PSAC Football Athletes of the Week - 6
Football: Eastern Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
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Collin DiGalbo
Kutztown (Fr. / QB)
Secane, Pa. / Monsignor Bonner
DiGalbo moved to 3-0 since taking over as starting quarterback in Week 4. He produced 373 yards of total offense - 247 through the air and 126 on the ground - for four total touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) in KU's 34-24 victory over Bloomsburg. His day was highlighted late in the first half. On a designed run on 3rd-and-3 from Kutztown's own 18-yardline, DiGalbo sprinted up the middle, evaded tacklers and went 82 yards for a touchdown. It marked the longest touchdown run by a KU quarterback in the last 19 years (through 1998 season). DiGalbo later ran for a 15-yard touchdown run on a broken play to cap his afternoon at 126 rushing yards.
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Football: Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
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Steven Denby
West Chester (So. / LB)
Philadelphia, Pa. / Imohotep Charter
Denby registered a career-high 11 tackles, including seven solo stops, in his first career start as West Chester topped Shippensburg, 31-15, Saturday. Denby also notched two tackles for a loss and one sack in the win. Denby and WCU's defense limited Shippensburg to 253 yards of total offense, including just 78 in the first half while the Rams built a 31-0 lead.
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Football: Eastern Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
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Sam O'Brien
East Stroudsburg (So. / P)
Quakertown, Pa. / Palisades
O'Brien twice pinned Millersville inside its 5-yard line, leading to 14 points in a 38-23 win on Saturday. Averaged 38.5 yards on four punts. Early 2nd quarter, had 42-yard punt downed at 3-yard line - after Millersville 3-and-out, Warriors went 40 yards on 2 plays for 17-6 lead. Early 4th quarter, forced fair catch at 4-yard line - after Millersville 3-and-out, Warriors went 43 yards in 9 plays for 38-23 lead.
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Football: Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week
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Michael Keir
California (Pa.) (Jr. / QB)
Philadelphia, Pa. / Roman Catholic
Keir accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing) and 338 yards of total offense on Saturday, as Cal U rallied for a 31-28 comeback victory against No. 6 IUP. He was named MVP of the Coal Bowl after finishing with 308 passing yards on 19-of-39 attempts with one touchdown and added 30 rushing yards with two scores. The junior orchestrated a game-changing drive with 37 seconds left before halftime. Starting at their own 35, Keir accounted for all but three yards and hit passes of 33- and 22-yards and capped the drive off with a two-yard run. Kier directed two lengthy scoring drives in the fourth quarter, as the Vulcans tied the score with a rushing touchdown with 9:15 left to play before winning the game on a last-minute field goal.
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Football: Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
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Titus Howard
Slippery Rock (Jr. / CB)
Clairton, Pa. / Clairton
Howard's first big impact of the game came in the first half when he blitzed off the corner and sacked the Mercyhurst QB in the end zone for a safety. Moments later, he picked off a pass to set up another Rock scoring drive just minutes later. Howard again came up big late in the game with Mercyhurst threatening to make it a 7-point game when he recorded another sack, this one on third down from SRU's 4-yard line that went for a loss of seven yards and ended up keeping the Lakers out of the end zone and from getting back into the game. He finished with four total tackles, 1.5 sacks for a loss of 10 yards, one interception and one safety.
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Football: Western Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week
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Jake Chapla
Slippery Rock (Fr. / PK)
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum
Chapla kicked a 51-yard field goal Saturday night in the win over Mercyhurst that is the only field goal in the PSAC over 50 yards this season and is the third longest made FG in the country this year. He also converted from 44 yards in the game; the 51-yard FG was the first 50 yarder by an SRU kicker since the school record of 52 yards was set in 2003. It's the first kick of more than 50 yards by any kicker in the PSAC since 2012. Chapla now owns three of the longest four field goals in the league this year and has made four of his seven successful kicks from 44 yards or longer.
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Game Notes
Bloomsburg: The Huskies dropped a 34-24 bout at Kutztown and dropped to 4-2 overall and 2-1 PSAC East. Wide receiver Michael Allen hauled in seven passes for 88 yards and a TD while Chris Palubinsky threw for 267 yards and 18-for-35. BU hosts West Chester Saturday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend.
California: The Vulcans scored 10-straight points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning 39-yard field goal with under one minute left to play, to earn a 31-28 victory over No. 6 IUP in the eighth-annual Coal Bowl. With the win, Cal U took sole possession of first place in the PSAC West standings and is the lone remaining undefeated team in the PSAC this season. Junior QB Michael Keir was named Coal Bowl MVP after posting nearly 340 yards of total offense and three touchdowns (two rushing). Senior WR Garry Brown registered his second-straight 100-yard game, finishing with 116 receiving yards on six catches. The Vulcans defeated top-10 opponents in back-to-back week for the first time in school history, while the victory over IUP marked the highest-ranked opponent ever defeated in program history (previously No. 9 twice).
Cheyney: The Wolves fell to Lock Haven, 51-12. Erik Heller impressed with 129 yards on the ground and added a pair of touchdowns. Isaiah Flamer paced the defense with eight solo tackles.
Cheyney visits Shippensburg Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m.
Clarion: The Golden Eagles are now 2-4, 1-2 in PSAC play... Clarion was without starting quarterback Connor Simmons and starting running back Delrece Williams against Seton Hill... quarterback Jeff Clemens made his first career start, completing 16 of 32 passes for 176 and two touchdowns with no interceptions... Kyle Evans got the start at running back and recorded 201 all-purpose yards, including 51 rushing yards, 13 receiving yards and 137 return yards... Kevin Genevro continues to take the lead at the wide receiver position, catching two touchdowns against Seton Hill to reach seven on the season... Brandon Vocco had a career-high nine tackles and his first career sack on Saturday... Jacob Craig recorded a career-high 12 tackles against the Griffins.
East Stroudsburg: ESU improved to 4-2 (2-1 PSAC East) with 38-23 win at Millersville, its 14th in the last 16 meetings with the Marauders. R-Sr. TB Robert Healy had 208 yards from scrimmage and 4 TD (163 rushing, 3 TD; 45 receiving, TD) and R-Sr. QB Bruce Campbell had 330 yards total offense and 2 TD (242 passing, TD; 88 rushing, TD). ESU's defense forced 3 turnovers and had 7 sacks. R-So. P Sam O'Brien, the PSAC leader in average (42.2), twice pinned Millersville inside its 5-yard line, leading to 14 points. ESU head coach Denny Douds moved into t-8th in NCAA all-division history in games coached (446), and t-4th in games coached at one school. He trails only John Gagliardi of St. John's (Minn.) (607), Eddie Robinson of Grambling (588) and Joe Paterno of Penn State (548). Healy entered ranked 2nd in DII in yards from scrimmage (202.2 ypg) and 6th in rushing (147.2 ypg), leading the PSAC by nearly 40 yards in both categories. He had his ESU record 15th career 100-yard rushing game, set a school record for career rush attempts (626) and moved into the top 10 in career receptions (133). Healy extended his school records for career rushing yards (3,729) and yards from scrimmage (5,571). He is 111 yards from ESU's career all-purpose yards record held by All-America wide receiver Evan Prall (5,682 yards - 2003-06). Healy has accounted for 46.6 percent of ESU's yards this season. The Warriors host PSAC East leader Kutztown Saturday (7:05 p.m.) on the American Sports Network.
Edinboro: Edinboro celebrated Homecoming with a 41-17 win over Gannon in front of 5.662 fans, snapping a three-game losing streak to the Golden Knights ... at 5-1, Edinboro is off to its best start since 2007 ... the Fighting Scots piled up a season-high 572 yards and also had a season-high 172 yards rushing ... the offensive line did not allow a sack for the second straight game ... Edinboro attempted 57 passes, the third-highest total in a game ... defensively, Edinboro limited a Gannon offense which came in ranked second in the PSAC and 27th in Division II in rushing (215.6 ypg.) to 82 yards. The Scots intercepted four passes and had six sacks ... Edinboro finished with a 400-yard passer, two 100-yard receivers, and a 100-yard rusher ... Jake Sisson continued his great season, setting career highs for completions (33) and attempts (56), with the 33 completions ranking fourth overall in a game and the 56 attempts ranking third in a game. He posted his second career 400-yard game, with his 400 yards passing ranking seventh overall, and finished with 427 yards in total offense, which ranks eighth in a game. Sisson has now thrown two-or-more touchdown passes in all six games, and has 24 TD passes this season, tied for fourth in a season. He has thrown for 2,047 yards, which is tenth in a season, and is also tenth in season total offense (2,170) and has moved into seventh place in career total offense (4,592 yards) ... Alex Caratelli matched his career-high with 13 catches, good for 188 (10th in a game) and two TDs, while freshman Ta'Nauz Gregory posted season-bests of 10 catches for 136 yards and a score. He has now scored a touchdown in five of his six games ... Walter Fletcher had his second career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 135 yards on 13 carries with 2 TDs, along with 5 receptions ... on defense, Brandon Anderson, Maurice Sims, Marquese Moore, and Gabe Tillman all recorded their first career interceptions ... Edinboro will look to win the mythical Erie County championship on Saturday, October 15, playing at Mercyhurst.
Gannon: Gannon dropped a 41-17 decision at rival Edinboro last Saturday ... the Golden Knights dropped their third consecutive game after winning its first three ... Edinboro snapped a three-game losing streak against Gannon, defeating the Golden Knights for the first time since October 6, 2012 ... redshirt senior Carpenter led Gannon in tackles for the second consecutive game, reaching double digits for the third time this season ... Carpenter tied his career-high in tackles set last week against Mercyhurst ... sophomore Anthony Howard reached double digits in tackles for the third consecutive game, finishing one stop shy of his career-high ... Howard's interception during the second quarter was the first of his career ... sophomore A.J. Satcher recorded an interception for the second consecutive week ... junior Karch Holland moved past Kevin Cloherty (1999-02) and into ninth place all-time with 170 career points ... Holland also extended his streak of consecutive extra point conversions to 30 dating back to last season.
Lock Haven: The LHU football team finally cracked the win column in 2016 thanks to another career day from QB Caleb Walton (5 TDs) and solid team effort rushing ... Walton and a season-high 249 rushing yards from LHU were key in the 51-12 Week 6 win at Cheyney ... It marked LHU's fifth straight win over Cheyney ... The Bald Eagles are now 1-5 overall and 1-2 in PSAC Eastern Division play ... Walton threw for three TDs and rushed for two more ... Walton now has 59 career TD passes and is just two away from breaking the all-time school record ... His five total touchdowns vs. Cheyney give him 68 career TDs responsible for and he's just four away from breaking that school record as well ... Walton is just 100 yards away (1,900) from becoming just the second LHU QB in history to pass for over 2,000 yards in three straight seasons ... His 7,756 career passing yards are the second-most in school history.
Millersville: Redshirt freshman quarterback Tony Staffieri had an impressive first career start. He piled up 408 yards of total offense, coming with 39 of Drew Folmar's single-game record set in 1999. Staffieri rushed for 162 yards, becoming the first Marauder since the 2014 season finale to rush for 100 yards and it was the most rushing yards by a QB in the "Statcrew Era" which dates to 2002. He threw three TD passes--all to Kevin Wiggins. Wiggins boosted his season total to five and his career total to 17, which moves him to seventh place in Millersville history. Sean Dugan entered the game as the PSAC's top tackler and made 14 stops, giving him double-digit tackles in four of the last five games.
Seton Hill: Seton Hill improves to 4-2 with a 27-23 come from behind win over Clarion at home. It is the most wins by a SHU program since the 2008 season. SHU trailed 23-10 entering the fourth quarter but scored the final 17 points of the game. Khalil Howard scored twice in the fourth quarter from two yards out. Seton Hill had 33 first downs to 17 for Clarion. SHU outgained the Golden Eagles 507-291 including 314-176 in the air. Khalil Howard led the Griffins on the ground with 140 yards on 27 carries with 2 touchdowns. Christian Strong finished the game 21-35 for 198 yards and 1 touchdown. Cory Cavanaugh finished 9-12 for 116 yards. Logan Carns had 6 receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. Norman Darden also had 6 receptions for 55 yards. Nicholas Boynton led SHU with 8 total tackles including one for a loss.
Shippensburg: Shippensburg (4-2, 2-1 PSAC East) lost 31-15 at West Chester on Saturday...SU pitched a second-half shutout for the fourth consecutive week, but West Chester (3-3, 2-1) erupted for 31 points before halftime (24 in the second quarter)...sophomore quarterback Chase Yocum, making his first collegiate start, ran for a career-high 115 yards on 16 carries...Shippensburg completed an 18-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, the longest yielded this season by West Chester, with a 1-yard touchdown run by redshirt-junior Cole Chiappialle (his fifth 1-yard TD run of the year)...junior Billy Deane punted seven times Saturday, averaging 43 yards per boot, including a career-long 70-yard punt in the third quarter...Deane became the 10th Red Raider in school history to uncork a 70-yard punt, and the first since Kyler Ford in 2009...SU has out-scored the opposition 80-10 in the second half, including 59-0 in the fourth quarter.
Slippery Rock: Shawn Lutz is now 5-1 in his first year as head coach ... The SRU win marks the first time in the series between SRU and Mercyhurst that a team has won back-to-back games in the series ... SRU now leads the all-time series 5-4 ... The Rock ran their home winning streak to 20 games, the longest in the country, and have not lost at home since the final game of the 2012 season ... Marcus Martin broke the SRU career record for tackles for loss with 2.0 on the night, bringing his total to 61.0 TFL and topping the former record of 60.0 set by Matt Kinsinger ... Dontez Rash made his first career start at running back and had his first career 100-yard game and his first career multi-TD game ... Jake Chapla hit from 44 and 51 yards on FG attempts and now has four field goals of at least 44 yards this season ... his 51-yarder is the second longest in SRU history and is the first 50 yard FG for an SRU kicker since 2003 when John Katsaouni hit the program record 52-yarder ... SRU played without All-American running back Shamar Greene on offense and without Cody Conway, Bob Vernick, Cody Allen and John Conglose on defense ... the game was televised nationally by ESPN 3 as part of the Sportsfever TV Package.
West Chester: The Rams climbed to .500 with a 31-15 win against Shippensburg. Jarel Elder turned in a pair of second quarter touchdowns to put WCU up 21-0 at the intermission. The Rams travel to Bloomsburg Saturday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.