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| Nick Wright's big night included 10 tackles, a safety, a forced fumble and a 70-yard return for a touchdown for Delaware Valley. Delaware Valley athletics photo |
Delaware Valley posted a big win in a close manner, while Frostburg State did so in a big way as the No. 20 Aggies and No. 17 Bobcats each posted wins on Division III football's opening night for 2017.
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| Trine's defense got more effective as the game went on, allowing 68 yards in the third quarter and minus-7 in the fourth. Photo by Eric Kelley, d3photography.com |
Last year, Delaware Valley won at Wesley when Del Val was No. 25 and Wesley was No. 7. This year, the rankings were closer together but the result was no different as No. 20 Delaware Valley held on against No. 11 Wesley, 24-19.
Wesley's offense made just enough mistakes for Delaware Valley's defense. Last season Wesley turned the ball over five times. This time the Wolverines only turned it over three times, but they were all costly mistakes. Midway through the second quarter Nicholas DiGati stripped the ball from Wesley quarterback Nick Falkenberg, and Del Val linebacker Nick Wright scooped up the ball for a 70-yard touchdown return. Later the Aggies forced another fumble to short-circuit a potential Wesley scoring drive right before the halftime break. In the third quarterback Jarren McBryde picked off Falkenberg to stop another Wesley drive inside the Aggies' red zone.
Wesley's defense held Delaware Valley to 70 yards in the second half, but Nick Wright added a safety midway through the fourth quarter to push tthe lead to 12. Wesley got within five after a Falkenberg touchdown pass to Dan Kesack with 2:42 left. The Aggies recovered the ensuing onside kick and, after another three-and-out, their defense shut down Wesley's final drive. Wesley outgained Delaware Valley 384-242, but the Aggies won the turnover battle, 3-0. Wright finished with 10 tackles, two sacks, a fumble return for a touchdown and a safety.
For No. 17 Frostburg, its dominating 33-7 home win vs. No. 18 Stevenson was fueled by its defense, which not only limited the Mustangs to minus-30 yards rushing, it allowed Stevenson to run just 46 plays. Stevenson's Presto Addo had 105 yards on two touches, but the remaining 44 plays resulted in just 39 yards for the Mustangs.
Running back Grayson Boyce scored all three offensive touchdowns for the Bobcats, who also scored on a fumble recovery. Boyce scored from 4 yards out in the first, added a 3-yarder in the second and pushed his way in from a yard out in the third. Connor Cox was an efficient 11-for-18 passing for Frostburg. The Bobcats defense got to Stevenson quarterback Dan Williams for five sacks, two of them by Niles Scott and another one and a half by Jordan Procter.
King's got off on the winning foot as Mike Tumminello kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining to lift the Monarchs past visiting Moravian, 30-27. King's churned up 55 yards on 12 plays to set up the game-winning kick, Tumminello's third field goal of the night. Logan Lee tied a career high with four touchdown passes, while Allegheny's defense forced three turnovers and allowed just 184 yards, as the Gators rolled to a 38-6 win over Thiel. It's the Gators' first season-opening win since 2012 and the win matches Allegheny's over the previous 28 games. Trine and Coast Guard were also among the winners on Thursday night.