Friday, September 27, 2019

Lycoming Football - Warriors Battle In Key Game Against The Monarchs

Fired Up For King's / John Green Photo
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - I think everyone associated with Warrior football knows the importance of this away game against the King's Monarchs. King's has been touch and physical lately. Saturday's game is their homecoming so the place will be packed. I think that will fire up the Lycoming football team. It is fun playing in an electrified atmosphere either home or away. So below is some facts and comment about this important game.


Inches from a touchdown by Sr WR Christoff Minott / John Green Photo
So QB Elijah Shemory is the probable starter Saturday / John Green Photo
So RB Chase Cramer breaks through the hole / John Green Photo
Coming off a tough double-overtime loss to Wilkes, the Lycoming College football team will hit the road for another Middle Atlantic Conference contest, facing King's on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium.

The Warriors (1-2 overall, 0-1 MAC) scored 17 second-half points to come-from-behind in the 24-17 loss to Wilkes, with senior Jarrell Payne picking up a fumble and returning it to the 10-yard line in the third quarter to spearhead the rally. Senior Christoff Minott capped the rally with a 47-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

The Monarchs (2-0 overall, 0-0 MAC) open their MAC slate after posting a 41-19 win at Hartwick on Sept. 21. Jordan Downes ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns in the game.

Warrior Notes
• The Warriors are second in the MAC in red zone offense, scoring on 10-of-12 possessions inside their opponents' 25-yard line. The Warriors have seven touchdowns and three field goals inside the 25.

• With his 98 all-purpose yards against Wilkes, senior Keith Batkowski reached 1,000 career all-purpose yards.

• Senior Jamie Fisher needs to make two more field goals to tie the school record of 30 set by John Phillips (1989-92).

• Fisher leads the MAC and is 18th nationally with 1.33 made field goals per game. He is third amongst Division III kickers with his 28 field goals made in his career.

• Senior Korahn Williams needs one more tackle to become the fifth Warrior defender on the 2019 roster with 100 in his career. 

• Freshman Austin Rowley became the first Warrior rookie to post 10 tackles in a game since Ryan Cocciadiferro had 10 against Wilkes in 2018.

Red Zone Efficiency
Through the first three games, the Warriors have been one of the most efficient red zone offense in the MAC. Lycoming has scored in 10 of its 12 trips inside their opponents' 25-yard line, which is tied for the best mark in the MAC with Albright, which is 5-of-6 in the red zone. The Warriors have scored touchdowns on seven of those possessions, while senior Jamie Fisher has connected on field goals in three other trips inside the 25.
 
Fisher's Field Goals
With four field goals in the first three games, senior Jamie Fisher has continued his climb up the  school's career field goal record book, currently sitting at 28 in his career. Fisher has been perfect on field goal attempts this year, moving within two of the school record of 30 made field goals set by John Phillips from 1989-92. He has hit two of the top-10 longest field goals in program history and he has already set a school record with seven career 40-yard field goals. Fisher is the first Warrior in program history to hit 10 field goals in back-to-back years after hitting 13-of-18 as a sophomore and 10-of-17 as a junior. He is also tied for third amongst Division III players in active career leaders with the 28 field goals in his career.

The New Crop
After graduating a receiving corps that accounted for 70 percent of the team's yards in the past three years, the Warriors have turned to a quarter that accounted for just 31 career catches in their careers entering this season. Senior Stephen Toczylousky heads the group, as he has averaged 90.7 yards per game, making 13 grabs and catching two touchdown passes in the first three weeks. Junior Tyjah During is second on the team with 150 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions and senior Dezmen Johnson is third with 83 yards and a touchdown in just two games. Senior Christoff Minott has also made six grabs for 97 yards and two touchdowns. In all, 12 receivers have already caught a pass this year.
 
Reaching 100
After four Warriors reached 100 career tackles in 2018, three have already the mark in 2019, with a fourth closing in on the mark. Senior Korahn Williams, a defensive back, enters the game with King's with 99 career tackles, posting 38 as a freshman, 28 as a sophomore, 24 as a junior and nine this year. 

Three Warriors reached the mark in the win over Widener.  Senior Jarrell Payne, a linebacker, leads the group with 111 career tackles, posting 19 as a freshman, 42 as a sophomore, 33 as a junior and 17 this year. Senior Sam Pawlikowski, a linebacker, has added 113 stops, posting two as a freshman, 59 as a sophomore, 30 as a junior and a team-best 22 this year. Senior Ahmad Curtis, a defensive lineman, was third to reach the mark against the Pride, as he now has 109 in his career after posting 12 as a freshman, 31 as a sophomore, 50 as a junior and 16 this year. 

Senior cornerback D.J. Boyd entered the year with 100 tackles. He posted 25 tackles as a freshman, 13 in an medical hardship year and 52 as a sophomore, 25 as a junior and has eight this year. 

Botts a Campbell Trophy semifinalist
Senior offensive lineman Cody Botts was announced as a candidate for the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Awards, making him one of the semifinalists for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Mazda. Botts has started 23 straight games for the Warrior as a left tackle, helping lead the team to a 5-6 season and a berth in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series in 2018 after finishing tied for fourth in the conference. The history major has made three straight appearances on the MAC Academic Honor Roll and two straight appearances on both the Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and the Academic All-MAC team.
 
A team captain, Botts has also been named to the college's Dean's List in all six semesters he has been enrolled. He was inducted into both the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society and Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society. He has volunteered with the football team in the Favors Forward Spring Cleanup in each of the last three years and participated in a Montoursville Elementary School Reading Program as a sophomore.


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