Rejoicing in Salisbury
|
|
Better book the Clarion hotel in Salem, Va., for week of Dec. 18 and avoid the rush. Just kidding.
It was a significant victory for the Sea Gulls. All the chest-beating by fans and questions by coaches about not being ranked in years past have finally ended as Salisbury beat a quality opponent. The Sea Gulls start Week 3 ranked No. 25 in the D3football.com poll. Salisbury left no doubt this time that they can be a force within the South region playoff picture.
Junior quarterback Dustin Johnson optioned his way for 159 yards rushing and one touchdown and added 95 yards passing and two more touchdowns through the air to lead Salisbury to the 46-21 win. The Sea Gulls (2-0 overall, 1-0 ACFC) seized control of the game by outscoring Brockport 23-0 in the second quarter. Brockport falls to 1-1 overall, and 0-1 after playing in the school's ACFC debut.
"With everyone doubting us, we knew this was our chance," Johnson told D3football.com. "A lot of people will have to take notice."
“I always wanted to know what it was like to play against a quality team like Brockport. They are traditionally strong, and it definitely makes me feel good to know we can compete against a team of this level,” Salisbury head coach Sherman Wood said to reporters after the game.
With the score tied at 7-7 after one quarter, Salisbury scored on the first play of the second quarter as Johnson connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Higgins, capping an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Sophomore running back Francis Bryant extended the lead to 21-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run three minutes later.
The Salisbury defense forced four turnovers and recorded five sacks in the game. Chris Barr paced the defense with 10 tackles, while Brad DeHaven and Billy Leinemann added eight tackles each. DeHaven registered four of Salisbury’s five sacks and forced two fumbles.
"It's the guys around me that helped make it happen, and people might look out for the Salisbury defense now," DeHaven said in The Daily Times.
Troubling for the Sea Gulls was the total of seven fumbles, four of which Brockport State recovered, and their eight penalties for 93 yards. Two pass interference penalties in Salisbury territory led to Brockport’s second touchdown.
Salisbury finished with 334 yards rushing and 429 yards in total offense. Junior running back Anthony Johnson added 81 yards rushing and Satchell finished with 71 for the Sea Gulls.
Darnley completed 14 of 23 passes for 111 yards and was intercepted once. John Walther led the Golden Eagles defensively with 11 tackles (six solo).
“We felt that our speed could really limit (Darnley's) effectiveness,” Wood said.
Springfield grinds up Union on the ground
Working the triple option to near perfection the Pride rolled up 336 yards rushing. The Springfield defense picked off two passes from Dutchman quarterback Tony Marotti. The Pride also broke up eight more passes en route to a 31-13 win.
Senior fullback Tim Lutgens rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Senior halfback Kevin Domurat added 71 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and senior quarterback Ryan Sylvia had 81 yards and a score on 18 rushes.
"To play at that kind of a level, in an early-season game, against a quality opponent like that is great. We are fortunate to have those kind of guys," said Springfield head coach Mike DeLong in The Republican.
The Pride, which was No. 4 in the D3football.com Top 25, extended a school record by winning its 15th consecutive regular-season game. Lutgens, a preseason All-American who cracked the 100-yard rushing mark for the 10th time in his last 15 games, went over the 2,000-yard mark on a 39-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. He has 2,073 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in his career.
Union took a 7-3 first-quarter lead on Chris Nappi’s 1-yard touchdown run with 5:41 left in the first quarter. Springfield scored the next 21 points, however, to grab a 24-7 lead. Domurat raced 22 yards for a score with 12:24 left in the first half, and Lutgens punched one in from the 2-yard line at 5:44 of the second quarter. Lutgens added his second touchdown just 1:56 into the third quarter when he exploded up the middle for a 39-yard score to give the Pride a 24-7 advantage.
Union closed within 24-13 with 13:43 to play in the game on a pair of Pat Cummings field goals, one from 31 yards out and the other from 26 yards. The Pride’s Sylvia capped the scoring when he ran 12 yards for his 35th career touchdown.
RPI’s new names have same result
Dan Cole is no longer under center (or in the shotgun) for RPI. Flynn Cochran is no longer the go-to receiver. And although the Engineers’ first outing was against second-year varsity program Endicott, the early returns on the new names are promising.
Dan Stephens had eight catches for 194 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore tight end Jon Branche had 11 catches for 130 yards and two scores. Both are holdovers from last year stepping into larger roles in the offense. Brendan McGowan had 11 catches himself for a team-high 152 yards. And the Engineers turned the reins over to quarterback Chad Wysocki early in the game, bringing the freshman off the bench and watching him throw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in the 42-7 win. He completed 19 of 37 attempts.
The schedule gets harder after this week's game at Utica, but at least we know who the heir apparent is at quarterback.
Rowan overmatched against So. Conn 51-27
It must be a strange sensation down in Glassboro, N.J., this week. The Profs have to prepare for a tough Western Connecticut team on the road, and Rowan must recover from its worst loss since Pacific Lutheran won 42-13 in Stagg Bowl XXVII. It was the first time since Stagg Bowl XXIV that the Profs have given up more than 50 points. Rowan lost to Mount Union, 56-24.
Quarterback Mike Abate passed for 352 yards and five touchdowns to lead Southern Connecticut to the 51-27 win at Marvin Slomsky Field (Glassboro High School). Rowan’s home field upgrade to Tackle Turf was not ready for the game, so it was played across the street.
"They came out mixing the secondary a lot, shifting a lot, rolling the safeties, and did a good job trying to disguise it, but we went to a quick check game and they had to come out of it and show quicker," said Abate. "The big run play set the tone for the second half, and as the game went on I think they got tired. They're a good team for Division III. I give them credit. This was a lot closer than the final score."
Rowan started off well with a 54-yard strike from quarterback Mike Oriel to wide receiver Phil Silva. Southern Connecticut answered with a 47-yard pass from quarterback Mike Abate to wide receiver Brandon Toles.
Prof safety Eric Bailey a freshman, had position on Toles, but Bailey bobbled the ball, which wound up in the receiver's hands as the Rowan defender slipped to the ground.
"Eric tried to keep it alive there, but maybe the play was just to knock it down," Accorsi said in the Gloucester County Times. "If they don't score there, who knows? Maybe it's a different game. But that's a young player's mistake."
The Profs came back as Orihel hit Dustin Katcher from 9 yards out. After the first quarter, Rowan led 14-7.
Rowan added a touchdown in the second to lead 21-7. Wide receiver Joe D’Imperio had a 36-yard touchdown reception. Abate completed a 19 yard TD pass to split end Jim Lukowiak. The drive took three plays, all three were receptions by Lukowiak for a total of 64 yards. Kevin Bernasconi kicked a 35-yard field goal. Bernasconi also had six PATs in seven attempts.
But the Profs were outscored 50-6 from then on out.
"The defense really struggled, it just couldn't get anything going and gave up big plays," said Prof coach Jay Accorsi in the Gloucester County Times. "Obviously it's a concern. We tried to blitz a little to stop the run and we exposed the safeties. We were betwixt and between on what to do. The more you look at it, we just have to be scrappy enough to take stops whenever we can.
The Owls rushed for 249 yards for 601 yards of total offense.
For the Profs, Orihel threw for 270 yards with 24 completions in 42 attempts and three touchdowns. Pat Thompson rushed for 123 yards on 22 attempts and one touchdown. Wide receiver Dustin Katcher logged 52 yards with six catches and one touchdown. Wide receiver Phil Silva contributed with 77 yards on five receptions and one touchdown.
Linebacker Mike McClain was the Profs’ leader on defense with 14 tackles and one fumble recovery. Defensive end Brian Bond followed with 10 tackles and a sack. Strong safety David Smith contributed with five tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. Cornerback Yasin York also had an interception.
"We're not happy, but we just have to keep it together and we'll be all right. They're Division II, and we still can do what we want with (making) the playoffs. "We've got some young guys playing right now. They're getting their feet wet, and they'll get better,” McClain told the paper.
Games of the Week
Coast Guard at Norwich 2 p.m., Northfield, Vt.: The first of the East region trophy games start with this Little Army-Navy contest. The Norwich Cadet football team will try to keep possession of "The Mug," the trophy presented annually to the winner. The last time the Coast Guard Academy Bears had possession of “The Mug” was in 2001. Coast Guard still leads the series 37-31-1.
New Jersey at Division I-AA La Salle, 1 p.m., Philadelphia: Nobody seems to want to play New Jersey, or Montclair State, or Rowan, so this is how New Jersey has to fill games on its schedule. La Salle is a non-scholarship I-AA program, so both teams will be on relatively equal footing. La Salle surprised observers by beating New Jersey on the road last year 28-27, then losing to Catholic at home four weeks later.
No. 20 Rowan at Western Connecticut 1 p.m., Danbury, Conn.: Transfers from the defunct Division I-AA New Haven program are scattered across the region, and Western Connecticut has one in quarterback Joe DiMeglio has passed for five touchdowns and 309.5 yard per game in the Colonials’ first two wins.
Last year, the Colonials had Rowan down 19-17 before fading in the hot weather 25-19. Winner stays in the NJAC title hunt, loser may be out.
Can the Profs stop the tandem wideouts Vincent Sheperis and Adamis Gonzalez who have four touchdowns and 479 yards receiving between them?