9-17-08

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE 32 PAGE NOTES HERE (PDF)

Complete game notes for the Lycoming-Susquehanna football game are now available for download. The 32-page notes can be downloaded by clicking the link at the top of this page.

Included in the notes are game information, head-to-head stats, national rankings, rosters, depth charts, game info, school info, Lycoming records and year-by-year results, Lycoming coach Mike Clark and Lycoming captains bios and complete 2008 statistics for both teams.

All Access

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live by ESPN Radio (WLYC) on 104.1 FM and 1050 AM in Lycoming County and will be available online via a free Web stream at: www.espnwilliamsport.com. Todd Bartley and Jerry Girardi have the call.

The Coaches

Mike Clark (Lycoming ’93) enters his second game as the Warriors field boss after making his head coaching debut against Ithaca in the season opener. Clark, who spent eight seasons as the offensive coordinator at Division I Davidson, got rave reviews for the new-look offensive he has installed at Lycoming. The Warriors out-gained the No. 18 ranked Bombers with 322 yards of total offense to Ithaca’s 266.

Steve Briggs (Springfield ’84) is in his 19th season as the head coach of the Crusaders. His overall record of 99-85 stands as the most wins in Susquehanna school history and his 184 games is also a school record. Briggs has led the team to 12 winning seasons in 18 years.

The Series

Lycoming enters today’s game with a 26-20-1 advantage in a series that dates back to 1949. The Warriors have dominated the series during the last 10 years, posting an 8-2 record, despite suffering a loss in Selinsgrove last season. Results of the last 10 meetings between the two teams are posted below.

1998 - Lycoming 46, Susquehanna 13       2003 - Lycoming 38, Susquehanna 0
1999 - Lycoming 36, Susquehanna 7         2004 - Lycoming 35, Susquehanna 7
2000 - Susquehanna 16, Lycoming 14       2005 - Lycoming 17, Susquehanna 10
2001 - Lycoming 45, Susquehanna 20       2006 - Lycoming 28. Susquehanna 14
2002 - Lycoming 50, Susquehanna 3         2007 - Susquehanna 17, Lycoming 13

The Last Time They Met

Susquehanna rallied with a touchdown in the fourth quarter to defeat Lycoming 17-13 at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field last season. Dave Paveletz ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns for the Crusaders, including the game-winner. Lycoming quarterback Colin Dwyer threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns and running back Josh Kleinfelter carried the ball 22 times for 84 yards.

                                1   2    3    4    Score
Lycoming                  7   0    6    0    13
Susquehanna            0   10  0    7     17

Last Time Out

Lycoming’s upset bid fell one-point shy in the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 6, in Ithaca, N.Y. The Bombers capitalized on a blocked extra point and rallied to score the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Lycoming quarterback Colin Dwyer put up career bests in completions, attempts and yardage, going 28-for-43 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Wagaman was his favorite target on the day, pulling down a career-best 11 catches for 82 yards.

Josh Kleinfelter carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards and also caught four passes for 52 yards.

The Warriors put up 322 yards of total offense and held Ithaca to 266 yards. Bomber quarterback Dan Juvan threw a career-high 309 yards and three touchdowns against Lycoming in 2007, but was held to just 142 yards and no scores in the 2008 opener.

A roughing the kicker call on a field goal attempt at the end of the second half enabled Ithaca to trade three points for seven to carry a 10-3 lead at halftime. The Warriors rallied with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but had the extra point blocked after their second score.

                          1   2   3   4    Final
Lycoming            0   3   0   13   16
No.18 Ithaca        3   7   0    7    17

Veterans in the Trenches

Lycoming’s offensive success will hinge on the unity of the veteran offensive line this season. Four of the five starters are seniors, including two of the team captains in Andy Marino and Pat Taylor. They are joined by Dave Nocera and Nathan Schrack. The lone underclassmen to start is sophomore Matt Landseidel.

The veterans will pave the way for a primarily underclass roster at the skill positions, including junior quarterback Colin Dwyer and sophomore running back Josh Kleinfelter. Juniors Mark Ryan and Brad Shellenberger start in the receiver positions. Both of their backups, Ryan Wagaman (So.) and Casey Nealon (Fr.), are also underclassmen, as are tight ends Jim Stevenson (Jr.) and Adam Paulhamus (So.). The lone senior to start at any of the skill positions is senior fullback Ryan Godec.

Switching Sides

Sophomore Ben Rosa moved from fullback to linebacker during preseason camp and made his first start on defense against Ithaca in the opener. He led the team with 12 total tackles, including seven solo stops and one tackle for a loss.

Needs More Work

Head coach Mike Clark identified two areas of concern after the Ithaca game. He noted that he felt the team could do a better job of running the ball, after Kleinfelter, Mark Rosa and Dwyer tallied 79 net yards on the ground.

He also mentioned the need to tighten up the left side of the line on the field goal and PAT unit, as to prevent blocked kicks in the future.

Susquehanna's Last Time Out

Susquehanna defeated Juniata 10-3 on Saturday, Sept. 13, at home to improve to 1-1 on the season. In the opener, the Crusaders were beaten 27-14 at Moravian.

Junior Marc McDonough stuffed a fourth-and-goal attempt by Juniata with under three minutes in the game to secure the win.

Juniata outgained the Crusaders by more than 100 yards with 295 yards of total offense to Susquehanna’s 192, but lost three fumbles in the game. McDonough recovered two of the three fumbles and made four tackles to lead the Crusader defense.

Punter Bobby Eppleman controlled the field position of Juniata by punting the ball four times for an average of 52.0 yards per kick.

Quarterback Derek Pope completed 8-of-23 passes for 59 yards and one touchdown and was intercepted once. Running back Dave Paveletz led the offense with 88 rushing yards on 23 carries.

                                  1     2    3    4    Final
Juniata                        0    3    0    0    3
Susquehanna              10   0    0    0    10

Scouting the Crusaders

The Crusader offense struggled against Juniata, putting up less than 200 yards of total offense. The passing game never got off the ground as the team completed less than 10 passes for only 59 yards.

The success of the Susquehanna offense will rest on the shoulders of Dave Paveletz, who averages 102.5 rushing yards per game. He has two touchdowns on the year.

Derek Pope enters the game with a passing efficiency rating of 67.02 after completing 21-of-53 pass attempts in his first two games. He averages 102.5 yards per game and has one touchdown and three interceptions this season.

Pope’s favorite target so far this season has been Justin Young, who leads the team in receptions with seven catches for 94 yards and one touchdown. No one else on the team has caught more than four passes.

Mitch Phillips leads the defense with 22 total tackles on the year, including 12 solo. He has three tackles for a loss and has also forced two fumbles. John Lunardi has 17 total tackles while four other players have 16 stops.

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