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October 30, 2002

Lock Haven To Challenge Slippery Rock in PSAC Western Division Action
Game #9 -- Lock Haven University -- Hubert Jack Stadium -- Lock Haven, PA -- 1 p.m.

>>>Full Game Release (PDF) >>>2002 LHU Roster >>>Slippery Rock University Athletics Website

THE GAME
    The Haven gridders (4-4, 1-2 PSAC West) will defend their home turf on Saturday, Nov. 2, against Western Division opponent Slippery Rock University (5-3, 2-1 PSAC West). Kickoff in Hubert Jack Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. The game can be heard locally on WBPZ-1230 AM and online at http://www.redzonemedia.com.
       Lock Haven will be hosting NCAA Football's annual Take a Kid to the Game (TAKG) program. Area youngsters will have an opportunity to experience the college game-day atmosphere as kids ages 12 and younger will receive free admission with the purchase of a full-priced ($6) adult ticket.

THE SERIES
        This meeting marks the 47th time Lock Haven and Slippery Rock have met on the gridiron. SRU holds a 33-12-1 advantage in the series, and The Rock has won each game played since 1980 except for 1988, when the two teams played to a 21-21 tie. The last time The Haven earned the win over SRU was a 29-26 win in Hubert Jack Stadium in 1980.

THE LAST TIME VERSUS VERSUS SLIPPERY ROCK
         The Bald Eagles fell to Slippery Rock 28-0 on the road at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium in game nine of the 2001 season.
Despite entering halftime with only a 7-0 deficit, the Bald Eagles were unable to find their niche, as the Slippery Rock defense allowed only scattered short gains on the ground and an unproductive passing game plagued attempts to move the ball. By the close of the game, Lock Haven managed just a paltry 68 total yards to SRU's 347 yards.
       Slippery Rock's Brandon Markus posted 169 yards rushing and scored three times, once in the first quarter then twice more in the final stanza, to lead The Rock's offense. Fellow running back Dorrian Glenn added 153 yards on the ground along with a touchdown.
       For Lock Haven, Melvin Kirby posted 53 yards on 13 carries, while Maurice Walker recorded 25 yards, also on 13 attempts. Defensively, linebackers Derrik Metz and Chad Koleno paced the Bald Eagles. Metz tallied a game-high 15 tackles and one fumble recovery, while Koleno added 12 stops. Cornerback Rob Carey contributed 10 tackles. Corner Jamie Thomas notched the first interception of his collegiate career late in the first quarter, returning it 18 yards.

SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
      Slippery Rock is 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the Western Division of the PSAC. The Rock has won its past two games, most recently defeating Edinboro, 7-3, last weekend. SRU has lost its last two games on the road, however, falling in overtime to Shippensburg along with a loss to Bloomsburg.
       Senior wide receiver Ryan McKavish is second in the PSAC in reception yardage (98.9 ypg) and catches per game (6.0). Along with 48 catches for 791 yards, McKavish has worked his way to the opponent’s endzone on five occasions. Junior Tim Arthurs has 134 yards on nine receptions for one touchdown, while tight end Brandon Richardson has 82 yards on 11 catches along with two scores. Sophomore Alan Steinman is also a regular starter at wide receiver, and has 90 yards and a touchdown off of eight receptions.

(l) Maurice Walker; (r) Marcus Burkley

THE COACHES

	Lock Haven Head Coach Mark Luther (Penn State, ‘92) enters his third season. Luther’s gridders compiled 3-8 overall and 1-5 PSAC West marks in both of his prior two seasons at the helm of the Bald Eagles.
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.

	Directing the Slippery Rock forces is 15th year Head Coach George Mihalik (Slippery Rock, '74).
Mihalik has spent 31 of the last 32 years in the football program at Slippery Rock, where he was a quarterback and team captain in 1973. Mihalik took over as head coach of the team in 1987 and entered the season with a 100-50-4 record.

      At quarterback, junior Jeff Valentino is sixth in the conference averaging 161.5 yards passing per game. Completing 91-of-195 aerial attempts, Valentino has also connected with his receivers for 10 trips into the endzone.
      Freshman running back Josh Kniess covered 118 yards on 31 carriers versus Edinboro last weekend, scoring the deciding points in the 7-3 victory on a one-yard scamper. On the season, he has 63 carries for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Brandon Markus leads SRU with five touchdowns on the ground and a total of 278 yards on 88 carries.
      The Slippery Rock offensive line is bunkered by junior center Bill Ricks, guards Don Harbison and Noah Richards, and tackles Bill Bzorek and Pat Oster.
Defensively, SRU is paced by strong safety Brad Foor with 61 total stops and a team-best three interceptions. Free safety Shawn Hanzely (cousin of LHU strong safety Jim Hanzely) has 49 stops along with six pass break-ups. Also working in the secondary are corners Vic Strader (26 TT, 6 pass break-ups) and Pete Dreher (15 TT, 2 INT).
       The linebacker unit consists of Dan Woodard, the team’s second-leading tackler with 51 stops and a team-best nine for loss and five sacks, along with Jesse Kelley (24 TT, 3 TFL), Greg Baker (40 TT, 6 TFL), and Chris Petrarca (38 TT, 7 TFL). Slippery Rock’s defensive line is maintained by Mike Jennings (18 TT, 4 TFL), Brian Godfrey (28 TT, 4 TFL), Matt Mager (17 TT, 2 TFL), and Louis Jamison (30 TT, 4 TFL, 2 sacks).
       Slippery Rock rotates several players deep on kickoffs, but Shawn Hanzely (6 returns, 169 yards) and Brandon Lehmeier (5 returns, 139 yards) have seen the most action. Matt Tack (8.3 ypr) and Damon Macklin (4.9 ypr) split duties on punt returns.
       The SRU kicking game has primarily used sophomore John Katsaouni. Katsaouni has made good on 2-of-5 field goal attempts, including a long of 48 yards, and is 13-for-15 in extra point kicks. Mike Halberg handles the punting, ranked third in the PSAC with a 40.0 average.

BALD EAGLE NOTES...
      The Lock Haven gridders are currently 3-0 in games played in Hubert Jack Stadium this season. The last time LHU posted more than three wins on its own turf was in 1979, when the Bald Eagles established a perfect 6-0 ledger at home en route to the PSAC championship and a 9-2 season. Since that date, The Haven has only been able to record, at the most, three home wins during a season. That has now happened on five occasions (2002, 1998, 1991, 1981, 1980).

THE OFFENSE
        Both of the Bald Eagles’ touchdowns last Saturday came via the pass and both landed in the hands of junior receiver Marcus Burkley (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills). Burkley, who found the endzone on hauls of 10 and 38 yards, currently has 22 catches for 378 yards along with five touchdowns. Also incorporated into the pass offense are John Caldwell (Va. Beach, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) (10.8 ypg/1 TD), Scott Anderson (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) (9.1 ypg), and Adam Angelici (Bethel Park/Bethel Park)(6.0 ypg, 2 TD), who all rotate in on a regular basis.
       Tight end Ryan Lightner (Elizabethtown/Lower Dauphin) has also joined in his share of the action, posting an average of 12.9 yards per catch for 103 yards and one touchdown.
        Freshman signal caller Rob Kristiniak (Flourtown/Springfield Township) is the probable starter for Saturday’s game. Kristiniak completed 7-of-17 passes against IUP for 61 yards and one score. On the year, he is 20-for-48 for four touchdowns and 190 yards. Tim Storino (Pittsburgh/Bethel Park) was responsible for the second touchdown pass last week, stepping in to complete one of two passes attempted for 38 yards. Storino has thrown for seven touchdowns along with a team-best 533 yards.
       Running backs Maurice Walker (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) and Melvin Kirby (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) do the brunt of the work on the ground. Walker put up 75 yards on 12 carries against IUP, and in an even 100 attempts, has crossed into the endzone five times for a total 427 yards. Kirby also took the ball on 12 occasions last Saturday for 32 yards. On the season, he has 244 yards on 69 carries. A third option rests in Justin Marshall (Luthersburg/DuBois Area), who averages just under 13 yards per game. LHU can also handoff to fullbacks Dave Mottin (Snow Shoe/Bald Eagle Area) and Josh Stadulis (Willow Grove/Academy of the New Church).
      Maintaining the front line is the duty of rookie center Jason Scott (Linden/Williamsport Area), junior guard Bill Cook (York/Central York), sophomore guard Kris Kishbaugh (Berwick/Berwick), junior tackle Keith Boyer (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown Area), and senior Jason Popp (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin) at the right tackle spot.

THE DEFENSE
     The Bald Eagle defense receives its cues from starting middle linebacker Derrik Metz (Roaring Spring/Central). Metz posted a game-high 12 tackles against Indiana, and is second in the PSAC with 86 total stops this season. He leads LHU with 3.0 sacks and four interceptions and is second on the squad in tackles for loss (9.5). Starting linebackers joining Metz include Brian Lumpkin (Rockville, Md./Bullis School) (22 TT, 1 TFL) and Jon Nalewak (Shamokin/Shamokin Area)(54 TT, 6 TFL).
      Cornerback Rob Carey (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) is LHU’s second-leading defender with 55 total stops, and has come up big on several occasions, also recording seven pass break-ups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery run back for score. Ngoyi Mukusa (Jim Thorpe/Jim Thorpe) will start at the opposite cornerback position. Mukusa has 46 total stops along with three pass break-ups and one interception.
      The starting strong safety position is held down by senior Jim Hanzely (DuBois/DuBois Area). Hanzely had three stops last weekend and has accounted for 29 on the season. John Scullin (Boiling Springs/Boiling Springs) (33 TT, 4 INT) retains the starting role at free safety, posting five tackles and his fourth interception of the season against Indiana.
      Defensive end Nathan Eck (Jersey Shore/Jersey Shore) owns the team lead in tackles behind the line of scrimmage, breaking through the seams for a total of 11.0 (43 yards). Next to Eck, The Haven fronts defensive tackles Jarrod Hendricks (Rockton/DuBois Area) (24 TT, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack) and Jason Kasheta (Carbondale/Carbondale Area) (8TT). Guarding the opposite end is sophomore Dustin Shaffer (Mayport/Redbank Valley) (22 TT, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks).

SPECIAL TEAMS
      Rob Carey is second in the PSAC in punt return average (17.6) and fourth on the kick return list with 24.0 yards per return. Joining Carey deep on kickoffs is Marcus Burkley, who has handled seven returns for an average of 16.7 yards. Freshman kicker Greg Knauss (Laurys Station/Parkland) is second in the PSAC in punting with a 40.5 yard average, and is also second in field goals, having hit 5-of-8 including a long of 37 yards.

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