Today’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 Lycoming College sports information department will be running 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. 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 led Lycoming to a share of the conference title a year ago. Clark’s career record stands at 9-6 overall and 8-2 in the MAC. He is a 1993 graduate of Lycoming, where he played and coached under former coach Frank Girardi.
John Marzka enters his third season with the Lions of Albright College. He has built his record to 19-7 overall. Last season, he coached Albright to a Middle Atlantic Conference co-championship and an ECAC bowl game.
The Series
Today’s game will be the 50th time these two teams have met, with Lycoming holding a 31-16-2 advantage. Since 2000, Lycoming has won the match-up six times, while Albright has three wins.
Last time these squads met, Lycoming won 23-13, rushing for 224 yards and passing for another 126. Junior Josh Kleinfelter picked up 132 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.9 yards per carry on his 19 attempts. With most of the game on the ground, Colin Dwyer threw just 19 passes, completing nine of them, one of which was a touchdown.
Nick Reese, a former Lycoming safety and the current defensive backs coach, had one interception, which he returned for 24 yards. He also had 9.5 tackles on the day, seven of which were solo. Chuck Bellitto had nine tackles, including a sack for a loss of five yards.
Starting on the right foot
The last two seasons, Lycoming has won its conference opener, both of which have been on the road. Lycoming took down Widener 21-17 in 2008 and King’s last week 24-21. The win over King’s was Coach Clark’s first as a head coach in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Home Sweet Home…
The Warriors finally return home to David Person Field following a three-game road series. Traveling to Susquehanna (90 miles), Bridgewater (548 miles) and King’s (174 miles) the last three weeks, Lycoming looks to settle into the Middle Atlantic Conference schedule after totaling 812 miles on the road.
Honoring those before us
Friday night, seven new members will be inducted into the Lycoming College Hall of Fame.
The football team adds its 53rd member to the hall. James Tkach ’78 is a second cousin of current Warrior and freshman offensive lineman Simon Tkach. Also inducted were: Jessica Amadore-Foster ’04 (swimming) Lauren Evangelist ’04 (women’s lacrosse) Layne Haverstock ’04 (volleyball), Christine Koernig ’04 (women’s tennis), Andrew Lausier ’01 (wrestling) and Shawn Rosa ’00 (men’s lacrosse).
Lycoming’s Last Game
With a nail-biting finish, the Warriors came back and defeated King’s College 24-21, giving Lycoming its first MAC win of the season as it begins defense of its 2008 title. With less than six minutes to play, Lycoming was down 21-10 before linebacker Anthony Marascio came up with a game-changing, 26-yard interception return for a touchdown, moving Lycoming to within striking distance.
The Warrior defense forced King’s to punt the ball away, allowing Dwyer to enter the two-minute drill, which he managed to perfection. Lycoming drove the field, landing on the one-yard line before Dwyer attempted two quarterback sneaks, cross the goal line on the second attempt.
Lycoming converted the two-point conversion on a pass from Dwyer to tight end Adam Paulhamus, leaving the Monarch’s 20 seconds on the clock to work and try to get within field goal range. On the next series, defensive back Chuck Bellitto intercepted a Monarch pass to seal the victory for the Warriors.
For the game, Dwyer completed 28 of his 48 pass attempts, gaining 304 yards. He had one touchdown through the air and one on the ground. Ryan Wagaman was the top receiver, pulling in 12 catches for 127 yards. Lycoming had a difficult time running the ball, with Kleinfelter picking up just 47 yards.
Special teams had another solid outing, returning punts for 125 yards, including a 61-yard return by Ray Bierbach. Dre Purdy returned two kickoffs for 51 yards.
A Brief on Albright
Last season, the Lions were one of three teams that shared the Middle Atlantic Conference championship.
Albright has started the 2009 season off strong, coming to Williamsport with a perfect 4-0 record. Senior quarterback Tanner Kelly has already thrown for 992 yards, including a 436-yard effort last week in Albright’s 43-21 MAC win against Wilkes. He has completed 72 of his 93 pass attempts and thrown eight touchdowns.
Wide receiver Nate Romig has been Kelly’s favorite target, catching 21 passes for 369 yards and five touchdowns. In the Wilkes game, Romig hauled in 12 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
The running game brings balance to the Albright offense, picking up 802 yards on the ground. Albright has a three-headed rushing attack, with Josh Holmes leading the team in rushing yards, gaining 283 on 60 attempts. He has also rushed for four of Albright’s 10 touchdowns on the ground. Kelly has picked up an additional 159 yards and three rushing TDs with Mike Wilbur, gaining 174 and three scores.
Defensively, Bob Harper leads the team in tackles with 19.5, 15 solo and nine assisted. He has made 3.5 tackles for a loss of 14 yards and has one interception. Brett Gaul leads the secondary with three interceptions this season and has two blocked kicks. He has added 13.5 tackles, including 12 solo.
