Saturday, September 14, 2013

Lycoming rolls past Wilkes, 34-18

WR Matt Atkinson Scores Second TD (Photo by Dick Hostrander)
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – As the week progressed, Lycoming College head football coachMike Clark said he believed that the running game would hold the key in Saturday, Sept. 14’s home opener against Middle Atlantic Conference foe Wilkes. It turned out he wasn’t wrong, as the Warriors posted 154 rushing yards in the 34-18 win.

But he wasn’t totally right, either.

Junior Tyler Jenny (Coalport, Pa./Glendale), a week after throwing for less than 50 percent in a game for just the second time in 12 career starts, finished 20-for-21 passing for 305 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Warrior offense, which rolled up 459 yards in the game.

 Jenny completed all his attempts in the game’s final 45 minutes, a stretch of 14 throws that yielded 259 yards and two scores, as he became the first Warrior to throw for 300 yards in a game since Colin Dwyer threw for 304 yards against King’s in 2009.

Senior Matt Atkinson (Media, Pa./Penncrest) was Jenny’s favorite target, catching six balls for 91 yards and two scores while also rushing the ball twice for 24 yards. Sophomore Ryan Umpleby (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) added five catches for 115 yards and a score.

On the ground, junior Craig Needhammer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) finished with 27 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown.

The Warriors (1-1 overall, 1-0 MAC) fell behind early in the first quarter, as a sack by Jon Koslop on the Warriors’ first offensive play led to a fumble at the Wilkes 9-yard line and Michael Paskas picked it up at the 10 yard-line. Four plays later, Jordan Fredo notched a 27-yard field goal.

From there, though, the Warriors dominated the next 35 minutes, scoring 34 unanswered points, starting with an 11-yard pass from Jenny to Atkinson that capped a seven-play, 54-yard drive with 3:19 left.

Needhammer scored from one-yard out with 6:08 left to help the Warriors take a 14-3 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Warriors exploded for 20 points, with Atkinson kicking off the scoring as Lycoming covered 92 yards in the opening drive of the second half in just six plays. Atkinson dove across the goalline on a 13-yard slant pattern.

The Warriors added their first defensive touchdown since 2011 with 10:27 left in the third, as senior C.J. Arhontakis (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) picked off a pass at the Lycoming nine-yard line, found the sideline and picked up a block before reversing field and completing his 91-yard scamper into the end zone. The return was the third-longest in school history.

Umpleby rounded out Lycoming’s scoring with 3:48 left, as he scored on a 38-yard pass to cap a six-play, 79-yard drive.

The Colonels closed the gap in the fourth quarter with 15 points, as Ryan Casey scored on a 26-yard pass six seconds into the fourth and Marcus Leaf notched a 93-yard fumble recovery for a touchdowns with 2:32 left after the Warriors had driven to the Wilkes seven.

Lycoming’s defense held Wilkes to 259 yards of offense, including just 107 on the ground. Wilkes quarterback Tyler Berntsen finished 11-of-27 for 152 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 10 carries for 36 yards despite being sacked three times. Casey notched five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Tyler Denike (South Boardman, Mich./Forest Area) and junior Tanner Troutman(Hegins, Pa./Tri-Valley) led the Warriors with seven tackles. Junior Braden Zeiner (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall-Coplay) notched six tackles, three for loss and two sacks in a breakthrough day for the defensive end.

Tate Moore-Jacobs led the Colonels with 13 tackles and Omar Richardson added eight stops.

The Warriors get back on the field on Saturday, Sept. 21, when they host MAC foe Misericordia at 1:30 p.m. at David Person Field.