Football 10/29/2009 6:27:08 PM

Game Eight Notes Now Available

Media Coverage:

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.

Each home game, the office of sports information will run a live statistical feed at www.lycoming.edu/livestats

Meet the Coaches

Mike Clark is in his second season as Lycoming’s head football coach. His career record stands at 10-8 overall and 7-4 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.

Wilkes University is coached by Frank Sheptock, who is in his 14th year with the program. His career record stands at 86-58. He has guided the Colonels to seven playoff berths. In 2006, Sheptock was named as the MAC and AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year.

The Series

Today’s game will be the 49th time Lycoming and Wilkes have met, with the Warriors holding a 33-15 advantage.

Last season, Lycoming fell to the Colonels 27-13 in Wilkes-Barre. During Clark’s two seasons at the helm of the program, Wilkes is the only team in the Middle Atlantic Conference that he has not beaten.

During last year’s contest, penalties and turnovers proved costly for the Warriors. They had seven penalties for 85 yards and turned the ball over five times. Lycoming passed for 312 yards in the game, a season-high at that point, but had a hard time moving the ball on the ground, gaining just 34 rushing yards.

Top Defense
The Warriors have one of the top defenses in the MAC. Under the direction of defensive coordinator Steve Wiser, Lycoming is ranked third in the conference in total defense, with its opponents averaging 319.4 yards a game. The Warrior secondary is ranked third in pass defense, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 50 percent of their passes. Lycoming has recorded 12 interceptions, led by Jim Daley, who has four.

Lycoming’s Last Game

Heavy rain prior to last week’s game turned David Person Field into a mud pit. The Warriors fell in a defensive battle to No. 24 Delaware Valley, 21-7. Lycoming jumped on the scoreboard quickly, just 1:55 into the game on a 52-yard pass from Colin Dwyer to Ryan Wagaman.

Dwyer completed 16 passes on 44 attempts, but was intercepted three times. Wagaman caught seven passes for 114 yards, with his longest coming on the touchdown play. With the sloppy conditions, Josh Kleinfelter had a difficult time with the running game, picking up 56 yards.

The Warrior defense had a big game, with Ted Geurds pacing the day with 10 tackles, including seven solo stops. Two of his tackles were for a total loss of five yards. Pat McAfee had nine tackles, including five solo. Jim Daley added his fourth interception of the season as well as a broken up pass.

A Brief on Lycoming

The Warriors enter today’s game with a 3-4 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference. Lycoming has scored 139 points this season, averaging 19.9 a game. The Warriors have picked up 103 first downs, including 57 through the air.

Dwyer has completed 116 of his 230 pass attempts, throwing for 1,278 yards and nine touchdowns. He has spread the ball around, completing passes to 12 different Warrior receivers. Wagaman has been Dwyer’s favorite target, completing 43 passes to the wide out, covering 536 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 12.5 yards per catch. On the ground, Kleinfelter has picked up 544 yards on 133 rushing attempts. He has scored four touchdowns and averages 4.1 yards per carry.

The defensive unit is anchored by Anthony Marascio, who has a balanced 51 total tackles on 26 solo and 25 assisted stops. He has 9.5 tackles for a loss of 37 yards, including 3.5 sacks for a loss of 25 yards. Defensive back Chuck Bellitto is the top-stopper in the secondary, picking up 49 tackles, with 32 coming solo.

Returning has been a high-point for the Warriors this season, with freshman Dre Purdy returning kickoffs for 330 yards on 13 attempts, averaging 25.4 per return. Ray Bierbach has been a weapon in the punt return game, taking 10 back for 159 yards, an average of 15.9, with his longest coming on a 61-yard return.

A Brief on Wilkes

Wilkes comes to Lycoming with a 4-3 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference. On the road, the Colonels are 1-2. Last week, Wilkes picked up its first MAC victory of the season, a low-scoring 7-6 affair against FDU-Florham, with a missed PAT proving to be the deciding factor in the game.

The passing game is the Colonels’ bread and butter, with Rob Johnson passing for 1,101 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 183.5 passing yards per game. Jordan D’Emilio has hauled in 31 catches for 397 yards, averaging 66.2 yards per game. Gennaro Zangardi is Wilkes’ only other receiver with 300 yards and is the favorite scoring option in the air, pulling in three scores.

On defense, Kevin Gerhart leads the squad in tackles with 57, including 29 solo. He has one interception, which he returned for 28 yards, and 11 passes defended. Sean Madden is second in tackles with 49, coming on 32 solo and 17 assisted. Sean O’Neil has accounted for 40 lost yards, coming on eight tackles for a loss. He has five sacks for a loss of 25 yards.

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