For the second straight year, Dickinson College senior running back Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa/Bangor) was selected to the Verizon Academic All-America District II Football Team.  The Centennial Conference was well represented as six players from members schools were named to this year’s squad.

Smith led the Devils in rushing for the third straight season with a career-best 909 yards.  He ran for 2,138 yards in his career, placing him sixth on the all-time list at Dickinson. He also totaled an even 3,100 all-purpose yards to make him fourth all-time in that category.  Smith led the Red Devils in scoring as well with a career-best 11 touchdowns this season and had a team-high 10 receptions, earning second-team All-CC honors this fall.

As a team the Red Devils rushed for 2,531 yards this season, averaging 253.1 per game.  They finished 13th in the nation for rushing offense and won their 12th Centennial Conference rushing title in the last 14 years.  The offense continued to gain momentum throughout the season, averaging 299 yards per outing over the final six games of the season.

Dickinson won three of its final four games to finish the 2001 campaign even at 5-5.  The Red Devils have posted 15 consecutive non-losing seasons.  In just nine seasons, head coach Darwin Breaux has produced the most wins in program history with a 60-32-1 record overall.

Dickinson College placed five players on the 2001 All-Centennial Conference football team announced on Monday. The Red Devils had three selections to the first-team and two earn second-team  honors.

Leading the pack was three-time first-team defensive end Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards), who became the 27th player in Conference history to accomplish that feat.  The senior captain led the Devil defensive unit with 71 tackles, including eight-for-loss and four sacks.  He finishes his career second on the all-time sack list with 27.5 for minus 163 yards, and eighth for tackles with a 231.

Joining Fischer on the first-team defense was junior linebacker turned safety Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa).  Jackowski began the season as a linebacker, but moved in the secondary to replace an injured Kevin Myers at safety.  He proved to be solid in both positions, finishing second on the team with 68 tackles, five-for-loss and two sacks.  Jackowski also picked of a pair of passes for 59 return yards and broke up five passes.

Freshman Scott Blum (Howell, NJ/Howell) kept the string of All-Centennial offensive lineman going strong. Blum was the only freshman to be named to the All-CC team this season, earning first-team honors in the trenches.  Local junior Terran Roberts (Carlisle, Pa/Carlisle) was also selected to the second-team on the offensive line.

Blum and Roberts were key elements to the Devils’ explosive running attack that led to their 12th CC rushing title in the last 14 seasons.  Dickinson racked up 2,531 yards on the ground, averaging just over 299 yards over the final six games.  Dickinson has had at least one offensive lineman named 
All-CC each year except one since 1987.

Rounding out the honorees was senior running back Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa/Bangor). Smith led the Devils in rushing for the third straight season with a career-best 909 yards.  He ran for 2,138 yards in his career, placing him sixth on the all-time list at Dickinson. He also totaled an even 3,100 all-purpose yards to make him fourth all-time in that category.  Smith led the Red Devils in scoring as well with a career-best 11 touchdowns this season and had a team-high 10 receptions.

Dickinson won three of its final four games to finish the 2001 campaign even at 5-5.  The Red Devils have posted 15 consecutive non-losing seasons.  In just nine seasons, head coach Darwin Breaux has produced the most wins in program history with a 60-32-1 record overall.

Western Maryland senior quarterback Boo Harris repeated as the Offensive Player of the Year while classmate Jason Wingeart earned the Defensive honor.
 

(Carlisle, Pa) --  Ursinus College erased a 21-14 halftime deficit, scoring 26 second half points to overtake Dickinson 40-28 in the Centennial Conference season-finale.  The Bears finish at 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the CC.  Dickinson concludes its 15th consecutive non-losing season at 5-5 and 3-3.

The Red Devils came out of the gate on fire, driving 70 yards in just 1:44 on their opening possession to take a 7-0 lead.  The Bears answered right back on the ensuing kick-off as Mike Dale broke free and went 79 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with just two minutes gone.

Dickinson engineered another long scoring drive capped by a four-yard run by senior tailback Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa) for his second touchdown of the day.  He would finish with 90 yards on 15 carries for a career-high season total of 909.  He rounds out his career sixth on the all-time rushing list with 2,138 yards and fourth all-time for all-purpose yardage with an even 3,100.

Ursinus would knot the score at 14-14 on a one-yard run by CC rushing leader Shearrod Duncan.  Duncan entered the game needing 162 yards to break Dickinson Hall of Famer Mike Birosak’s single-season conference mark of 1,798.  The Red Devil defense was intent on not allowing that to happen on Biddle Field, holding him to negative yardage in the first quarter and 110 in the game. 

Duncan did manage to raise his school-record point total to 140 with four touchdowns and a 2-point conversion.  He found pay-dirt twice in the fourth quarter to put the Bears in front 40-26 after trailing 28-26 entering the final stanza. 

The comeback marks just the second time in 52 games that Dickinson has lost a game when leading after three quarters under head coach Darwin Breaux.  The Devils are 50-2 under Breaux when taking the lead into the final quarter.

One reason for that statistic has been the Devils’ patient and time consuming offense.  They held a 35:31-24:29 advantage in time of possession, but key turnovers kept Ursinus in the game.

Senior fullback Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) gave a solid farewell performance as well, rushing for 90 yards on the day and the Devils’ third touchdown to give them a 21-14 lead at the end of the first half.

Special teams were also a big factor in the game as sophomore Chris Plaviak (Mountaintop, Pa/Shenandoah) blocked a punt into the hands of Andy Kerstetter (Camp Hill, Pa/Cedar Cliff) who ran it in from 16 yards, putting Dickinson on top 28-14 at the 12:42 mark of the third quarter.

Kerstetter then blocked his school-record tying sixth career kick on an extra-point to keep the Devil lead at 28-20. 

Mike Dale would come up big again on special teams, blocking a punt which Thomas Reilly picked up and rumbled 50 yards into the endzone.  The Bears’ two-point conversion failed and the Devils remained in the lead.

Ursinus then took advantage of two Dickinson turnovers in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback with a 40-28 decision.

The Devils rushed for 325 yards on the afternoon, including a 254-yard first half. The Devils were just shy of the 200 yard mark in the opening quarter, covering 191 yards.  Following the break, the Bears made some adjustments , allowing just 71 yards in the second half.

Mark Hineman led the defensive effort with a game-high 17 tackles (13 solo) and Reilly added 14 tackles to his touchdown return.

Senior linebacker Matt Rossi (Hockessin, De/The Hill School) led the Dickinson defense with nine tackles, including three-for-loss. Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa) had seven tackles and Chuck Nesley (Pottstown, Pa/Owen J. Roberts) and Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) each added six.

Offensively, freshman quarterback Jake Ramsey (Duncannon, Pa/Susquenita) rushed for a career-high 112 yards and junior Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy) returned four kick-offs for 89 yards.

The Red Devils should win their second straight Centennial Conference rushing title, their 12th in the last 14 seasons, finishing with 2,531 yards on the year.  The team averaged 253.1 yards per game, rushing for over 300 yards on three occasions and over 200 yards on five others.  Over the course of the last six games, the Devils averaged 299 yards on the ground.

(Gettysburg, Pa) --  The Dickinson College football team (5-4, 3-2 Centennial) shutout Gettysburg (3-6, 0-5 CC) 30-0 on Saturday to keep possession of the Little Brown Bucket for the sixth straight year.  The Devils have won seven of the last eight meetings, playing to a 7-7 tie in 1995.

Senior tailback Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa) rushed for 170 yards on 23 carries and the Devils’ first two touchdowns.  He scored on runs of three yards and one yard to put Dickinson in front 14-0 early in the second quarter.  Smith also returned three punts for 33 yards to give him 200+ all-purpose yards for the second straight week.

Freshman kicker Drew Magyar (Morrisville, Pa/Pennsbury) tacked on a 25-yard field goal to give the Devils a 17-0 advantage at halftime.

Freshman quarterback Jake Ramsey (Duncannon, Pa/Susquenita) dove in from one yard out three seconds into the fourth quarter and senior fullback Paul Cooney (Scituate, Ma/Boston College) scored his first career touchdown with 2:02 remaining in the game.

The Red Devils continued to pound out the rushing yards, amassing 358 on the day, two shy of the season-high.  Ramsey finished with 81 yards on nine carries, Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy) had 35 on seven carries and Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) chipped in with 27 yards on eight attempts.

Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa/Pottstown) and Michael Corbin (Greencastle, Pa/Greencastle-Antrim) gave solid performances both defensively and on special teams, each with a team-high seven tackles. Jackowski added two pass break-ups while Corbin recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter.

Defensive ends Erik Sadowski (Clarks Summitt, Pa/Abington Hts) and Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) combined for nine tackles and one sack each on the day.  Sadowski also had three tackles-for-loss. Chuck Nesley (Pottstown, Pa/Owen J. Roberts) got in on the act with six tackles, Andy Kerstetter (Camp Hill, Pa/Cedar Cliff) had five and freshman Bob Hess (Annville, Pa/Annville-Cleona) had two sacks for minus 14 yards.

On the day, the Red Devil defense held Gettysburg to just 65 yards rushing, 168 yards of total offense and allowed just 2-of-13 third down conversions.

The Devils return to Biddle Field next weekend for the regular-season finale against Ursinus at 1:00 pm.

The Dickinson defense held Gettysburg to 168 yards of
offense and had four sacks on the day.

Senior fullback Paul Cooney spent most of the afternoon
leading the way with blocks before scoring his first TD
as a Devil in the fourth quarter.
(All Photos by Matt Shaffer)

(Carlisle, Pa) --  Dickinson College erased a 14-0 halftime deficit to force overtime and capture a 17-14 come-from-behind win over Johns Hopkins on Saturday.  Senior running back Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa) had a phenomenal afternoon, rushing for 184 yards and both Devil touchdowns. Smith carried 13 times for 114 yards in the fourth quarter alone, including a 17-yard touchdown to tie the game with just 5:23 remaining.

Johns Hopkins jumped out to a 14-0 lead at halftime, scoring once in each of the first two periods on a 12-yard run by Scott Martorana and a one-yard dive from quarterback Rob Heleniak.

The Devils managed just 28 yards of rushing offense in the first half, but exploded for 183 in the final two quarters and added eight in OT to finish the day with 219.  Freshman quarterback Keven Williams (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Twp) was team’s second leading rusher with a modest 15 yards and threw for a career-high 81 yards on just three completions.

Dickinson scored on its first possession of the third quarter to cut the lead in half at 14-7.  Following a two-yard run from Williams, Smith broke free and scampered 36 yards into the endzone.  Later Smith would get the call on all five plays of a 73-yard scoring drive to knot the game at 14-14.

The Devils had a chance to end the game in regulation, but Drew Magyar’s (Morrisville, Pa/Pennsbury) field-goal attempt from 27-yards out sailed wide left with just 25 seconds remaining.  Hopkins looked for a homerun ball, but Sophomore Jimmy Sierotko (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) came up with the interception at Dickinson’s own 31.

Smith almost broke free again on the game’s final play, but was brought down after an 18-yard gain by Matt Campbell and Craig Reinert as time expired.

The Devils won the toss and this time Magyar split the uprights from 34-yards away to give Dickinson a 17-14 lead.  Hopkins moved the ball to Dickinson’s 15 yardline to give the Centennial Conference’s top kicker a shot to tie from 32 yards. Matt Andrade’s attempt missed left and the Devils claimed their 10th win over the Blue Jays in the last 11 meetings.

Defensively, the Red Devil defense gave another solid performance, holding the Blue Jays to just 74 yards of passing offense. Erik Sadowski (Clarks Summitt, Pa/Abington Hts) and Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) led the way with a game-high 10 tackles each.  Sadowski had three tackles-for-loss of 16 yards and a sack as well. Chuck Nesley (Pottstown, Pa/Owen J. Roberts) added nine tackles and an interception while Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa/Pottstown) chipped in with six tackles, one-for-loss and two pass break-ups.

Martorana carried on 44 of Hopkins’ 55 rushing plays for 169 yards.  Smith added an 18-yard kick-off return to give him 202 all-purpose yards and also saw some action on defense as a cornerback.

Dickinson improves to 4-4 overall and are even in the Centennial at 2-2.  Hopkins drops to 4-3 and 2-2.  The Devils take a short trip to Gettysburg next weekend to take on the Bullets for possession of the Little Brown Bucket.
 

Senior running back Mike Smith ran for 184 yards, 114 in
the fourth quarter alone, and two touchdowns on Saturday.
(photos by Matt Shaffer).

(Union, NJ) --  In a rare Saturday night contest, freshman quarterback Keven Williams (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Twp) rushed for 109 yards on nine carries and had two touchdowns to lead Dickinson past Kean University 17-7.  The Devils racked up 253 yards of offense, all on the ground as they ran on 55-of-56 offensive plays.

Dickinson looked sharp right from the start as Mike Jackowski (Pottsville, Pa/Pottsville) picked Jaimez Holloway on Kean’s first possession.  Dickinson could not capitalize, however, and turned the ball over on downs deep in Cougar territory.  Kean then drew first blood on a school record 91-yard touchdown run by fullback D.J. Fiori.

The Red Devils answered almost immediately when Williams scampered 53 yards on a quarterback draw to even the score at 7-7.  The score remained locked until a 19-yard field goal by freshman kicker Drew Magyar (Morrisville, Pa/Pennsbury)  put Dickinson on top for good 10-7.

Williams secured the win with a 32-yard touchdown on fourth and one with just 3:10 remaining in the game.  The Devils held on for the final three minutes to improve to 3-4 on the season.

Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy) added 63 yards on 14 carries and Paul Cooney (Scituate, Ma.Boston College) had another solid outing with 34 yards on seven carries.

Defensively it was freshman linebacker Bob Hess (Annville, Pa/Annville-Cleona) in his first start, leading the way with a team-high nine tackles.  Junior safety Andy Kerstetter (Camp Hill, Pa/Cedar Cliff) added a 20-yard interception return and just missed recording a safety on a mishandled punt snap.

Eric Sadowski (Clarks Summitt, Pa/Abington Hts) and Jackowski added eight tackles each while Trent Stumbaugh (Chambersburg, Pa) had seven.

Dickinson returns home and to Centennial Conference action next weekend when they host Johns Hopkins at 1:00 pm.

(Carlisle, Pa) --  Western Maryland continued its dominance of the Centennial Conference, spoiling Dickinson’s homecoming with a 47-21 victory on Saturday.  Despite the Devils’ 280 yards of rushing offense, they could not counter the balanced Green Terror attack which included 221 return yards and two touchdowns from sophomore French Pope.
Pope broke two punt returns for touchdowns, the second an 82-yard sprint early in the fourth quarter. 

Western Maryland opened up with a 14-0 first quarter lead and went into halftime leading 27-7 following a 45 yard punt return by Pope with just nine seconds on the clock.

The Green Terror went 88 yards on their first possession of the second half, capped by a 52-yard strike from quarterback Boo Harris to Terron Powell.  Harris threw for 245 yards on the afternoon and two touchdowns.

Senior tailback Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa) was just five yards shy of reaching the century mark for the second straight week.  He ran for 95 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.  Freshman quarterback Jake Ramsey (Duncannon, Pa/Susquenita) rushed for 72 yards while fullbacks Paul Cooney (Scituate, Ma/Boston College) and Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) added 55 and 42 yards, respectively.

Wide receiver Joe Maloney (W. Simsbury, Ct/Williston Northampton, Ma) scored his first career touchdown, recovering a fumble into the endzone by Ramsey midway through the third quarter.  Sophomore wideout John Mervin (Yardley, Pa/Hun School) also caught four passes for 40 yards.

Defensively, Chuck Nesley (Pottstown, Pa/Owen J. Roberts) had a team-high nine tackles and a fumble recovery while Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa/Pottstown) had seven tackles and Dan Zito (Baltimore, Md/Gilman) added a sack for –12 yards.  Michael Corbin (Greencastle, Greencastle-Antrim) also chipped in with a pair of tackles and an interception.

Western Maryland extends it’s conference winning-streak to 32 straight games as they improve to 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Centennial.  Dickinson drops to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the CC.  The Devils travel to Union, New Jersey next weekend for a 7:00 kick-off at Kean University on Saturday night.
 

The win could not have come in more Breaux-like fashion as the Red Devils pounded out a season-high 360 yards on the ground. Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa) led the way with 150 yards and one touchdown. Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy) and Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) added a 87 and 82 yards, respectively, each scoring once.

Freshman quarterback Keven Williams (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Twp) earned his first collegiate win as a starter, scoring on a one-yard run in the second quarter.

Defensively, Dickinson held the Diplomats to just 65 yards on the ground and 231 yards of total offense on the afternoon.  Erik Sadowski (Clarks Summitt, Pa/Abington Hts) posted a team-best eight tackles, three-for-loss and one sack while Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) and Bill Corcoran (Downingtown, Pa) each added six.

Ryan Earley (Pompton Lakes, NJ), starting his second game on both sides of the ball, had three tackles and his first career interception, returning it 18 yards in the fourth quarter. 

The Devils took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a 27-yard run from MacPhee and went on top 14-0 on Williams’ first career score.  Dickinson tacked on two more scores in the third on an 8-yard run from Smith and a 27-yarder by Tiberi.

F&M’s Dave Makson came off the bench to throw for 158 yards and two touchdowns as Matt Wagaman and Steve Cipriano combined for 124 yards receiving.  Chris Gallino and Pete Mohoric led the Diplomat defense with 18 and 17 tackles, respectively.

Dickinson improves to 2-3 overall, 1-1 in the conference and will face Centennial leader and defending champion Western Maryland on homecoming weekend next Saturday.
 

(Carlisle, Pa) -  A slow start and costly turnovers led to Dickinson’s third straight loss as they dropped a 27-12 decision to visiting Albright Saturday afternoon.  Three Red Devil fumbles and a pair of interceptions led to two Albright touchdowns as they improved to 3-0 on the season.

Keith Johnson rushed for a game-high 139 yards and one score and Justin Holland caught two passes both for touchdowns to lead the Lions offensively.  Quarterback Mike Strack threw for 146 yards and two TD’s before leaving with in an injury late in the third period.

Dickinson came to life with 223 yards on the ground in the second half after gaining just 43 in the first 30 minutes.
Junior tailback Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy) became the first Devil to rush for 100 yards this season. He ran for 106, most of which came on a 71 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter cutting the lead to 20-12.

Senior Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa) ran for 91 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown as Dickinson finished the day with 266 yards rushing.

Defensively, Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa) had a big afternoon with a career and game-high 12 tackles, all solo and Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) added a matching 12 tackles and tallied his 26th career sack.  Matt Rossi (Hockessin, De/Tower Hill School) joined in with 11 tackles, three for loss, and Trent Stumbaugh (Chambersburg, Pa) had eight tackles and blocked a field-goal.

Albright struck first on a 10-yard pass from Strack to Ernie Woolf midway through the second quarter to give the Lions a 7-0 lead at the half.  Smith scored on a nine-yard run at the 9:41 mark of the third, but the extra-point attempt was blocked making the score 7-6.

Albright added a pair of scores late in the third and early in the fourth to put them in front 20-6.  Tiberi answered with a 71-yard run on the first play following Stumbaugh’s blocked field-goal to cut the lead to eight with 9:06 remaining.  Albright closed out the scoring with a six-yard pass from John Port to Justin Holland with just over two minutes to go in the game.

Dickinson falls to 1-3 on the season and will have next weekend off before returning to Centennial Conference action on October 6th when they travel to Franklin & Marshall for the Conestoga Wagon game.
Boxscore

(Allentown, Pa) – Muhlenberg (2-1, 1-0) became just the second Centennial Conference team to take three straight games from Dickinson (1-2, 0-1), handing the Devils a 47-3 loss in both teams’ Conference opener.

The Mules wasted no time, taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and adding six more early in the second for a 20-0 advantage at the half.  Matt Bernardo led the way for the Mules with 133 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Bernardo scored his third TD of the day on the Mules’ first possession to open the second half, capping a 64 yard drive with an eight yard run to extend the lead to 27-0.

The Devils appeared to have some life on their first possession as Isaac Custer (Annville, Pa/Annville-Cleona), replacing an injured George Gonzalez (Howell, NJ), connected with senior wide-out Ryan Earley (Pompton Lakes, NJ) for a 34 yard strike to the Muhlenberg 17 yard line.

With the help of a pair of Mule penalties, Dickinson found themselves first-and-goal from the two.  The Muhlenberg defense held, however, driving the Devils back to the 15 where they settled for a field goal, cutting the margin to 27-3.

That would be as close as they would come as Muhlenberg tacked on three more scores, two from senior tailback Kamali Roberts.

Custer finished the game 3-for-9 for 48 yards while rushing for 32 of the Devils’ 132 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Andy Kerstetter (Camp Hill, Pa/Cedar Cliff) moved to safety this week and led the way with seven tackles, two break-ups, an interception and blocked an extra-point attempt.  Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa) added six tackles, one-for-loss, a sack and forced a fumble from his linebacker position.

Senior linebacker Doug Folger led the Mules with a game-high 13 tackles while Michael Ferreira added eight tackles, three-for-loss and a pair of sacks for Muhlenberg.

The Devils return home next weekend to face visiting Albright College at 1:00 pm.
Game Summary

Hobart took 3-0 lead in the first quarter and that would prove to be all the scoring until more than three quarters of play had passed.  The Statesmen converted from 44 yards out to double their lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. 

The Devils looked as if they were about to make something happen on the ensuing drive as junior quarterback George Gonzalez (Howell, NJ) connected with senior Ryan Earley (Pompton Lakes, NJ) for a 31-yard gain to the Hobart 35. A pass interference call and five-yard pass to senior tailback Mike Smith (Bangor,Pa) put Dickinson 15 yards away from paydirt.  The Devils clawed their way to the two-yard line, but on fourth and goal, the Hobart defense held with Skip Grantling coming up with a big play in the corner of the endzone.

Hobart took over on their own two yard line and were in no hurry to move the football.  On fourth down, punter Rob Crissafulli ran out of the endzone, sacrificing a safety rather than face a Devils’ special teams unit notorious for blocking kicks.  Andy Kerstetter (Camp Hill, Pa/Cedar Cliff) was in pursuit, just missing Crissafulli before he escaped out of bounds.

Dickinson had one final opportunity with 1:02 remaining, but Hobart’s defense held once again to secure the win.

Hobart’s Ty Godinho rushed for a modest game-high 73 yards while quarterback Craig Swanson went 9-for-15 for 91 yards passing.  Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) led Dickinson with 60 yards and Smith added 57 on the day.

Defensively, the Devils gave a solid performance sacking Swanson eight times. Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) led the charge defensively with a game-high 16 tackles, two-for-loss and a six-yard sack.  Senior defensive end Erik Sadowski (Clark Summitt, Pa/Abingdon Heights) added six tackles, including three-for-loss and had 2.5 sacks for minus 17 yards.

Junior linebacker Mike Jackowski (Pottstown, Pa) just missed breaking free on an interception in the first quarter, returning the ball 56 yards to the Hobart 24 yard line.

Tim Booth and Everton McLean each had 10 tackles to lead Hobart.

Dickinson begins Centennial Conference play next weekend at Muhlenberg.  The Devils travel to Allentown for a 1:00 kick-off with the Mules.
Box Score

 Head Coach Darwin Breaux stayed true to form, keeping the ball on the ground and in the hands of his steady and experienced corps of running backs, proving once again that controlling the clock is a key to winning football games.  Beginning his ninth season at the helm, Breaux is now tied with Ed Sweeney for all-time wins at Dickinson with 56 career victories, giving him an overall mark of 56-27-1.

 Junior Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy), and seniors Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) and Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa/Bangor) combined for 158 yards and two touchdowns as Dickinson held more than a 15 minute advantage in time of possession. 
Junior quarterback George Gonzalez (Howell, NJ/Howell), earning his first start, rushed for 56 yards and completed 9-of-13 passes for 86 yards as well. 

After a slow start the Devils found themselves trailing early as Grove City scored on its very first possession to take a 7-0 lead at the 10:18 mark of the opening quarter.  The Devils answered in the second quarter with a 92-yard drive, capped by a two-yard run from Tiberi to tie the game at 7-7.

Dickinson took its first lead of the game on a safety by Red Devil safety, Kevin Myers (York, Pa/York).  Myers knocked Grove City punter Mike Titzel out of the back of the endzone following a bad snap from center, forcing Titzel to scramble.
Myers came up with another big play on opening kick-off of the second half, forcing a fumble to give Dickinson the ball on the Wolverine 29-yardline.  Smith scored eight plays later from two yards out to put the Devils on top 16-7.

Grove City cut the lead to 16-14 with 5:08 remaining in the third on a one-yard run by Jason Walent, but Myers again came up big recovering a blocked punt by Andy Kerstetter (Camp Hill, Pa/Cedar Cliff). Myers fell on the ball in the endzone to extend the lead to 23-14.
He finished the game with a team-high nine tackles, a safety, forced fumble and touchdown recovery.  The blocked punt was the fourth blocked kick in Kerstetter’s career, following three last season.

The Red Devil defense kept Grove City in check for the better part of the afternoon, holding the Wolverines to 183 yards of total offense, allowing just 58 in the first half.  Senior defensive tackle Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) had eight tackles, one-for-loss, forced a fumble and a sack.  Junior linebacker Trent Stumbaugh (Chambersburg, Pa/Chambersburg) added two tackles for loss and a sack while junior LB Chuck Nesley (Pottstown, Pa/Owen J. Roberts) chipped in with five tackles and fumble recovery.

Freshman kicker Drew Magyar (Morrisville, Pa/Pennsbury) went 3-for-3 on extra-points in his collegiate debut.

Grove City’s Mike Orlando rushed for a game-high 87 yards and linebacker Adam Corbett recorded a game-best 14 tackles.  John Bialowas added 11 tackles, including two-for-losses with a pass break-up as GCC drops its fourth consecutive season-opener..

Dickinson returns to Biddle Field next weekend for its home opener against the Statesmen of Hobart College.  Hobart finished 8-1 last season, knocking off Bridgewater State in opening round of the NCAA Division III play-offs before falling to Widener.
 

   Dickinson College re-emerged as the Centennial Conference’s top running team in 2000, capturing its 11th rushing title in the last 13 seasons.  The Red Devils have found themselves throwing the football more and more in recent years, and even set a school record in 1998, passing for 1,462 yards.

   Last season the Devils unleashed the punishing ground game they had traditionally been known for in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  The team ranked 12th in the nation for rushing offense last season with 2,510 yards.  They had three straight 300-plus yard games, capped by a season-best 422 against Gettysburg, the team’s highest output since 1995. 
   A balanced offensive attack saw two players each reach the century mark on consecutive weekends.  Junior tailback Antonio Tiberi (Hockessin, De/Archmere Academy) joined senior fullback Ryan MacPhee (Leonardo, NJ/Mater Dei) for a combined 249 yards at Johns Hopkins, then teamed with quarterback Jeff Sturgeon (Saxonburg, Pa/Knoch) for 303 yards against Gettysburg.
   1999 team MVP Mike Smith (Bangor, Pa/Bangor) added a team-high 695 yards and rushed for seven touchdowns.  He returns this season, along with Tiberi and MacPhee, giving the Devils depth and experience in the backfield.
   Leading the way and opening the holes will be All-Conference selections Rich DeRafelo (Downingtown, Pa/Downingtown) and Dave Kerschner (New Tripoi, Pa/Northwestern Lehigh).  DeRafelo returns at center and has been named one the team captains this season while Kerschner will play at one of the guard positions.

   Defensively, Dickinson will enjoy more depth than the team has been used to in the past, primarily on the front line.  Pre-season All-America selection Keith Fischer (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) will captain the defensive unit.  Playing injured for the better part of the season, Fischer still earned first-team All-Centennial honors, finishing with 64 tackles and a pair of sacks.
   2000 team MVP and 1999 Rookie of the Year Chuck Nesley (Pottstown, Pa/Owen J. Roberts) will look to continue to lead by example from his linebacker position.  The junior was a first-team All-CC selection last season, leading the team with 86 tackles.

   Head Coach Darwin Breaux heads into his ninth season second on the all-time win list, just one victory behind Ed Sweeney’s career total of 56.  Breaux is 55-27-1 over the past eight seasons, earning three post season appearances and an ECAC Southwest Championship in 1998.

Click here for complete preview
Click here for text only version

Senior fullback Ryan MacPhee (left) and
Paul Cooney (34) join a veteran backfield
that rushed for over 2,500 yards last season.