 |
| Junior Blake Bowman (Valley View, Pa./Tri-Valley) ran for 111 yards on 22 carries |
Junior quarterback Chase Whiteman (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) finished 16-of-28 with a touchdown and an interception in his first career start, as he used five receivers in the loss. Susquehanna’s Nick Crusco finished 21-of-35 for 231 yards and two touchdowns to lead the team to its first win in the rivalry game since 2007.
Lycoming ran for 206 yards and added 156 passing yards for a respectable 362 yards of total offense, 15 more than Susquehanna, but four fumbles, two of which were lost, and an interception hindered the team.
The Warriors got started immediately, rushing 10 times for 62 yards on the first drive of the game, ending the 12-play effort when Bowman found the end zone from one yard out after rushing seven times for 45 yards during the drive.
After a pair of fruitless drives to open the game, the Crusaders got on the board with a five-play, 45-yard drive, using a 34-yard pass from Nick Crusco to D. Holloway in order to set up the score three plays later when Kris Stern found the endzone from a yard out with 1:18 left in the first quarter.
Susquehanna kept the momentum in the second quarter, scoring touchdowns as a Lycoming fumble at its own 18 led to a three-play drive for a touchdown. After an eight-play drive, Susquehanna took the ball 98 yards in 16 plays, scoring on a 17-yard touchdown from Patrick Cutillo, taking a 21-7 lead with 2:31 left in the first half.
Susquehanna’s opening drive of the third quarter ended with an interception, but after a Lycoming 3-and-out, the Crusaders found the end zone on a five-play, 50-yard drive, with backup quarterback Matt Thies finding Holloway for a 19-yard score with 10:05 left in the quarter.
Lycoming’s offense got moving at the start of the fourth quarter, getting the ball at the 20 and moving 80 yards on nine plays, with Whiteman capping the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to junior Keeghan Morrison (Loysville, Pa./West Perry).
Susquehanna responded with a drive that ate 4:28 off the clock before a missed field goal gave Lycoming the ball at its own 30. It moved to the Susquehanna 18 before the drive ended up stalling, ending when Whiteman was tackled at the 16-yard line on a 4-and-13 from the 21-yard line. The Crusaders were able to run the clock out from there.
Senior Pat Whalen (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) caught a career-high six passes for 49 yards while senior Ryan Umpleby (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) caught three passes for 37 yards. Freshman Nick Costello (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) also added three catches for 33 yards and Morrison caught two for 36 yards and a score.
Holloway led the Crusaders with five catches for 77 yards and a score and Patrick Cutillo added seven receptions for 57 yards and a score.
Junior Jon Rummel (Lykens, Pa./Williams Valley) led the Warriors with seven tackles, three for a loss and two sacks. Senior Phil Schron (Albrightsville, Pa./Marian Catholic) and senior Matt Malecki (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) each added seven tackles a piece and sophomore Mike Ward () added six stops, an interception and a breakup. Senior Brian Campbell (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) added four tackles, two for a loss and a sack.
Tom McLoughlin led the Crusaders with 14 tackles, an interception and a tackle for loss and Jim Barry posted 12 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a breakup. Kyle Micik notched four stops, three for a loss and two sacks and C.J. Williams posted nine tackles, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups.
The Warriors open the Middle Atlantic Conference season on Sept. 12, when they head to Stevenson for a 1 p.m. game at Mustang Stadium.
