, and we know what it will take to beat them. You never need to worry about getting up to play any of the teams in our conference, but that's especially true this week."

In last year's meeting at Dickinson, the Bullets weren't exactly fully loaded when they were forced to play without several key people -- such as rushing leader Tom Sturges and kicker Josh Huson -- who missed the game for disciplinary reasons.

Dickinson won 30-14 and went on to capture the undisputed conference title with a 6-1 league record.

"You can't use excuses when you lose a game, no matter who you have available," Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter said. "Sure, we'll have a different team available for this game. But so will Dickinson and we always know it's going to be an extremely tough game when we face them."

"Not playing in last year's game doesn't make this year's that much more important for me," Sturges said. "The actual circumstances of the game and the fact that it is Dickinson is what makes this game important to me."

"We brought the bucket back over to our place with that win last year," Dickinson coach Darwin Breaux said. "But we're well aware how much better of a team we'll be seeing out there this year.

"We're fortunate that Ian has stepped in and played so well for us at quarterback this season.

We knew coming in he could do the job for us after the job he did as an all-purpose back and
receiver as a freshman."

While Dickinson (5-1, 3-1) owns conference wins over Franklin & Marshall, McDaniel and Moravian, in their latest Centennial test, two weeks ago against Johns Hopkins, the Red Devils lost 20-17 on a last-second field goal.

Since the Red Devils had a bye last week, they've had two weeks either to think about Gettysburg or dwell on what might have been.

"Believe me, we don't think about a game more than 24 hours after it's over, win or lose," Mitchell said. "That's just the policy Coach Breaux has, and we all think it's a good one."

In Gettysburg (5-2, 4-1), the Red Devils will face a team that owns conference wins at Johns Hopkins and Ursinus, the two teams picked at the top of the preseason Centennial poll.

Dickinson will be facing probably the league's toughest offense led by sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn and league rushing leader Sturges, who had 181 yards and two TDs against Juniata.

"It takes the total package in a game like this," Flynn said. "Dickinson had that kind of a team last year against us, and I think we've proven we have that this year."

BOB BLACK: 255-8183 or bblack@patriot-news.com

Bullets to Host Dickinson in Crucial Centennial Showdown

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Football to Host Dickinson in Crucial Centennial Showdown

The Game
Rights to Little Brown Bucket and Centennial Conference title hopes are on the line as the Gettysburg College Bullets (5-2, 4-1 CC) and the Dickinson College Red Devils (5-1, 3-1 CC) face off Saturday during Family Weekend. Gettysburg trails Muhlenberg by a half game for first place in the Centennial Conference standings and is a half game in front of Dickinson for second. The Bullets lead the Devils 40-30-2 in the all-time series that dates back to 1892.

A Gettysburg Win Would...
• Give the Bullets their best record through eight games games since starting 7-1 in 1994
• Give the Bullets their best Centennial Conference record through six games since starting 6-0 in 1994
• Give the Bullets their 12th win in their last 13 home games

Radio Coverage
Saturday's game will be broadcast by Dickinson's student radio station, WDCV-FM 88.3, and webcast at http://alpha.dickinson.edu/storg/wdcv/.

Last Time Out
Senior tailback Tom Sturges rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, leading the Bullets to a 42-21 Homecoming victory over Juniata last Saturday here at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium. Freshman Charles Curcio also turned in another spectacular all-around game for the Bullets, accumulating 184 all-purpose yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He returned seven punts for 126 yards, including a 56-yard return for a touchdown, and rushed for 58 yards an additional score. Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn threw for 104 yards and one touchdown on 5-of-10 passing, and he rushed for 62 yards on five carries. Senior Matt Welsh caught four passes for 76 yards and a TD while junior kicker Josh Huson was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra-point attempts. Senior safety Kyle Luciano paced Gettysburg defensively, making nine tackles (six solo). The Bullets led 14-7 at halftime, then broke the game open with a 21-0 run at the start of the second half to open up a commanding 35-7 advantage following Sturges’ first touchdown of the day, a 7-yarder with 10:35 left.

Dickinson, which is coming off a bye week, suffered its first loss of the season two weeks ago when it dropped a 20-17 decision to Johns Hopkins on a 40-yard field goal as time expired. The Red Devils had erased a 10-point (17-7) halftime deficit, getting a 9-yard touchdown run from Tim Wells and a 44-yard field goal from Gordon Craig with 9:55 left that tied the game at 17. Sophomore quarterback Ian Mitchell led Dickinson with 273 yards of total offense, rushing for 137 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown, on 15 carries while passing for 136 yards.

Last Gettysburg-Dickinson Meeting
Ryne Cantwell scored two second-half touchdowns, adding on to a 16-14 third-quarter advantage, to help Dickinson to a 30-14 win over Gettysburg in Carlisle. With the win, Dickinson clinched the CC title, secured an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, and won back the Little Brown Bucket trophy from Gettysburg, who defeated the Red Devils 17-7 in 2005. Matt Torchia was 19-of-38 for 214 yards and ran 10 times for 59 yards and a touchdown for Dickinson while Cantwell rushed 12 times for a game-high 75 yards and two scores. Matt Flynn was 13-of-30 for 103 yards with one interception for the Bullets, and he rushed for 41 yards on seven carries and scored a touchdown. Dusty Green led the Bullets with 72 rushing yards on six carries with one touchdown. Gettysburg’s Kyle Luciano paced the defense with a game-high 17 tackles with an interception and three passed defended.

With Honors
Gettysburg has received numerous player of the week awards this season. A complete list is as follows, with the date of the game in which the player was honored in parentheses:

CC Offensive Player of the Week
Tom Sturges (Sept. 1)*
Tom Sturges (Oct. 6)*
Tom Sturges (Oct. 13)

CC Defensive Player of the Week
Harold Barton (Sept. 14)
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)*

CC Special Teams Player of the Week
Charles Curio (Oct. 13)

ECAC Southwest Def. POW
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)

D3football.com Team of the Week
Kyle Luciano (Sept. 29)

* Co-Player of the Week

Moving the Chains
The Bullets are leading the Centennial Conference in numerous offensive categories, including rushing offense (249.4 ypg), total offense (400.4), and first downs (147). Gettysburg is also ranked 20th in Division III in rushing offense.

Climbing the Charts
Senior tailback Tom Sturges reached two more milestones last Saturday, as he reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the third year in a row while moving into third on Gettysburg’s career rushing list. With 63 more yards he can move past Dwayne Marcus ’95 for second at Gettysburg and fifth in Centennial Conference history. Sturges is currently the fifth-leading rusher in Division III. Gettysburg’s 2,000-yard rushing club is listed below:

Player Years Att. Yds.
Paul Smith 1996-99 881 5,205
Dwayne Marcus 1991-94 690 3,852
Tom Sturges 2004- 833 3,790
Scott Dudak 1978-81 736 3,774
Ray Condren 1981-84 667 3,312
Shannon Forsythe 1992-95 497 2,747
Paul Martin 1982-85 398 2,053

Double Threat
Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn posted his first career 100-yard rushing game against Johns Hopkins on Sept. 14. Gaining 119 yards on eight carries in the Bullets’ 41-10 win, he became the first quarterback at Gettysburg to rush for 100 yards since Joe Gossweiler ’05 ran for 108 against Waynesburg in 2003. His second touchdown run was a 50-yarder, the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season, that gave the Bullets a 41-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Flynn is currently second on the team in rushing with 36.5 yards per game.

Protecting the Quarterback
Thanks in part to the offensive line of James Russell, Lou Mastrini, Matt DeFranco, Alex Bonder, and Sam Walthall, Flynn has been sacked only seven times over the Bullets’ seven games this season. Gettysburg leads the Centennial Conference and is tied for 14th in Division III in sacks against.

Sack Attack
Gettysburg has reached opposing quarterbacks for a sack 22 times this year (3.14 per game), a mark that leads the Centennial Conference and is tied for 40th in Division III. Junior defensive end Josh Jerrold leads the Centennial and is tied for 27th nationally with 7.0 sacks while senior linebacker Harold Barton and junior defensive end Conor Quinn have added 5.0 and 4.0 sacks, respectively. Quinn also leads the conference and is tied for 46th in Division III with 1.7 tackles for loss per game (12.0 total).

Special Teams Specialist
After accumulating 126 punt return yards last week, freshman Charles Curcio is now averaging 14.8 yards per return, 14th in Division III. He posted Gettysburg’s first punt return touchdown since Nathan Smith had a 63-yarder against Averett in 2002.

Heavy Hitter
Senior linebacker Harold Barton leads the Bullets and ranks fourth in the Centennial Conference with 9.5 tackles per game. He moved into 10th on Gettysburg’s career tackles list on Sept. 14 at Johns Hopkins, and he is currently seventh on the school’s top-10 list, which is as follows:

Player Years Tackles
Ryan Moore 1998-2001 430
Hayes Reilly 1978-81 374
Grant Acker 2001-04 333
Miguel Yanes 1982-85 306
Kevin Schmidt 1991-94 303
Kevin Gurski 1994-97 293
Harold Barton 2003- 285
Jeff DeLisi 1992-95 264
ichard Swartz 1978-79 262
Cliff Mason 1999-2002 259

Giving it the Boot
Junior kicker Josh Huson has enjoyed a solid season at kicker for the Bullets. He has drilled 24 of 25 extra-point attempts and is 6-for-11 on field goals with a season-long 42-yarder. Huson ranks second in the Centennial Conference in kick scoring with 42 points.

Head of the Class
With the Bullets’ 27-20 win over Moravian on Oct. 6, Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter picked up his 78th Centennial Conference victory, making him the all-time winningest coach in conference history. He passed former Franklin & Marshall coach Tom Gilburg, who went 77-60-1 from 1983-2002. Streeter has gone 78-79-3 in Centennial play since the inception of the conference in 1983. Streeter is also the longest-tenured and winningest football coach in Gettysburg history. He surpassed Hen Bream (1927-51), who coached for 22 seasons, in 2000. Streeter won his 105th career game against Muhlenberg in 1995 to take over the career wins lead. Now in his 29th season as head coach, he has a 146-139-5 (.512) career record.

Scouting Dickinson
The Red Devils have been tested early and often this season, as all but one of their six games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Dickinson’s 5-0 start included nailbiters over Grove City (17-13), Hobart (30-27, OT), Franklin & Marshall (28-21), and Moravian (24-23). The team’s only loss was a 20-17, last-second defeat at the hands of Johns Hopkins two weeks ago. Sophomore quarterback Ian Mitchell has recorded an outstanding all-around season for the Devils, and he ranks second in the Centennial Conference with 221.3 total yards per game. He has passed for 849 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception, and he has also rushed for 479 yards, tops among all conference quarterbacks, and an additional three TDs. Sophomore running back Tim Wells has added seven rushing touchdowns for the Red and White while senior Chris McInerney has made his mark as a dangerous all-around threat. McInerney, who ranks second in the Centennial with 150.2 all-purpose yards per game, leads the team with 40 receptions for 400 yards. He has also returned nearly every punt and kickoff for the Devils, averaging 9.8 yards per punt return to go with a touchdown and 20.3 yards per kick return. Dickinson has limited its opponents to 106.5 rushing yards per game and 20.7 points per game, ranking third in the conference in both categories. Senior linebacker Eric Dube leads the team and the conference with 83 tackles, including 9.0 for loss.

Dickinson Week!

Stay tuned for additional previews of this week's game with Dickinson. Let's get started with a look back to the D3Football.com season preview Kickoff Edition:

Dickinson Red Devils

Last playoff appearance: 2006

Last year: 8-3, 5-1 CC

Last conference title: 2006

Wins increase from 05-06: Plus-4

Preseason ranking: 68 of 238

Head coach: Darwin Breaux, 15th year, 87-56-1

Starters returning: 12 (five offense, six defense, one special teams)

Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Without Matt Torchia, last year's Centennial Offensive Player of the Year, coach Darwin Breaux has one of two potential successors in mind. One of them, sophomore Ian Mitchell, played multiple positions last year: He was the only player besides Torchia to throw a pass (he was 2 for 3 for 82 yards and 2 TDs), he caught 17 passes and averaged 5.2 yards per carry on 18 rushes. Oh, and he was the Devils' longsnapper, too.

Pressure is on: Safeties. Andrew Ackley's graduation leaves a considerable void in the middle of the secondary. In 2006, he had four interceptions and was first-team all-league; he finished his career with 19 picks, tied for the school record with Shaughn White ('88-'91). Breaux has a host of players who will compete for the job, but believes they must be strong for the Devils to compete.

Where did he come from? Linebacker Eric Dube. Sure, everyone knows what he's done at Dickinson: third-team D3football.com All-American, Centennial Defensive Player of the Year. Were he a few inches taller, that might not have been the case; Breaux said Dube, when he was coming out of Eastern H.S. in Voorhees, N.J., had some interest from Division I-AA schools. But at 5-foot-10, Dube's height may have been a concern for those schools, Breaux believed. Instead, he landed in Carlisle, launching a successful career in D-III football.

Their season will be defined by: Starting off strong. The road to defending their title begins with a couple of non-conference games at Grove City and against Hobart. Wins there would put them in a position to carry momentum into the league schedule, which begins with a road match against Franklin & Marshall.

Predicted record: 8-2, 7-1

Capsule: Say the numbers quickly enough and they don't sound so bad: Six offensive starters lost, five defensive starters lost. Half of each unit, essentially. Then you start poring through who was lost, and that's when it does start to sound a little worse: Centennial Offensive Player of the Year Matt Torchia. Running back Ryne Cantwell, tight end Ryan Stearrett, lineman Kevin Mentrikoski, safety Andrew Ackley: all first-teamers. At the same time, there's reason for optimism. Only most, not all of, of the Red Devils' all-conference players graduated. Linebacker Eric Dube (Conference Defensive Player of the Year) and defensive lineman Eric Hertrich (first team) are back, so it's not hard to imagine Dickinson's defense being the thrust of the team, at least until all the new parts of the offense are assembled and running smoothly. But based on last year's stats, there's a caveat for that, too. Dickinson was in the middle of the league among most major defensive statistics. The notable exception is rushing defense: The Devils led the league in that category. If predictions hold up, the final week of the season will be a crucial one and may well decide the league title. Dickinson was voted to finish third, Ursinus voted No. 1; the two play on Nov. 10 in Carlisle.

Sturges, Curcio Cop Centennial POW Honors

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Sturges, Curcio Cop Centennial POW Honors

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) and freshman halfback/return specialist Charles Curcio (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) of the Gettysburg College football team have earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors, conference officials announced Sunday.

Sturges and Curcio helped the Bullets post a 42-21 Homecoming victory over Centennial Conference foe Juniata College on Saturday, as Gettysburg improved to 5-2 and 4-1 in the Centennial Conference.

Sturges, who entered the game as the sixth-leading rusher in Division III, ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries as he went over 1,000 yards rushing for the third year in a row. He also passed Scott Dudak ’82 and moved into third on Gettysburg’s career rushing list, pushing his career total to 3,790 yards.

Curcio posted his second straight outstanding all-around performance, piling up 184 all-purpose yards one week after a 167-yard showing against Moravian. He returned seven punts for 126 yards against Juniata, including a 56-yard return for a touchdown early in the third quarter that gave the Bullets a 21-7 lead and kicked off a game-breaking 21-0 Gettysburg run. Curcio also rushed six times for 58 yards and a 25-yard touchdown run.

Gettysburg returns to Centennial Conference action on Saturday, when it hosts Dickinson College at 1 p.m. in the battle for the Little Brown Bucket.

Congratulations also go out to Kyle Luciano for making the Conference Honor Roll for his contributions against Juniata!

You can read more about these awards and this week's conference previews here.

Bullets Down Juniata on Homecoming, Win Third Straight

From the Gettysburg College Website:


Football Downs Juniata on Homecoming, Wins Third Straight

Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries while moving into third on Gettysburg’s career rushing list, leading the Bullets to a 42-21 Homecoming victory over Juniata College in Centennial Conference football action Saturday afternoon at a sunny Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.

Gettysburg (5-2, 4-1 CC) has now won its last three games and has recorded its best record through seven games since starting the 2003 season 5-2. The Bullets, who won at home for the 11th time in their last 13 games, are also off to their best start in the Centennial Conference since opening 5-0 in 1994. Gettysburg remains a half game behind Muhlenberg for the Centennial Conference lead as the Mules, 4-0 in conference play, defeated McDaniel 43-0 on Saturday.

Freshman Charles Curcio (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) also turned in another spectacular all-around game for the Bullets, accumulating 184 all-purpose yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He returned seven punts for 126 yards, including a 56-yard return for a touchdown, and rushed for 58 yards an additional score.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) threw for 104 yards and one touchdown on 5-of-10 passing, and he rushed for 62 yards on five carries. Senior Matt Welsh (Lafayette Hill, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep) caught four passes for 76 yards and a TD while junior kicker Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean) was a perfect 7-for-7 on extra-point attempts.

Juniata (0-6, 0-5 CC), which remained winless in its first season in the Centennial Conference, was paced by Jay Leonard, who threw for 246 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-34 passing. Derek Kramer rushed for 63 yards on 13 carries while Kyle McKechnie ran for a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles.The Bullets led 14-7 at halftime, then broke the game open with a 21-0 run at the start of the second half to open up a commanding 35-7 advantage following Sturges’ first touchdown of the day, a 7-yarder with 10:35 left.

Sturges, who entered the game as the sixth-leading rusher in Division III, now has 3,790 career rushing yards, trailing only Paul Smith ’00 (5,205) and Dwayne Marcus ’95 (3,852). On Saturday he surpassed Scott Dudak ’82, who had been third with 3,774 career yards.

Gettysburg’s defense forced Juniata to punt on its first five possessions and held the Eagles to 121 total yards in the first half. The Bullets got on the scoreboard when Flynn hit Welsh for a 36-yard touchdown pass with a perfect pass into the end zone. Midway through the second quarter, Curcio took a pitchout on a misdirection play and raced down the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 with 5:44 left in the first half and capping an eight-play, 82-yard drive.

The Eagles cut the lead in half on the ensuing possession, with McKechnie finding paydirt from 2 yards out with 32 second remaining in the half. The touchdown was set up by a diving 34-yard reception by David Nicklaus two plays earlier that gave Juniata the ball at the Gettysburg-3.

The Bullets’ offense was in high gear in the second half, as the Orange and Blue scored a touchdown on three straight possessions after a fumble prevented a near touchdown on their opening drive. Three plays after receiving the second-half kickoff, Flynn scampered for 28 yards to the Juniata-1, but he had the ball jarred loose and it sailed out the side of the end zone, resulting in a touchback.

The Eagles were forced to punt, however, and Curcio followed a wall of blockers 56 yards down the right sideline for his first collegiate special teams touchdown. Later in the quarter, sophomore halfback Ricky Manigat (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) ran it from 6 yards out to give Gettysburg a 28-7 lead with 1:26 left in the third quarter.

Sturges made it 35-7 after his 7-yard touchdown run before Juniata scored a pair of touchdown to make it a two-touchdown game (35-21) with 4:30 left after a 1-yard McKechnie run and a 82-yard bomb from Leonard to Lance Tippett. The Eagles then attempted an onside kick, but freshman Brian Betley (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) snatched it out of midair at the Juniata-43. The Bullets then put the game on ice with an eight-play, 38-yard touchdown drive, capped by a Sturges 6-yard touchdown run.

Senior safety Kyle Luciano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) led Gettysburg with nine tackles (six solo) while Tyler Hall made 12 stops, including 2.5 for loss, for Juniata. He also forced and recovered a fumble.

Gettysburg continues its three-game homestand next Saturday, when it hosts Dickinson College at 1 p.m. on Family Weekend in another Centennial Conference showdown.

Bullets Host Juniata in Homecoming Clash

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Football to Host Juniata in Homecoming Clash

The Game
Coming off back-to-back Centennial Conference wins, the Bullets (4-2, 3-1 CC) will look to make it three straight as they take on Centennial Conference newcomer Juniata College (0-5, 0-4 CC). Gettysburg is currently tied for second in the Centennial Conference standings, trailing only 3-0 Muhlenberg. The Bullets lead the Eagles 13-8 in the all-time series that dates back to 1923; however, the two teams have not met since 1980, when the Bullets won 42-35.

A Gettysburg Win Would...
• Give the Bullets their best record through seven games games since starting 5-2 in 2003
• Give the Bullets their best Centennial Conference record through five games since starting 5-0 in 1994
• Give the Bullets their 11th win in their last 13 home games

Welcome Home!
Gettysburg is holding its Homecoming festivities this weekend, and at halftime of Saturday’s game, the newest members of the college’s Hall of Athletic Honor will be recognized before they are officially inducted this evening. The 2007 HOAH class will consist of Dale Boyd ’66 (football, track & field), Scott Dillman ’79 (lacrosse), Tom Groves ’74 (football, track & field), Nancy Loh ’82 (field hockey, women’s tennis), Linda Lee Papuga ’92 (soccer), and Pam Williams ’88 (field hockey, lacrosse).

Head of the Class
With the Bullets’ 27-20 win over Moravian last Saturday, Gettysburg head coach Barry Streeter picked up his 78th Centennial Conference victory, making him the all-time winningest coach in conference history. He passed former Franklin & Marshall coach Tom Gilburg, who picked up 77 wins from 1983-2002. Streeter is also the longest-tenured and winningest football coach in Gettysburg history. He surpassed Hen Bream (1927-51), who coached for 22 seasons, in 2000. Streeter won his 105th career game against Muhlenberg in 1995 to take over the career wins lead. Now in his 29th season as head coach, he has a 145-139-5 (.510) career record.

Streeter’s Milestone Centennial Conference Wins
1 – Sept. 17, 1983, 27-3 vs. Western Maryland
10 – Nov. 3, 1984, 62-7 at Dickinson
25 – Nov. 3, 1987, 30-6 vs. Johns Hopkins
50 – Oct. 22, 1994, 63-14, at Muhlenberg
75 – Nov. 11, 2006, 38-30 vs. Franklin & Marshall
77 – Sept. 29, 2007, 21-7 at Ursinus (tied CC record)
78 ­– Oct. 6, 2007, 27-20 at Moravian (broke CC record)

Last Time Out
Gettysburg raced out to a 24-0 halftime advantage, then held off Moravian in the second half en route to a 27-20 Centennial Conference victory last Saturday in Bethlehem. Senior tailback Tom Sturges rushed for 118 yards of his 168 yards and all three of his touchdowns in the pivotal opening half, when Gettysburg piled up 263 total yards. However, the Greyhounds rallied with 20 points in the second half, and it was a one-touchdown game after a Morgan deRouen 2-yard touchdown run with 6:24 left. Moravian then forced a punt, but the Bullet defense held, stopping the Greyhounds on downs at the Gettysburg-46 with 1:41 remaining. Freshman safety Nick Duerr made his first two collegiate interceptions for the Bullets, including a pick in the end zone that thwarted an early Moravian drive with Gettysburg leading 7-0. Junior defensive end Conor Quinn finished with 2.5 sacks while senior linebacker Harold Barton and sophomore linebacker Tim Widdoes each made 10 tackles.

Juniata suffered a 44-3 home loss to Centennial Conference front-runner Muhlenberg College a week ago. The Mules scored 41 unanswered points after Davis Smith kicked a 31-yard field goal for Juniata early in the second quarter. It was a 17-3 game at halftime before Muhlenberg put the game out of reach with a 20-point third quarter. John DeLuca rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns for the Mules, who piled up 366 yards on the ground. Jay Leonard completed 17 of 37 passes for 90 yards to lead the Eagles.

Last Gettysburg-Juniata Meeting
Jonathan Scott caught a 57-yard touchdown pass from John Murphy with 1:26 left, breaking a 35-35 tie and lifting the Bullets to a thrilling 42-35 win in Huntingdon on Oct. 4, 1980. Trailing 27-14 late in the third quarter, the Bullets rallied to outscore Juniata 28-8 the rest of the way. Prior to Scott’s game-winning catch, Juniata pulled even on a touchdown run and two-point conversion pass. Scott Dudak led Gettysburg, rushing for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries while Jeff Miles paced Juniata with 154 yards and four TDs on 30 attempts.

Moving the Chains
The Bullets are leading the Centennial Conference in numerous offensive categories, including rushing offense (232.2 ypg), total offense (391.0), and first downs (129).

With Honors
Senior tailback Tom Sturges, senior linebacker Harold Barton, and senior safety Kyle Luciano have all earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors this season. Sturges was named the Centennial’s co-offensive player of the week twice, on Sept. 2 following his 220-yard rushing, four-touchdown performance in Gettysburg’s season-opening 49-25 win against Lebanon Valley and on Oct. 7 after rushing for 168 yards and three touchdowns in Gettysburg’s 27-20 win over Moravian last week. He has now earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors nine times in his career. Barton was honored as the conference defensive player of the week on Sept. 16 following his 11-tackle performance in the Bullets’ 41-10 victory at Johns Hopkins. Luciano was named the Centennial Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 after posting six tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception in his team’s 21-7 win at Ursinus. He was also named the ECAC Southwest Defensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the D3football.com national Team of the Week.

Off and Running
Once again, senior tailback Tom Sturges is leading the Centennial Conference in rushing with 865 yards (144.2 per game). He has also scored a conference-leading nine rushing touchdowns. He is the two-time defending Centennial Conference rushing champion, finishing with 1,141 yards last season and 1,185 yards in 2005.

Climbing the Charts
Sturges, who has rushed for 3,609 yards for his career, is currently ranked fourth on the Bullets’ career rushing yards list. With 166 more yards, he can move past Scott Dudak for third all-time at Gettysburg. He became the school’s fifth 3,000-yard rusher at Hampden-Sydney on Sept. 8. Gettysburg’s 2,000-yard rushing club is listed below:

Player Years Att. Yds.
Paul Smith 1996-99 881 5,205
Dwayne Marcus 1991-94 690 3,852
Scott Dudak 1978-81 736 3,774
Tom Sturges 2004 767 3,609
Ray Condren 1981-84 667 3,312
Shannon Forsythe 1992-95 497 2,747
Paul Martin 1982-85 398 2,053

Double Threat
Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn posted his first career 100-yard rushing game against Johns Hopkins on Sept. 14. Gaining 119 yards on eight carries in the Bullets’ 41-10 win, he became the first quarterback at Gettysburg to rush for 100 yards since Joe Gossweiler ’05 ran for 108 against Waynesburg in 2003. His second touchdown run was a 50-yarder, the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season, that gave the Bullets a 41-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Flynn is currently second on the team in rushing with 36.5 yards per game.

Protecting the Quarterback
Thanks in part to the offensive line of James Russell, Lou Mastrini, Matt DeFranco, Alex Bonder, and Sam Walthall, Flynn has been sacked only six times over the Bullets’ first six games this season. Gettysburg leads the Centennial Conference in sacks against.

Sack Attack
The Bullets piled up five sacks in their win over Moravian last Saturday. Gettysburg has now reached the quarterback 18 times in its four Centennial Conference games, and the Bullets lead the conference with 20 sacks for the season. Junior defensive end Josh Jerrold leads the Centennial with 6.0 sacks while Harold Barton and Conor Quinn are tied for fourth with 5.0 apiece.

Heavy Hitter
Senior linebacker Harold Barton leads the Bullets and ranks fifth in the Centennial Conference with 9.5 tackles per game. He moved into 10th on Gettysburg’s career tackles list on Sept. 14 at Johns Hopkins, and he is currently seventh on the school’s top-10 list, which is as follows:

Player Years Tackles
Ryan Moore 1998-2001 430
Hayes Reilly 1978-81 374
Grant Acker 2001-04 333
Miguel Yanes 1982-85 306
Kevin Schmidt 1991-94 303
Kevin Gurski 1994-97 293
arold Barton 2003- 277
Jeff DeLisi 1992-95 264
Richard Swartz 1978-79 262
Cliff Mason 1999-2002 259

Giving it the Boot
Junior kicker Josh Huson has enjoyed a solid season at kicker for the Bullets. He has drilled 18 of 19 extra-point attempts and is 6-for-11 on field goals with a season-long 42-yarder. Huson currently ranks second in the Centennial Conference in kicking scoring with 36 points.

Scouting Juniata
Along with Moravian College, Juniata joined the Centennial Conference in football this season after leaving the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Eagles average only 50.6 yards per game rushing, but they lead the conference in passing with 226.4 yards per game. Junior quarterback Jay Leonard ranks second in the Centennial with 1,106 yards passing (221.2 per game) and seven touchdowns against four interceptions. His top receiver has been senior Lance Tippett, who has hauled in 33 passes for 473 yards and four TDs. Classmate Chad Steiner has also made 27 receptions for 217 yards. Juniata’s leading rusher is freshman Kyle McKechnie, who has rushed for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, the Eagles are led by junior linebacker Josh Roy, who ranks second in the Centennial Conference with 60 tackles (12.0 per game). Juniata is coached by Darrell Alt, who is 3-32 in his fourth year at the helm.

Juniata Week

The following is from the D3Football.com Season Preview Kickoff Edition:

Juniata Eagles

Last playoff appearance: 1973

Last year: 2-8, 2-7 MAC

Last conference title: 1973

Wins increase from 05-06: Plus-2

Preseason ranking: 187 of 238

Head coach: Darrell Alt, 3rd season, 3-27

Starters returning: 14 (six offense, six defense, two special teams)

Position battle to watch: Running backs. The Eagles must replace Kiel Knisely and Duane Ehredt - a first-team All-Middle Atlantic Conference pick. The two accounted for 91 percent of Juniata's rushing yards a year ago. It may not be unreasonable to see a freshman earn the job: Head coach Darrell Alt is excited about two freshmen, Derek Kramer and Tyler Sasala, and knows what he has with sophomore Tommy Brisbane and junior Dan Hooper.

Pressure is on: The defensive line, which took heavy hits to graduation, losing six players in the offseason; among them were some big-bodied players who could stuff the middle. Despite all the experience, the unit still struggled last season; the Eagles finished last in the Middle Atlantic Conference in rush defense and sacks. "That group has to mature," Alt said. Seniors Zach Shatto and Tyler Payne - a converted linebacker - should form the nucleus of this year's line, which will emphasize speed over size.

Where did he come from? Senior wide receiver Chad Steiner is back for a fifth season with the Eagles, enduring some off-the-field health issues that cut into his time with the team. His 17 catches and 156 yards ranked fifth on the team in 2006 (and third among returners). Hopefully with the health problems behind him, Steiner is a projected starter this year and Alt credits his leadership abilities.

Their season will be defined by: The momentum gained from the first game, a non-conference matchup against old MAC rival FDU-Florham. That game could provide a boost heading into Juniata's first Centennial Conference game - against pre-season favorite Ursinus. "I think our confidence level would be so much higher," Alt said. "That first game, traveling to Madison, N.J., will be a big one for us."

Predicted record: 3-7, 1-7

Capsule: Juniata has just three wins in the past three seasons. But there's always room for optimism. There's a new conference: The Eagles are one of two programs - along with Moravian - to defect from the Middle Atlantic Conference into the Centennial as football-only members. The MAC schedule left precious little room for non-conference games, but Juniata's only non-conference game in 2006 was a 14-0 loss in Week 1 to eventual Centennial champ Dickinson. There's also a good dose of returners. Offensively, Juniata will stock the skill positions with experienced players, including quarterback Jay Leonard and wide receivers David Nicklaus, Lance Tippett and Chad Steiner. Questions remain for the running backs and the offensive line, which returns left guard Cody Fulton and center Dan Habig. The defense also returns six starters, to a unit that ranked 10th in the MAC in total defense a year ago. The upside is that five of the six returners should be back next year as well. Sophomore Tyler Hall, a second-team All-MAC selection as a return specialist is back. Three freshmen will battle for the placekicking job, a spot that produced some iffy results in 2006: Juniata kickers were 3 for 5 in field goals and 15 for 20 in PATs.

Sturges Named CC Co-Player of the Week

From the Gettysburg College Website:

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – For the second time this season and for the ninth time in his career, senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) of the Gettysburg College football team has earned Centennial Conference player-of-the-week honors.

Following his 168-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Bullets’ 27-20 win over conference foe Moravian College on Saturday, Sturges was named the Centennial Conference Co-Player of the Week.

Sturges staked Gettysburg to a 24-0 halftime lead against Moravian with a big first half, when he rushed for 118 yards and scored all three of his touchdowns. He ran for touchdowns of 2, 16, and 4 yards.

For the season, Sturges leads the Centennial Conference in both rushing yards (144.2 ypg) and rushing touchdowns (nine). He is fourth on the school’s all-time leading rushing list with 3,609 career yards.

Gettysburg (4-2, 3-1 CC), which is tied for second in the Centennial Conference standings, hosts Juniata College at 1 p.m. on Saturday during Homecoming.

Also, congratulations to Nick Duerr and Charles Curcio for making the Conference Honor Roll for their contributions to the victory over Moravian!

You can read about the honors and this week's matchups by clicking here.

Bullets Survive Late Moravian Surge

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Bullets Survive Late Moravian Surge

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Gettysburg College football team jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead at Moravian College behind 118 yards and three touchdowns from senior tailback Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield). The host Greyhounds came roaring back in the second half with 20 points, but the Bullets stopped a potential game-tying drive with just over a minute remaining in the game to pick up a 27-20 Centennial Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Rocco Calvo Field.

After netting a season-high for an opening half, Sturges finished the day with 168 yards on 35 carries. Gettysburg (4-2, 3-1 CC) tallied 222 total yards on the rushing attack. Freshman running back Charles Curcio (Hammonton, N.J./St. Joseph) put together a productive all-around day, totaling 167 all-purpose yards, including 126 on four kickoff returns.

The opening half was all Bullets as Sturges found the end zone twice in the first quarter with 5:28 and 1:20 remaining. Following a Josh Huson (McLean, Va./McLean) field goal at the start of the second quarter, Sturges ran in his third touchdown of the day from four yards out at 2:02. Moravian (4-2, 2-2 CC) had no answer on their side of the ball, totaling just 124 yards and six first downs in the opening 30 minutes.

The Greyhounds finally put some points in the board in the third quarter as Brian Reckenbeil booted a pair of field goals from 33 and 29 yards out, respectively, to cut the margin to 24-6 with 7:12 remaining in the period. Gettysburg upped the margin back to three touchdowns with 27-yard field goal by Huson with just under four minutes to go in the third.

Moravian began the fourth quarter on Gettysburg’s own 21, and the hosts quickly cut the deficit in four plays, capped by a Marc Braxmeier four-yard pass to Sean Hill. The extra point set the margin at a pair of touchdowns.

Following a three-and-out by the Bullets, Moravian continued to hold the momentum and finished off a five-minute scoring drive with a two-yard rush by Morgan deRouen to bring the score to just 27-20 with 6:24 to play.

Gettysburg burned three minutes off the clock on their next possession, but the drive stalled as the Greyhound defense held firm, making a four-yard tackle for a loss on Sturges, inducing a false start, and finally getting an incomplete pass from Matt Flynn (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional).

Sitting on its own nine yard line, Moravian got a 30-yard completion form Braxmeier to Shawn Sylvainus with an additionally 15 yards via a face mask penalty to get to the Gettysburg 46. Following a two-yard rush, Braxmeier was sacked by junior Conor Quinn (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) for a loss of two yards. A pair of passes by the Greyhound signal caller was off the mark on third and fourth downs with 1:26 to play and Gettysburg ran out the clock, ending the hosts comeback bid.

Tim Widdoes (Newark, Del./St. Mark’s) and Harold Barton (Somerdale, N.J./Sterling) led the Bullet defense with 10 tackles, while Nick Duerr (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township) picked off a pair of passes.

Gettysburg returns to action with a Centennial Conference battle against Juniata at Shirk Field at Musselman stadium next Saturday, October 13. The 1 p.m. contest marks the Bullets' Homecoming.

Bullets to Visit Moravian as Streeter Chases CC Record

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Football to Visit Moravian as Streeter Chases CC Record

The Game
Coming off a dominating defensive performance at Ursinus last Saturday, Gettysburg (3-2, 2-1 CC) will look to make it two in a row when it visits Centennial Conference newcomer Moravian College (4-1, 2-1 CC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The game will feature the two top-ranked teams in the conference in total offense, and it will mark the first meeting between the two sides since 1982, when the Bullets defeated the Greyhounds 31-17.

Game Coverage
Saturday's game will be televised live by Service Electric TV-2 in Allentown. The game will also be broadcast on WSAB 1470 AM and webcast at http://www.fox1470.com/pages/foxstreaming.html.

A Gettysburg Win Would...
• Give the Bullets their best start through six games since starting 4-2 in 2003
• Give the Bullets their best Centennial Conference start through four games since starting 4-0 in 1994
• Give the Bullets three straight road victories for the first time since a span that overlapped the 2001 and 2002 seasons

Head of the Class
A Gettysburg win would also give Bullet Head Coach Barry Streeter his 78th Centennial Conference win, which would break the record he shares with Tom Gilburg, who went 77-60-1 in CC action from 1983-2002 for Franklin & Marshall. Streeter has accumulated a 77-79-3 Centennial record since the inception of the conference in 1983.

More on Streeter
Streeter is the longest-tenured and winningest football coach in Gettysburg history. He surpassed Hen Bream (1927-51), who coached for 22 seasons, in 2000. Streeter won his 105th career game against Muhlenberg in 1995 to take over the career wins lead. Now in his 29th season as head coach, he has a 144-139-5 (.509) career record.

Last Time Out
Gettysburg’s defense forced six turnovers and came up with six sacks as the Bullets defeated Centennial Conference foe Ursinus College 21-7 in Collegeville last Saturday. Senior tailback Tom Sturges led the Bullets with 167 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries while senior safety Kyle Luciano posted six tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception. Trailing 7-6 at halftime, Sturges put the Bullets on top to stay with a 36-yard touchdown run early in the second half. Gettysburg out-gained Ursinus 412-289 and, for the third time in as many Centennial Conference games, held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing, limiting the Bears to 66 yards on the ground. Sophomore halfback Ricky Manigat gave the Bullets a 6-0 lead with a 1-yard run in the second quarter while sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Alex Penta to set the final score early in the fourth quarter, capping a 15-play, 6:59 drive.

Moravian is coming off a heartbreaking 24-23 loss to undefeated Dickinson College in a Centennial Conference game last Saturday. The Greyhounds led 23-21 before Gordon Craig kicked a 32-yard field goal with six seconds left to cap a 10-point Dickinson rally. The Greyhounds led 23-14 after a 30-yard field goal from Brian Reckenbeil with 14:56 left, but the Red Devils answered with a 20-yard touchdown pass before Craig’s late kick. Marc Braxmeier threw for 223 yards and one touchdown on 14-of-30 passing for Moravian but was intercepted twice. The Greyhounds, who were not whistled for a single penalty, held Dickinson to 85 yards rushing. Reckenbeil kicked three field goals, tied a school record with 11 points, and became the school record holder for kick scoring with 133 career points.

Sack Attack
The Bullets piled up six sacks in their win over Ursinus last Saturday, marking Gettysburg’s highest single-game total since their eight-sack performance against St. Lawrence on Nov. 2, 2002. Gettysburg is tied for the conference lead with 15 sacks and are tied for 48th nationally with 1.00 sacks per game. Junior defensive end Josh Jerrold is second in the Centennial and tied for 40th in the nation with 1.0 sacks per game (5.0 total).

Off and Running
The Bullets currently lead the Centennial Conference and rank 27th in Division III with 234.2 rushing yards per game. Senior tailback Tom Sturges is a big reason for that, as he leads the conference and ranks 10th nationally in rushing (139.4 ypg). He is the two-time defending Centennial Conference rushing champion, finishing with 1,141 yards last season and 1,185 yards in 2005.

With Honors
Senior tailback Tom Sturges, senior linebacker Harold Barton, and senior safety Kyle Luciano have all earned Centennial Conference Player of the Week honors this season. Sturges was named the Centennial’s co-offensive player of the week on Sept. 2 following his 220-yard rushing, four-touchdown performance in Gettysburg’s season-opening 49-25 win against Lebanon Valley. It was the eighth time in his career that Sturges earned Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. Barton was honored as the conference defensive player of the week on Sept. 16 following his 11-tackle performance in the Bullets’ 41-10 victory at Johns Hopkins. Luciano was named the Centennial Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 after posting six tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception in his team’s 21-7 win at Ursinus.

Climbing the Charts
Sturges, who has rushed for 3,441 yards for his career, is currently ranked fourth on the Bullets’ career rushing yards list. He became the school’s fifth 3,000-yard rusher at Hampden-Sydney on Sept. 8. Gettysburg’s 2,000-yard rushing club is listed below:
Player Years Att. Yds.
Paul Smith 1996-99 881 5,205
Dwayne Marcus 1991-94 690 3,852
Scott Dudak 1978-81 736 3,774
Tom Sturges 2004- 767 3,441
Ray Condren 1981-84 667 3,312
Shannon Forsythe 1992-95 497 2,747
Paul Martin 1982-85 398 2,053

Double Threat
Sophomore quarterback Matt Flynn posted his first career 100-yard rushing game against Johns Hopkins on Sept. 14. Gaining 119 yards on eight carries in the Bullets’ 41-10 win, he became the first quarterback at Gettysburg to rush for 100 yards since Joe Gossweiler ’05 ran for 108 against Waynesburg in 2003. His second touchdown run was a 50-yarder, the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season, that gave the Bullets a 41-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. Flynn is currently second on the team in rushing with 45.0 yards per game.

Protecting the Quarterback
Thanks in part to the offensive line of James Russell, Lou Mastrini, Matt DeFranco, Alex Bonder, and Sam Walthall, Flynn has been sacked only five times over the Bullets’ first five games this season. Gettysburg leads the Centennial Conference and is tied for 15th nationally in sacks against.

Sharing the Wealth
Gettysburg has had nine different receivers catch a pass this season, with three players grabbing at least 10 receptions. Sophomore halfback Ricky Manigat leads the team with 229 yards and three touchdowns on 17 catches while senior receiver Matt Welsh has snared 10 passes for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior tailback Tom Sturges has caught 10 balls for 52 yards and a touchdown while junior receiver Alex Penta and freshman halfback Charles Curcio each have nine receptions.

Heavy Hitter
Senior linebacker Harold Barton currently leads the Bullets and ranks seventh in the Centennial Conference with 9.4 tackles per game. He has made 267 tackles for his career, good for seventh all-time at Gettysburg. The school’s top-10 list is as follows:

Player Years Tackles
Ryan Moore 1998-2001 430
Hayes Reilly 1978-81 374
Grant Acker 2001-04 333
Miguel Yanes 1982-85 306
Kevin Schmidt 1991-94 303
Kevin Gurski 1994-97 293
Harold Barton 2003- 267
Jeff DeLisi 1992-95 264
Richard Swartz 1978-79 262
Cliff Mason 1999-2002 259

Giving it the Boot
Junior kicker Josh Huson has connected on all but one of his extra points this season, going 15-for-16. He has also made 4 of 9 field goals, with a season-long 42-yarder, and he currently ranks third in the Centennial Conference in kick scoring with 5.4 points per game.

Scouting Moravian
The Greyhounds have made a splash in their first year as a member of the Centennial Conference after leaving the Middle Atlantic Conference. The team started the season 4-0 and 2-0 in the conference play before their 24-23 last-second loss to Dickinson last Saturday. Moravian leads the conference in scoring offense (32.6 points per game) and are second behind Gettysburg in total offense (373.0 yards per game). The Greyhounds have passed for 205.2 yards per game, good for third in the conference, and have scored 12 of their 17 offensive touchdowns through the air. Junior quarterback Marc Braxmeier has completed 66 of 109 passes for 1,026 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he ranks third in the conference with 205.2 passing yards per game. Senior receiver Sean Hill leads the team with 16 receptions for 291 yards and five touchdowns junior tailback Tyler McCambridge has rushed for 86.2 yards per game. Junior linebacker Andrew Morrissey leads the ’Hounds with 48 tackles and is tops in the conference with four forced fumbles. Placekicker Brian Reckenbeil is a perfect 17-for-17 on extra points attempts and has made 8 of 11 field goals.

The Greyhounds are coached by Scot Dapp, who is 121-84-1 in his 21st season at Moravian.

Coaches Corner
Barry Streeter on His Team’s 21-7 Win Over Ursinus:
“I thought our defense played excellent throughout the game. We were inconsistent offensively but at halftime, I challenged them to re-focus, which they did. The first drive of the second half was critical, when we went down and scored and made the two-point conversion. Overall, our kids played tough, on both sides of the ball.”

On Gettysburg’s Six Takeaways:
“The ability of our defense to create those turnovers was huge. It allowed us to stop a couple of their drives when they were in scoring position.”

On the Play of the Bullets Defense, Which Has Held its Opponents to 31 Points in Centennial Conference Play:
“They’ve progressed unbelievably since the season has started. I’ve been impressed with how they’ve gotten better and given our team a chance to win games.”

On the Bullets’ Upcoming Opponent, Moravian College:
“Offensively, they do a lot of different things. They run a multiple- and two-back offense, and they have a very physical running game. They also have a quarterback who throws the ball well. On defense, they use a three-man line and give you a lot of different looks. They’re a very good team.”

Luciano Captures Two More Weekly Football Awards

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Luciano Captures Two More Weekly Football Awards

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior defensive back Kyle Luciano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph-by-the-Sea) of the Gettysburg College football team added two more weekly awards to his collection following an outstanding performance in a win over Ursinus College this past Saturday.
After earning Centennial Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, Luciano was selected to the D3football.com national Team of the Week, and he was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southwest Defensive Player of the Week.

Luciano registered half of Gettysburg’s six takeaways in the Bullets’ 21-7 Centennial Conference victory over the Bears. He recovered a pair of fumbles that he forced, and he also made an interception. In addition, Luciano logged six tackles (four solo) and had a pass breakup.

After Gettysburg took a 14-7 lead early in the second half, Luciano single-handedly thwarted back-to-back Ursinus possessions, coming up with an interception and his second forced fumble and recovery of the game.

For the season, Luciano is the team leader in interceptions (two), forced fumbles (two), and fumble recoveries (two). He is also fifth among the Bullets with 23 tackles.

Gettysburg (3-2, 2-1 CC) returns to action on Saturday, when it visits Moravian College in another Centennial Conference game starting at 1 p.m. The game will be televised live on Service Electric TV-2.

Moravian Week

The following is from the D3Football.com Season Preview Kickoff Edition:

Moravian Greyhounds

Last playoff appearance: 2005

Last year: 4-6, 4-5 MAC

Last conference title: 1988

Wins increase from 05-06: Minus-3

Preseason ranking: 83 of 238

Head coach: Scot Dapp, 21st year, 121-84-1

Starters returning: 18 (eight offense, eight defense, two special teams)

Position battle to watch: Quarterbacks. Senior Brad Swartz and juniors Marc Braxmeier and Ryan Rempe all started at least two games as the Greyhounds searched for consistent performances out of their QBs. "It was not a productive position," head coach Scot Dapp said. Indeed, the three combined for a passer rating of just over 100 and, as a team, the Greyhounds were next-to-last in the Middle Atlantic Conference in passing offense. Junior Josh Hinkle, a transfer from Division II Edinboro, may also be in the mix.

Pressure is on: The defensive line, particularly defensive ends. Moravian was hit hardest by graduation there, losing three players. Among them was Nick Feo, who led the Greyhounds with four sacks, and Alex Smith-Constantine, who was sixth on the team in tackles. Junior Don Maxwell (30 tackles, 1.5 sacks in '06) is the most experienced of the returners.

Where did he come from? Junior running back Tyler de Rouen doesn't have much mileage by running back standards. He blew out his knee during the preseason in 2005; he rebounded nicely in 2006, topping 100 yards in two of the Greyhounds' first three games. But during the second of those games, a 112-yard effort at Juniata, de Rouen suffered another serious knee injury - but kept playing. "On Monday after the third game, [head athletic trainer] Bob Ward came in and said, 'I think Tyler tore his ACL again.' I said, 'When?' He said, 'In the game.' I said, 'He played the whole game.' And [Ward] said, 'I know.'", Dapp recalled. "Then I talked to Tyler, and he tells me he did it in the first half. ... He said, 'Well, I just thought my brace was slipping.'"

Their season will be defined by: Their first game, a Thursday night game at former MAC rival Susquehanna, now in the Liberty League. Dapp remembers back to the 1999 season; the Greyhounds were coming off a 3-7 season in '98 and opened '99 with an overtime loss to Delaware Valley. Moravian went on to finish '99 with a 2-8 mark, but that opening loss left them "deflated," Dapp said. He added that while playing Susquehanna may feel normal, it's a non-league game; in Week 2, they'll play McDaniel, a team Moravian has seen twice since 1982.

Predicted record: 8-2, 6-2

Capsule: There's one key to the preseason for Moravian: Stay healthy. The Greyhounds were doomed by injuries a year ago, when they finished 4-6 and in the middle of the Middle Atlantic Conference. But there's optimism for this year, with everyone healthy and a new conference affiliation, too. Moravian and Juniata jumped to the Centennial; both schools will compete in the new Landmark Conference in every other sport. Moravian returns nearly all of its offense and defense intact. Tight end Kris Bisci and offensive lineman Jeff Kocsis are both back for their final seasons in Bethlehem; both were all-second team MAC picks a year ago. Leading rusher Tyler McCambridge is back, as is defensive back Carl Robinson, who led the squad with four interceptions. Kicker Brian Reckenbeil, who hit on 8 of 11 field goal tries also returns. The switch in conferences also means the Greyhounds' traditional season finale with Muhlenberg is for more than just bragging rights. The teams will play a conference game for the first time since the current Centennial schools split from the MAC in 1983. Head coach Scot Dapp needs two wins to become the school's winningest coach; the record belongs to legendary coach Rocco Calvo; Moravian's home field is named after him.

Luciano Named CC Co-Defensive Player of the Week

From the Gettysburg College Website:

Luciano Named CC Co-Defensive Player of the Week

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior defensive back Kyle Luciano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph-by-the-Sea) of the Gettysburg College football team has been named the Centennial Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday.

Luciano turned in an outstanding defensive performance in Gettysburg’s 21-7 Centennial Conference win at Ursinus College on Saturday. He made six tackles, forced and recovered two fumbles, and intercepted a pass against the previously unbeaten Bears.

After Gettysburg took a 14-7 lead early in the second half, he had a takeaway on back-to-back Ursinus possessions, coming up with an interception and his second forced fumble and recovery of the game.

For the season, Luciano is the team leader in interceptions (two), forced fumbles (two), and fumble recoveries (two). He is also fifth among the Bullets with 23 tackles.

Luciano is Gettysburg's second defensive player of the week selection this season, as senior linebacker Harold Barton earned the same award following the team's 41-10 win over Johns Hopkins University.

Gettysburg (3-2, 2-1 CC) returns to action on Saturday, when it visits Moravian College in another Centennial Conference game starting at 1 p.m.

Also, congratulations to Tom Sturges for making the Conference Honor Roll for his offensive contributions against Ursinus.

You can read more about these awards and preview this weekend's Centennial Conference action by clicking here.