November 8, 2001
Bald Eagles Travel To Mansfield For Season Closer
Game #11 -- November 10, 2001 -- Van Norman Field  -- Mansfield, PA -- 1 p.m.

   
  THE GAME 
Lock Haven football (2-8, 1-5 PSAC West) will travel to Mansfield University (2-7, 1-5 PSAC East) for its final game of the season on Saturday, November 10. Kickoff on Mansfield’s Van Norman Field is set for 1 p.m.


THE SERIES
Lock Haven owns a 37-18-4 advantage in games played against the Mountaineers of Mansfield, a series that started back in 1906. The Bald Eagles have won the last four games, and have shutout Mansfield the last two seasons, 31-0 in 1999 and 24-0 in 2000. 

The last time Mansfield went away with the victory was in 1996, when the Mountaineers defeated The Haven, 6-3. Lock Haven has won four out of the last five match-ups played on Van Norman Field, including the past four. The most recent Mansfield win at home against the Bald Eagles was in 1991, a 28-7 victory. 


THE LAST TIME VERSUS MANSFIELD
The Lock Haven Bald Eagles earned a commanding 24-0 victory over Mansfield to cap off the 2000 season on a winning note. Having defeated the Mountaineers, 31-0, in 1999, it marked the first time since the 1961, ’60 seasons that LHU had two consecutive shutout wins over the same team.

The Bald Eagles held Mansfield to just 37 passing yards and grabbed three interceptions, including one with a return for touchdown, to capture the victory. To its credit, the Mountaineer defense limited the Bald Eagles to only 57 yards on the rush, but was unable to cover LHU's passing game and gave up 181 yards through the air.

Lock Haven forced three straight punts and then Haven linebacker Chad Koleno intercepted a pass from freshman quarterback Travis Motley and ran it back 53 yards for the score in the second quarter. Koleno's touchdown opened the gate on Bald Eagle scoring, as they jumped out to a 17-0 lead by the end of the first half.

LHU's Matt Mapes sent a 22-yarder through the uprights, then a 28-yard touchdown reception from Ed Galiczynski to sophomore receiver John Caldwell upped LHU's advantage to 17-0 before the close of the half. 

The only points in the second half came late in the third quarter, a 26-yard reception from Galiczynski to Marcus Burkley. 


SCOUTING MANSFIELD
The Mountaineers are 2-7 overall and wrapped up PSAC Eastern Divisional play last weekend with a 1-5 mark. Mansfield will be looking to end a five-game losing skid which includes last Saturday’s 7-35 loss to East Stroudsburg University.

Mansfield gets almost comprable production from its running and passing games, posting 1121 total yards rushing and 11 rushing touchdowns as opposed to 1729 yards passing and 12 passing touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback Travis Motley averages 195.0 yards per outing, throwing for 12 touchdowns including a 71-yard strike against East Stroudsburg last Saturday. 

Wide receiver Joe Bennett has three 100-plus yardage games this season, notching an season average of 73.7 yards per game along with a team-best six touchdown receptions. Other options for Motley include junior Steve Smith (2.8 rpg/36.9 ypg), and senior Scott Grochowski (2.6 rpg/20.8 ypg/2 TD).

The Mountaineer ground forces are led by junior James Tillman, who averages 123.2 yards on 26.0 carries per game. He is Mansfield’s scoring leader with seven touchdowns. Others in the running game include freshman Ryan Geishauser (13.7 ypg) and John Loiselle (5.6 ypg).

Defensively, MU utilizes sophomore middle linebacker Dan Holland. Holland has contributed 88 total stops and is among PSAC leaders with 14 tackles for loss. Also among Mansfield defensive leaders are strong safety Ian Cooper (55 TT, 4 interceptions), defensive end Jason Coleman (49 TT, 12 TFL), and linebacker Josh Frick (46 TT).

Junior Conway Brown will hold down return duties, averaging 21.2 yards per kick return. Mountaineer placekicker Steve Smith has gotten on the field for a field goal only twice all season, making a 27-yarder. Smith has connected on 15-of-16 extra point attempts.


#21 Rob Carey runs back a punt in an earlier game this season... Carey leads the 
PSAC in the category, averaging 
11.6 yards per punt return.

 

THE COACHES
Second-year Head Coach Mark Luther (Penn State, ‘92) leads the 2001 Bald Eagles into battle. Luther’s gridders compiled a 3-8 overall and 1-5 PSAC West mark in his first season at the helm. 
He assumed the lead role following five years of service as a Bald Eagle assistant coach from 1994-98, acting as defensive coordinator in the 1997 and ‘98 seasons, recruiting coordinator and administrative assistant to former head coach Nick Polk. 

 

First-year Head Coach Chris Woods (Davidson, ‘91) guides the 2001 Mountaineers
 Woods arrived in Mansfield last year as defensive coordinator before becoming the head coach in March of 2001. Prior to his move to Division II, he worked at several of the top Division III programs in the nation, including Wittenberg University and Plymouth State College. 
 
 

BALD EAGLE NOTES

THE OFFENSE 
After being held scoreless in two straight games, the LHU offense is looking to repair the damage done with a big game this weekend at Mansfield. Running back Maurice Walker (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) has posted two 100-yard rushing games this season, and averages 63.9 yards on 15.3 attempts per game. Fellow running back Melvin Kirby (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) averages 48.4 yards per game.

The quarterback position has been of primary concern in recent games, and both Bill Witmer (Bellefonte/Bellefonte) and Johnathan Stahl (Elizabethtown/Lower Dauphin) have been called on to try to move the ball up the field. Stahl has connected on 22-of-61 pass attempts for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Witmer has a total of 695 yards and three touchdowns while passing at a 42.6 clip, completing 60-of-141 attempts.

Marcus Burkley (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills) and John Caldwell (Virginia Beach, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) continue to be the staple providers in the air attack. Burkley is among PSAC leaders in receptions per game (3.7), and has posted 417 yards and four scores. Caldwell catches 3.2 passes per outing for 394 yards and three touchdowns.

The starting Haven offensive line consists of tackles senior Mike Landis (Quakertown/Quakertown) and freshman Jarrod Hendricks (Rockton/DuBois Area), guards sophomore Bill Cook (York/Central York) and freshman David Bonda (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills), and junior center Jason Popp (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin). 


THE DEFENSE 
Among the bright spots for the Bald Eagle gridders is the performance of the defensive unit. The Haven’s pass defense is rated fourth in the PSAC, giving up an average of 135.5 yards per game. Pacing Lock Haven defenders is a pair of linebackers, Derrik Metz (Roaring Spring/Central) and Chad Koleno (Clarence/Bald Eagle Area). Metz has 84 total stops on the season, including 53 solo tackles. Koleno follows close with 82 total tackles, also including 53 solos and six tackles for loss. 

Cornerback Rob Carey (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) is third on LHU’s defensive charts with 80 tackles, including a team-high 54 solo stops. Carey has six tackles for loss, and a team-best three interceptions. Joining Carey in the secondary are safeties Robert Glielmi (Athens/Athens Area) (52 TT, 1 INT, 2 FR) and Jim Hanzely (DuBois/DuBois) (26 TT, 1 INT, FF), along with cornerback Sheldon Gray (Norristown/Norristown) (34 TT, 5 TFL, INT). Four of Gray’s tackles for loss came last weekend against Clarion, the most in a single game by a Bald Eagle defender this season. 

The defensive line continues to rely on the maturity and experience of four seniors, Christopher Hileman (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) (30 TT, 4.5 sacks, 7 TFL), DePhilip Jackson (Harrisburg/Susquehanna Township) (45 TT, 7 TFL, 2.5 sacks), Lloyd Brooks (Williamsport/Williamsport Area) (22 TT, 1 INT, 5 TFL), and Barry Byrd (Harrisburg/Harrisburg) (32 TT, 1 sack, TFL). 


SPECIAL TEAMS 
Punt returner Rob Carey is the PSAC leader, averaging 11.6 yards per return. Carey is also LHU’s top kick returner, covering 23.8 yards each return. Placekicker Jonathan Miller (Acme/Meyersdale) is 7-of-14 field goal attempts, and has cleared the uprights on 13-of-14 in point after kicks.
 

 

###LHU###

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