WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Win No. 350 in the 51
st-year that associate head coach
Steve Wiser has been on staff with the Lycoming College football team couldn't have been scripted out better by The Wizard himself – his defense forced four turnovers and allowed 109 yards of total offense to Hilbert College as Lycoming rolled to a 48-0 non-conference win at David Person Field on Saturday, Sept. 28.
The win was the 69
th shutout in Wiser's storied career, which has included 13 conference titles, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of appearances in the Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III championship game.
The Warriors (2-2 overall) used a balanced defensive effort, with 23 players notching a tackle in the contest, with junior
Matt Trolinger (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) leading the team with six tackles. Senior
Jeremaiah Cooper (Windsor Mill, Md./Forest Park) had four stops, a sack and a fumble recovery. Junior
Elisha Carothers (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) recovered a fumble and both senior
Ryan Pentz (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) and sophomore
Louie Shank (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) each had interceptions.
Sophomore
Terrence Oliver (Sharon Hill, Pa./Academy Park) led the Lycoming offense, rushing 18 times for 101 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore
Quasim Benson (Wilmington, Del./St. Elizabeth) added seven carries for 46 yards. Senior
Will Fish (Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South) finished 13-of-17 for 150 yards and a score and sophomore
Jay Huber (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) went 8-for-14 for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Junior
Dawson Debebe (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) caught six passes for 81 yards and two scores and first-year
Aiden Barlett (Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) added three catches for 34 yards and score.
The Warriors drove 58 yards on 12 plays on their opening drive, with Oliver accounting for all 58 yards on the drive, 44 on the ground and 14 through the air, as he plowed in from a yard out. Lycoming drove 48 yards on its next drive to set up a 25-yard field goal from first-year
Kyle Flack (Southampton, Pa./William Tennant) and its third drive ended with a 28-yard twisting and deaking run from Oliver for a score, making it 17-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Fish found Barlett for a 15-yard score to cap an 11-play, 90-yard drive that ate six minutes in the second quarter and Flack capped a 48-yard drive with a 20-yard field goal as time expired on the half, giving Lycoming a 27-0 lead at the break.
Huber found Debebe for a 9-yard score before Oliver capped a 28-yard drive after Pentz's interception with a 1-yard touchdown to make it 41-0 at the end of the third quarter. Huber found Debebe for a 16-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring.
Hilbert (0-4 overall) drove to the Lycoming 30 late in the fourth quarter, but senior
Trent Kithcart (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) and senior
Chris Kryeski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) posted a tackle for a 1-yard loss on 4-and-7 to end the threat.
Jon Whitaker finished 1-of-3 passing for six yards. He was intercepted twice. Mike Hanlon rushed 22 times for 56 yards and Hilbert rushed 45 times for 103 yards in the game. Da'von Cockrell and Taivaughn Roach led the Hawks with nine tackles each. Cockrell also had an interception.
The Warriors enter their bye week before entering Landmark Conference play by travelling to Wilkes University on Saturday, Oct. 12, for a 12 p.m. kickoff.
