The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

IUP 23, Edinboro 20 ot

EDINBORO, PA – Edinboro rallied from a ten-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, only to see IUP freshman Nick Wallace kick a field at the end of regulation and another in overtime to give IUP a 23-20 victory in overtime. The contest was the PSAC West opener for both teams. Edinboro falls to 3-2 overall, while the Indians improve to 3-1. IUP snapped a three-game losing streak to the Boro.

The overtime contest was the second in Edinboro history, and the first since the Fighting Scots defeated Lock Haven in the final game of the 1997 campaign, 29-23 in overtime.

Trailing 17-7 entering the fourth quarter, the Fighting Scots pulled to within three points on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Harris (Waldo, OH/Marion Pleasant) to Kyle Witucki (Tarentum, PA/Highlands). The pass capped a six-play, 76 yard drive after IUP had missed a 41-yard field goal. The drive featured a 66-yard completion from Harris to Rich Cerro (Franklin, PA/Franklin) on a 3rd-and-19 play, carrying down to the IUP 19.

After forcing a three-and-out by IUP, Edinboro put together another six play march, this one covering 58 yards. On 3rd-and-3 from the IUP 37, Ulysee Davis (Bryans Road, PA/Bishop McNamara) burst off right tackle for 29 yards to the IUP 8. Prior to that run Edinboro had rushed for minus 19 yards. Two plays later Davis scored his seventh touchdown of the season on a one-yard run. Kody Robertson’s (Columbus, OH/Hilliard Davidson) extra point was wide left, leaving Edinboro with a 20-17 lead with 7:46 to play.

IUP would drive down to the Edinboro 26 on its next possession, but Tauren Valentine (Allentown, PA/Dieruff) halted the march with an interception. Edinboro failed to gain a first down and was forced to punt with IUP taking over at its own 40 with 56 seconds left.

The Indians used a 32-yard hookup from Kevin Weidl to Anthony Rodriguez to get down to the Boro 21 with 44 ticks left. Later in the drive Weidl connected with Dan Pickens on a 15-yard pass play to the Edinboro 7 with 30 seconds left. The Indians moved to the three before settling for a 25-yard field goal from Wallace as time expired to send the game into overtime.

Edinboro had possession first in the overtime period. The Fighting Scots failed to record a first down and had to settle for a 40-yard field goal attempt by Robertson. The kick was wide right.

The Indians also failed to gain a first down, moving the ball to the Edinboro 19 before Wallace came in and drilled the game-winning 37-yard field goal.

With a strong wind blowing from one end of the field to the other, IUP decided to force Edinboro to move into the wind to start the game. The strategy failed, however, when the Fighting Scots promptly drove 69 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. Harris completed three passes for 62 yards into the strong wind, the last a 20-yarder to Ryan Valasek (Natrona Heights, PA/Highlands).

The Indians answered with a scoring drive of their own, fueled by a 51-yard kickoff return by Rodriguez to the Edinboro 34. Four plays later, aided by a holding call by the Scots, Chris Morgan scored on a four-yard run to knot the score at seven apiece.

The rest of the half belonged to the IUP defense, as the Indians forced four Edinboro turnovers. Two of the miscues led directly to IUP scores. The Indians recovered a fumble at the Edinboro 40 late in the first quarter, leading to a 25-yard field goal by Wallace at 14:06 of the second quarter.

The Indians went on top 17-7 less than a minute later when Mike Reid picked up a Boro fumble and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.

The Fighting Scots had a scoring opportunity aborted later in the second quarter. With the ball at the IUP 10, Harris’ pass was tipped and intercepted by Reid at the six.

Edinboro ended the day with 326 total yards, while IUP had 281 yards. Most of Edinboro’s yards came through the air, as the Indians stifled the Boro ground game. Harris threw for 272 yards, the 12th-highest single-game total, completing 15 of 25 passes with 2 TDs and an INT. The redshirt freshman was sacked six times. Valasek hauled in 4 passes for 115 yards, his second straight 100-yard receiving effort and the third of his career. Davis led the ground game with 54 yards on 26 carries.

Morgan led the IUP ground attack with 116 yards on 24 rushes. The Indians finished with 107 yards rushing. Weidl completed 14 of 28 passes for 174 yards.

Bloomsburg 35, Shippensburg 14

1 p.m.

Slippery Rock 31, Clarion 7

(CLARION, PA.): Slippery Rock scored 21-unanswered points in the second half to pull away and defeat Clarion on Saturday night by a 31-7 final score at Memorial Stadium. SR qb Nate Crookshank passed for two td’s and ran for one on the evening.

The game was the PSAC-West opener for both teams. Slippery Rock is now 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the PSAC-West, while Clarion drops to 0-5 overall and 0-1 in the West.
Clarion rode running back Edie Emanuel all night, as the Clarion junior finished with a career high 170 rushing yards and 1 td on 25 carries.

Emanuel gave a 7-0 lead at 3:37 of the first quarter when he scored on a 2-yard run up the middle, capping a 6-play, 36-yard drive. The score was set up when Clarion linebacker Kevin Rigby forced and recovered SR qb Nate Crookshank’s fumble at the SR 36.

The Rock came right back to tie the game 7-7 when they drove 61 yards in 10 plays. Crookshank tossed a 15-yard td pass to Luke Wetzel for the score at 14:19 of the second quarter.

On SRU’s next possession the Rock drove from its own 15 to the Clarion 16 before settling for a 33-yard field goal from Ryan Daniel. The field goal gave SRU the lead for good, 10-7, at 2:09 of the second quarter.

Clarion tried an onsides kick to start the second half, but SRU recovered on the Clarion 46 and took the pigskin into the endzone in 8 plays. Crookshank tossed an 18-yard scoring pass to Colin Golden over the middle to give the Rock a 17-7 lead with 10:33 left in the third.

After recovering a Clarion fumble at the Eagle 39, Slippery Rock drove the distance in 7 plays to take a commanding 24-7 lead. Crookshank scored on a 1-yard sneak with 4:10 left in the third.

Damarcus Cleckley scored the final Slippery Rock touchdown on a 3-yard run with 8:14 left in the game making the final 31-7.

Clarion totaled 204 yards of offense, with Emanuel rushing for 170. His 170 yards is the most by a Clarion runner since 2004 when Marcus Lowe ran for 170 against Mansfield.

Clarion’s Kevin Rigby led the defense with 13 tackles, 4 tfl’s, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery and an interception.

Slippery Rock had 322 yards of offense including 167 rushing and 155 passing. Cleckley rushed 14 times for 91 yards and 1 td, and Golden caught 6 aerials for 69 yards and 1 td.

Crookshank completed 12 of 19 passes for 155 yards and 2 td’s, plus rushed for 16 yard and 1 td.

Clarion returns to Memorial Stadium next Saturday afternoon to host Cheyney in the Homecoming Day Game. Slippery Rock returns home to Shippensburg.

California 51, Lock Haven 7

CALIFORNIA, Pa. -- Soph. Brandon Lombardy (Mourland Hills, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) rushed for two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the game, and junior corner back Josh Kemp (Westland, Pa./Fort Cherry) returned an interception and a fumble for scores in Saturday’s 51-7 PSAC West football victory over Lock Haven at Hepner-Bailey Field at Adamson Stadium.

It was Cal's eighth-straight win at Hepner-Bailey Field at Adamson Stadium and third-straight vs. the Bald Eagles.

Lombardy rushed for TDs from 8 and 89 yards on Cal’s first two possessions, helping the Vulcans (3-2, 1-0 PSAC West) break loose for a 37-0 first-quarter lead. Lombardy finished with a game-high 119 yards on 10 carries and moved into a tie for 15th place on the Vulcan's career touchdown list with Pete Gialames, who scored 17 from 1965-58.

Defensive lineman Willie Walker (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) returned an interception 15 yards for six points and the Vulcans blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety to highlight Cal’s first-quarter explosion.

Kemp added a 50-yard interception return to the end zone in the third quarter and a 24-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter for the Vulcans, the defending PSAC West champion. The Cal defense forced four Bald Eagle turnovers.

Lock Haven (1-4, 0-1 PSAC West) was led by freshman QB Ilio DiPaolo, who finished with 174 passing yards (21-for-37). The Bald Eagles were held to four net yards rushing and 178 yards total offense on 72 plays. Cal finished with 337 yards on 49 snaps.

The victory lifted head coach John Luckhardt into a tie for fifth place on Cal's all-time coaching wins list. Luckhardt's 27-20 record in four-plus seasons at Cal equals the final total for P.S. Alison, who posted a 27-14-2 overall mark from 1920-25.

The victory also improved junior QB Matt Humbert's (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highland) record as a starter for the Vulcans. Humbert, who played in place of junior Joe Ruggiero, improved to 4-2 as a starter by completing 10-of-16 passes for 111 yards, including a 10-yard scoring strike to Sr. WR Brandon Jackson (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Cal took the opening possession and drove 60 yards in five plays, capped by an eight-yard scoring run by Lombardy. Three minutes later, Lombardy went off left tackle for an 89-yard scoring sprint, the longest of his career, to give Cal a 14-0 lead with 10:06 left in the first quarter.

On Cal's next possession, after LH was stuffed on a fourth-and-one at midfield, Fr. RB Steffan Brinson (Verona, Pa./Woodland Hills) burst 39 yards for his first career score and a 21-0 Cal advantage.

The defense then got into the act when LB Darren Burns (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) blocked a pass attempt, and the ball landed in the hands of Walker, who barreled 15 yards for the first of three defensive scores.

Cal's special teams got into the act two minutes later when LB Gary Butler (Pittsburgh, Pa./Langley) blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety.

Cal quickly moved down field after the free kick, and Humbert's 10-yard TD pass to Jackson gave the Vulcans a 37-0 lead with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.

LHU broke the shutout with a 63-yard drive in the second quarter, aided by several Cal penalties. DiPaolo's seven-yard TD pass to Andrew Breiner with 4:41 left in the half proved to be all the Bald Eagles could muster.

In the third quarter, Kemp picked off his third pass of the season directly in the middle of the Vulcan logo at midfield and broke
down the right sideline for the score.

In the fourth quarter, Kemp gathered in LHU's fourth turnover of the day and rambled 24 yards down the left sideline to paydirt.

Kemp finished with four tackles, including three solo hits and one for a loss. Junior LB Brian Mohr (Beaver Falls, Pa./Riverside) led the Vulcans with four solo hits and seven stops, including a nine-yard sack and a two-yard tackle for loss.

The Vulcans travel to Edinboro on Oct. 7 to battle the Fighting Scots, who dropped a 23-20 overtime decision to Indiana, Pa. Saturday. It'll be Homecoming Weekend at Edinboro for the 2 p.m. kickoff between the two teams that finished with 5-1 PSAC West records in 2005.

East Stroudsburg 61, Mansfield 7

1 p.m.

Millersville 45, Kutztown 7

KUTZTOWN, PA – Darnell Johnson rushed for a career-high 244 yards and two touchdowns and Dan Csencsitz passed for four scores to lead Millersville to a 45-17 win over Kutztown in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division opener for both teams.

Johnson scored on runs of one and five yards, rushing 27 times to account for 244 of Millersville’s 313 rushing yards. Csencsitz was 13-of-16 for 192 yards, connecting on TD passes from three, 37, 21 and 39 yards, to three different receivers. Isaiah Ray caught two of the TDs for a total of 76 yards. Omar Sanders had six catches for 52 yards and a TD.

Kutztown was led by tight end Jason Henley, who had three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Elfren Quiles had KU’s other TD grab. Kyle Spotts completed 16-of-26 for 190 yards, but was picked off twice. Brett Harbach had five catches for 56 yards, while Maurice Adams rushed for 60 yards on 20 carries.

Both teams’ kickers, Doug Ruhl for Millersville and Steve Sandberg for Kutztown, hit field goals in the second quarter to account for the rest of the scoring.

The Marauders took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards on eight plays, capped by Johnson’s one-yard run 3:30 into the first quarter.

Kutztown drove to the Millersville 20 on its opening drive, but a 37-yard field goal attempt by Steve Sandberg was wide left. After an MU punt, KU got on the board with an eight-play, 81-yard drive. A 51-yard catch and run by Henley set up Sandberg’s 20 yard field goal with 13:20 left in the second.

MU answered with a 60-yard drive which Csencistz capped with a three-yard pass to Derek Fry. Ruhl added a 35-yard field goal with 2:43 left to make it 17-3.

The Golden Bears cut it to 17-10 just 35 seconds before halftime on Quiles’ 10-yard diving catch from Spotts. The play finalized a 76-yard drive.

Kutztown got the ball to start the second half, but had to punt. Millersville struck quickly with a 44-yard run by Johnson to set up a 37-yard TD pass from Csencitz to Ray with 12:40 remaining in the third.

After an interception, Millersville scored again on a 21-yard hookup from Csencitz to Sanders.

KU kept battling back, though, marching 89 yards on its next possession. The drive was kept alive by two fourth-down conversions, including a 32 yard run on a fake punt by Cory Porrino. Spotts converted the other fourth down with a two-yard run, then followed it with a 10-yard TD pass to Henley, which he caught off a carom by another KU receiver, for the score with 1:28 left in the third.

The Marauders scored twice to put the game away in the fourth, Csenscitz hit Ray from 39 yards out to cap a 72-yard drive and Johnson barreled in from five yards away with 5:31 left to make it 45-17. KU’s last two drives ended with a punt and an interecpetion.

Matt Buck led the MU defense with 11 tackles. Shelton had seven hits and two intereceptions, while Kevin Kershner had six stops, including three for loss and two sacks.

Dan Chominski had 12 tackles for Kutztown, including one for loss. Brian Bingnear added nine tackles with one for loss.

Kutztown hosts Mansfield next Saturday, while Millersville takes on East Stroudsburg.

West Chester 53, Cheyney 12

WEST CHESTER, PA – Junior TB Osagie Osunde (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia) rushed for a career high 205 yards and four scores as the west Chester University football team thrilled a homecoming crowd with a 53-12 triumph over Cheyney University Saturday in West Chester, PA.

The victory was WCU’s third straight and improved the Golden Rams to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division. The loss drops Cheyney to 0-5 and 0-1 in the league.

Osunde carried the ball 18 times for 205 yards and four touchdowns mostly in the first half. He played the opening series of the third quarter before calling it a day. His 205-yard afternoon ranks as the 14th-highest single-game total in school history.

Osunde scored WCU’s first four touchdowns, including two in the first quarter on runs of 11 and eight yards. He scored from one and six yards out in the second period to give WCU a 27-0 lead.

Cheyney broke West Chester’s seven-quarter scoreless streak with a five-yard touchdown throw from Derrick Murry to Dominique Curry with 1:50 left in the opening half. Curry finished the game with 10 catches for 169 yards and one score. Murry completed 21 of 35 pass attempts for 191 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown points were the first allowed by the WCU defense in 118:36 dating back to the first half of Clarion game two weeks ago. The Golden Rams also allowed a touchdown in the second half for the first time since the season-opener vs. Edinboro.

After Cheyney cut the WCU lead to 21 points in the second quarter, sophomore WR Michael Washington (Philadelphia/Frankford) snared a six-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Bill Zwaan (Malvern/Great Valley) for a 34-6 halftime lead.

Zwaan completed 5 of 7 pass attempts for 89 yards and one touchdown, while Washington had two grabs for 39 yards. But it was the WCU rushing offense that produced 408 net yards on 47 carries and seven scores. The Golden Rams finished the day with 531 yards of total offense.

In addition to Osunde, red-shirt freshman Lee Hopkins (New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt) carried the ball seven times for 76 yards and a 30-yard fourth-quarter touchdown burst. Junior TB Dean Millard (Birdsboro/Wilson) ran nine times for 71 yards and a three-yard dive for a score.

Sophomore Pat McDermott (Bryn Mawr/Harriton) scored on a five-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Defensively, the Golden Rams picked off four passes for the second straight game. Red-shirt freshman CB Devon Johnson (Philadelphia/Central) had a pair of interceptions, while senior SS Anthony Belasco (Cedar Grove, NJ/Bergan Catholic) returned a pick 45 yards to the Cheyney five-yard line that set up a score. He also forced a fumble, had a pass defensed and posted three tackles.

Junior ILB Lateef Ferguson (Philadelphia/Dobbins Tech) registered six tackles, an interception, a pass defensed and a nine-yard sack. Senior OLB Chris Tagye (Exton/Downingtown) and red-shirt freshman NG James Thorpe (Malvern/Great Valley) each had three tackles and a sack.