2009 NCAA Division II Softball Tournament

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  Click here to listen live to the Bald Eagles vs. the Mountaineers

THE SERIES
LHU holds a 39-20-4 advantage over the Mountaineers, including six of the last seven. The series is one of the oldest in school history, dating back to 1906, when the Mountaineers took a 29-0 decision.

First Meeting                                                 1906, Mansfield 29, LHU 0

The Last Time Mansfield Won                                             2003; 27-23

The Last Time LHU Won                                                       2002; 33-30

The Last Time LHU Won at Van Norman Field               2002; 33-30

The Last Time Mansfield Won at Van Norman Field       1991; 28-7

THE LAST TIME VERSUS MANSFIELD
The Mansfield Mountaineers, riding on the shoulders of running back Earnest McNeal’s four touchdowns and 329 all-purpose yards, ended Lock Haven’s six-game hold over them with a 27-23 victory at Hubert Jack Stadium.  In a game delayed almost three hours due to storms in the area, it was the first win for Mansfield over Lock Haven since the 1996 season (6-3 at Lock Haven, Pa.).

Lock Haven took the first lead of the game, scoring at 7:57 in the first quarter off a 25-yard field goal by Danny Hagerman (Scottdale/Southmoreland). 

Mansfield answered two drives later, covering 55 yards including a 43-yard pickup and final one-yard scamper into the endzone by McNeal to move out into the lead, 7-3.  McNeal capped off the Mountaineers next drive with another short gain into paydirt from two yards out after a long 32-yard connection between quarterback Travis Motley and Joe Bennett brought MU to the two-yard line as the second quarter rolled around.          

Lock Haven would not leave the second quarter empty-handed, as Troy Wile (Fayetteville/Chambersburg) found Rafael Smith (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills) in the back of the end zone from 16 yards out with 1:22 remaining on the clock.  The two-point conversion attempt failed, bringing the score to 14-9 in favor of Mansfield .

The small score discrepancy would be widened on the very next play by McNeal, however, who stretched the Mansfield lead out to 20-9 when he barreled through Haven defenders on the kick return for an 88-yard touchdown with just 1:05 left in the half. The MU two-point attempt failed, keeping the score at 20-9.

The Haven charged back after the half, scoring the only points of the third quarter on a rush by Maurice Walker (N. Braddock/Woodland Hills) from two yards out. Walker had taken the ball on five carries for a total of 25 yards on the drive.  This time around the pass from Wile to Scott Anderson was successful, narrowing the gap to 20-17.

On a possession resulting from an LHU fumble recovery at the Mansfield 40-yard line, Lock Haven stung together 11 plays before the five-yard pass from Wile found Marcus Burkley in the far right corner of the endzone.  The two-point attempt failed, making the score 23-20 in favor of the Bald Eagles.

Just as quickly the Mountaineers recovered with McNeal moving the ball up the field before pushing his way into the endzone for the fourth time tonight, this time on a 10-yard rush. The Sean Hair kick was good, giving MU back the lead at 27-23 with 8:43 left in the contest.

The Haven held on to the ball for nine plays on the next possession and made it as far as the 23-yard line, but to deep passes fell incomplete and LHU was forced to turnover the ball on downs.  Mansfield possessed the ball for the remainder of the game to hold on to its final 27-23 advantage.

The Mansfield offense revolved around McNeal, who posted 219 yards rushing with three scores, and also added 103 yards on two kickoff returns including the 88-yard return for touchdown.  Joe Bennett caught two passes for 74 yards.  Defensively, Keith Slezak had 13 stops, including two for loss, and Randy Reinert added 10 tackles. 

Lock Haven’s Wile threw for 101 yards and two touchdowns, going 12-for-21 passing. Burkley made seven catches for 47 yards and a score, while Walker led the way on the ground with 18 carries for 56 yards and one touchdown.  Linebacker Dan Wissinger led LHU with seven tackles, while fellow linebacker Derrik Metz added six stops.

SCOUTING  MANSFIELD
The Mountaineer offense runs through pre-season All-American selection Poohbear McNeal. The speedy tailback ran for 1,684 yards and 17 TDs in 2003, but has cooled off some this year, with just 291 yards and one TD thus far, a contributor to the team’s 0-4 record. The passing game has been off target for Mansfield, as the rotation of Matt Hildebrand and David Fetzer has produced 10 interceptions to go with 4 TDs. Top wideout Joe Bennett has caught three of those four scoring strikes as a part of his 17 receptions for 157 yards.

Defensively, the Mountaineers use a 3-4 alignment, with top linebacker Andre Turner inking 43 total tackles and a whopping five for loss. Strong safety Joe Frick has done it all for the Mountaineers, recording 39 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception. Ronnie Mongomery’s two picks are tops on the team.

BALD EAGLE NOTES...
THE OFFENSE
In his first start since Oct. 25, 2003, Tim Storino (Pittsburgh/Bethel Park) pumped a little life into a stagnant Bald Eagle offense. The big righthander was 10-20 with 124 yards and captained the lone scoring drive for LHU with consecutive completions to Rafael Smith, including a 24-yard bomb. That being said, much work still needs to be done, particularly in crossing the goal line, which the Haven hasn't done in ten quarters.  

Powering the ground attack as always are senior Maurice Walker (87 car., 413 yds., 3 TD) and H-back Justin Marshall (Luthersburg/DuBois) (9 car., 61 yds.). Walker averages 82.6 yards per game on the ground and is a potent breakaway threat.

The talented receiving corps are led by Smith (15 rec., 194 yds., 3 TD). The nimble senior leads the team in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. Joining Smith at the other wideout is is redshirt freshman Adam Lawrence(Hanover/Delone Catholic) (6 rec. 71 yds.). As a third option, Kellen Bush (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) has proven to be quite the deep threat, averaging 14.9 yards per catch (7 rec. 104 yds.).

Probable starters up on the line include junior center Jason Scott (Linden/Williamsport) along with guards Steve Szobocsan (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown) and Adam Lanzendorfer (Martinsburg/Central). Eric Scaife (Philipsburg/Philipsburg-Osceola) and Matt Coxford (Middlebury Center/Wellsboro) claim the pair of offensive tackle positions, while junior Kevin Scheidler (Millersburg/Millersburg Area) is the probable starter at tight end. Scheidler has two receptions and 21 yards as primarily a blocking end.

THE DEFENSE
The inexperienced Bald Eagle defense (six sophomores and a freshman) has given up too many yards on the ground, evidenced by Slippery Rock University's 235 rushing yards a week ago. Coach Luther has made a couple of changes in the makeup of the front seven in an attempt to get more stops.

Leading the charge on the defensive line is end Brad Sones (Elysburg/Southern Columbia) who leads the team with five tackles for loss and one sack (23 TT, 13 solo). New to the starting lineup is 6-3 270-pound sophomore Ryan Bickel (Morrisdale/West Branch Area). In reserve duty this season, Bickel has one sack and 11 total tackles. The rest of the line will include Warren Whitaker (Wilkes-Barre/GAR Memorial) (17 TT, 2 TFL) and Jarrod Hendricks (Rockton/DuBois Area), who switched over from his starting offensive guard role to help plug the inner line a week ago.

The linebacking corps are headed by Jon Nalewak (Shamokin/Shamokin Area) (37 TT, 24 solo) and Brian Lumpkin (Rockville, Md./Bullis School) (32 TT, 21 solo). Joining them will be Derek Harsch (Wellsboro/Wellsboro Area)(17 TT, 7 solo). A bit undersized (5-11 205 lbs.), Luther hopes Harsch can utilize his speed at the outside linebacker spot.   

Strong safety David Show (Mill Run/Connellsville Area) is fifth in the PSAC with 8.6 tackles per game (43 TT), the top-ranking defensive back. Add to that an interception and a tackle for loss, and you have one of the better all-around defensive backs in Division II. A the other safety spot is Will Jones (McKeesport/McKeesport) (31 TT, 17 solo) who is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. Joining the two in the defensive backfield are cornerbacks Michael Nesby (Rankin/Woodland Hills) (18 TT, 1 INT) and a new addition of Sheldon Gray (Norristown/Norristown), who has 14 tackles, including 11 solo in nickel-back and special-teams roles.

SPECIAL  TEAMS
Placekicker and punter Dan Hagerman (Scottdale/Southmoreland) boomed four punts last week against Slippery Rock, inflating his average to 35.5 yards per punt. Hagerman had one field goal blocked last week, but made his other attempt to bring him to 3-6 on three-pointers and 8-8 on PAT attempts.

Walker ranks seventh in the conference in kick return average, putting up 20.8 yards per return. Marshall joins Walker on kick return duty, averaging 19.0 yards per chance. Smith, the starting punt returner, currently averages 10.7 yards per return, including a 25-yard return a week ago.

 ###LHU###