Saturday’s game is being broadcast by ESPN Radio WLYC 1050 AM and 104.1 FM. There will also be a live Internet feed at www.espnwilliamsport.com.
Meet the Coaches
Mike Clark is in his second season as Lycoming’s head football coach. His career record stands at 9-7 overall and 6-3 in the MAC. During his rookie campaign, he led the Warriors to a 7-4 overall record, 5-2 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference and a berth in the 2008 NCAA Division III playoffs. He also led Lycoming to a share of the 2008 conference title. He is a 1993 graduate of Lycoming, where he played and coached under former coach Frank Girardi.
David Wood is in his seventh season at the helm of Widener’s football program. In 2007, Wood and the Pride captured the Middle Atlantic Conference title. He has an overall record of 41-27.
Saturday’s game will be the 32nd time the Warriors have met Widener University. Lycoming holds an 18-13 advantage in the series.
Last season, the Warriors traveled to Chester, Pa., to face Widener, coming home with a 21-17 victory. In that game, Lycoming gained 297 yards of total offensive, 236 of which came in the air. Senior quarterback Colin Dwyer threw 42 passes, completing 25 of them. He also threw two touchdown passes. Defensively, the Warrior secondary held Widener to just 139 yards in the air and no passing touchdowns.
Back on the Road
After playing in just their second home game of the season last week against Albright, the Warriors are back on the road, this time going 378 miles round trip to Chester, Pa., bringing the total miles for the season to 1,189. Lycoming gets a break from the road following this week’s game as it makes a two-game home stand.
Homecoming again and again and again
Lycoming will be the opponent for Widener’s homecoming game on Saturday, which will mark the third straight contest that the Warriors will be participating in a homecoming event. The first such game was two weeks ago at King’s College, which Lycoming spoiled by scoring a touchdown with 20 seconds left to win the game, followed by Lycoming’s own homecoming last week.
Last time out, the Warriors fell to an undefeated Albright College, 26-7. Junior running back Josh Kleinfelter scored the only touchdown for Lycoming on a two-yard rush.
Defensively, the Warriors held the Lions’ quarterback Tanner Kelly, the team’s second leading rusher, to just 87 yard on the ground on his 19 attempts. Lycoming did not allow Albright to score a rushing touchdown, but Kelly threw for almost 400 yards and three touchdowns against the Warriors’ secondary.
Dwyer completed 15 of his 31 pass attempts, picking up 109 yards. Ryan Wagaman was his favorite receiver, pulling in eight catches for 68 yards, including an 18-yarder.
Freshman Dre Purdy had another outstanding game as a kick returner, picking up 106 kickoff return yards on four attempts. His longest return was a 29-yarder, boosting his average return to 26.5 per attempt.
A Brief on Lycoming
The Warriors are 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Middle Atlantic Conference. Lycoming has scored 14 touchdowns this season, including five on the ground, five in the air.
Kleinfelter is Lycoming’s top running back, gaining 407 yards, averaging 4.4 yards on each of his 93 rushes. He has rushed for three touchdowns and his longest run of the season is 53 yards. Dwyer has taken every snap for the Warriors this season, airing out 155 passes, completing 81 (52.3 percent) of those attempts. Wagaman has been the steady receiver through the season, catching 31 passes for 357 yards, averaging 71.4 per game.
Purdy is the leader in the MAC in kickoff return yards, taking it 213 yards, averaging 26.6 yards per return.
On defense, junior Chuck Bellitto is third in the conference, making 44 tackles, 28 solo and 16 assisted. He has also recovered one and forced one fumble. Bellitto also sits atop the conference passes defended list, with three interceptions and two breakups. Anthony Marascio has one interception, which he returned for 26 yards and a touchdown.
A Brief on Widener
The Pride is 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Middle Atlantic Conference. Widener has out-scored its opponents 139-123, averaging 27.8 points per game.
Widener uses a four-back system for its running game, with three runners who average 30-plus yards a game. Adam Smith and Ian Decker have both picked up 169 yards, with Decker carrying a majority of the rushes with 63. Smith has rushed 37 times. Mike Bobrin averages a team-high 36.7 yards a game, gaining 110 yards on 16 carries.
In the passing game, 22-year old freshman Chris Haupt has completed 75 of his 156 pass attempts, and has been intercepted six times. He has amassed 1,086 yards and seven touchdowns this season, averaging 217.2 yards per game and completed 50.0 percent of his passes. Haupt played in for the Auburn Doubledays, a Class A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, during the 2007 baseball season as a catcher.
Defensively, Brian Pastor has 33 tackles for the season, 25 of which are solo. He has two passes defended and two passes broken up and one forced fumble. Shane Szumski has made 32 stops on 23 solo and 9 assisted tackles. He is the team’s leader in loss of yardage at 23 on 4.5 tackles. Three of his tackles have been sacks for a loss of 21 yards.
