WARRIOR FOOTBALL USES BIG PLAYS TO DEFEAT ALBRIGHT

WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Lycoming College football team won their third consecutive conference game to start the 2003 season, defeating Albright College 38-21, Saturday afternoon. The Warriors used big plays on both offense and defense to finally shake off a pesky Lions team by scoring two touchdowns in the final five minutes. Lycoming improves to 3-0 with the victory, while Albright falls to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the MAC.

With the game still in doubt at 24-21 Lycoming, late in the fourth quarter the Warriors took possession at their own 20-yardline. On second-and-eight from the 22, Phil Mann (Jr./Mill Hall, Pa.;Central Mountain) found Tim Brown (So./Liverpool, N.Y.; Christian Brothers Acad.) in between two defenders down the right sideline for a 78-yard touchdown. The point after by Chris Schrader (Fr./Glenolden, Pa.; Monsignor Bonner) gave Lycoming a 31-21 cushion with 4:53 to play in the game.

On the ensuing possession, the Lions picked up one first down, but then faced a fourth-and-four from their own 42-yardline. As John Port (Jr./Folcroft, Pa.; Monsignor Bonner) dropped back to pass, Luke Sterling (So./Lehighton, Pa.; Lehighton) blitzed from the outside and sacked Port, jarring the football loose in the process. Garrett Zoschg (Sr./Emporium, Pa.; Cameron County) scooped up the fumble and rumbled 35 yards to the endzone to put the game out of reach with just three minutes to play.

Mann completed 13-of-30 passes for a career high 346 yards and four touchdowns, including bombs of 30, 65, and 78 yards, to lead the Warriors. Sean Hennigar (Sr./Philadelphia, Pa.; Father Judge) and Brandon Johnson (Sr./Franklin, Pa.; Franklin) each recorded 100-yard receiving games. Hennigar caught five passes for 114 yards and one touchdown. Johnson caught three passes for 100 yards and a score. Drew Corsilli (Jr./Manville, N.J.; Manville) led the rushing attack with 65 yards on 18 carries.

Albright was led by Port who threw for 268 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-39 passing. Nick Cushman (Jr./Perkiomenville, Pa.; St. Pius X) was his favorite receiver, catching 10 passes for 135 yards and a score. Adam Hubley (Jr./Boyertown, Pa.; Boyertown) was the Lions’ leading rusher with 65 yards on 30 carries.

Defensively, Brian Connors (Sr./Clarks Summit, Pa.; Abington Heights) was Lycoming’s leading tackler with 11 stops. He also intercepted a pass. Nick Pinto (Jr./Philadelphia, Pa.; Archbishop Ryan) and Tim Schmidt (Sr./Philadelphia, Pa.; Roman Catholic) each added eight tackles. Pinto also intercepted a pass. Sterling, Zoschg, Sean McGinley (Sr./Croydon, Pa.; Conwell Egan), and Dave VanNort (Fr./Montrose, Pa.; Montrose) each recorded a sack in the contest.

Pete Manotti (So./Havertown, Pa.; Haverford) and Brian Alboucq (Jr./Lehighton, Pa.; Lehighton) paced the Albright defense with six tackles each. Manotti also recovered two fumbles, including one for a touchdown. Jack Byers (Sr./Lansdale, Pa.; Lansdale Catholic) added five stops and an interception.

The Warriors struck first finding the endzone on the game’s first possession. Lycoming marched 64 yards on seven plays, culminating in a 30-yard pass from Mann to Hennigar. Schrader added the point after for a 7-0 lead.

The Lions answered late in the first period, moving the ball 45 yards on 11 plays. Port ran in from seven yards out for the score. Dustin Kaplan’s (So./Lafayette Hill, Pa.;Plymouth Whitemarsh) extra point knotted the game at 7-7.     

Albright took their only lead of the contest midway through the second quarter. A 56-yard punt by Bert Wenzel (Sr./Drexel Hill, Pa.; Monsignor Bonner) pinned the Warriors at their own three-yardline. On their first play from scrimmage, Lycoming fumbled in the endzone and Manotti recovered for the defensive score. Kaplan again added the extra point to make the score 14-7.

The Warriors, however, answered on their next possession. Facing a third-and-eight from their own 35, Mann avoided two blitzing defenders, scrambled to his right and lofted a soft pass to Johnson for a 65-yard touchdown. Schrader tied the game at 14-14 with a successful conversion.

Lycoming found the endzone again in their next possession, moving 76 yards on seven plays. Mann again converted a third-down with a big play by hitting Hennigar for a 40-yard pass that gave the Warriors a first down on the Lions’ 11-yardline. On the next play, Mann found Corsilli out of the backfield for an 11-yard touchdown to regain the lead. Schrader put Lycoming on top 21-14 with 2:09 to play in the half.

Albright would not go into the intermission quietly, however, moving quickly down the field for a touchdown of their own. The longest play of the drive was a 28-yard pass from Port to Steve Mocey (Jr./Lansdale, Pa.; Lansdale Catholic). Cushman capped the 11-play, 63-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown reception from Port. Kaplan added the point after to send the teams into halftime tied at 21-21.

The defenses tightened up in the third quarter as neither team was able to sustain a drive in the first nine minutes of the second half. The Warriors finally added some points to the scoreboard on a drive starting at the Lions’ 48-yardline. The drive started with a pair of incompletions, but then Mann found Johnson over the middle for a 28-yard gain and a first down. Lycoming gained another first down inside Albright’s 10-yardline, but could not get into the endzone as the drive stalled at the two. Schrader, however, connected on a 19-yard field goal to give the Warriors a 24-21 advantage. The slim lead would hold up until Lycoming added the two big plays late in the fourth quarter to pull away.

The Warriors are off next week and will return to action on Saturday, October 11, when they host FDU-Florham. Albright hosts FDU-Florham next weekend.