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THE GAME
The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Bald Eagle football team heads to the campus of Kutztown University to take on the Kutztown Golden Bears on Saturday, September 8. Kickoff at University Field is set for 1:05 p.m.
THE SERIES
The Bald Eagles still hold the edge in games between the two squads by a 13-7-1 margin. Lock Haven won the first meeting back in 1930, 14-13. Kutztown, however, has won four of the last five games, including last year’s 21-8 final. The last time a Bald Eagle squad defeated KU was a 52-30 victory in 1993 under the guidance of Head Coach Dennis Therell at home in Hubert Jack Stadium.
THE LAST TIME VERSUS KUTZTOWN
The Golden Bears took a 21-8 victory over the Bald Eagles in the second game of the 2000 season. The Bald Eagles got on the scoreboard early, jumping ahead 5-0 after one quarter of play. Punter Joe Walker placed KU deep in their own territory, and on KU’s first play from scrimmage, LHU’s Dan Wissinger made a tackle on Kutztown’s Yorel Prosser in the endzone for the safety. Later that same quarter, The Haven’s placekicker Matt Mapes sent his first of two field goals through the uprights.
Kutztown took over from there, however, scoring on two of three drives in the second quarter to pile on 14 points before the close of the half. Quarterback Mike de Marteleire initiated both touchdowns, connecting on a 25-yard passes to Phil Washington and Terry Robertson.
Washington struck again in the third quarter, capping off a Golden Bear drive with a 14-yard touchdown reception.
Lock Haven threatened in the final stanza on consecutive drives, but came up on the short end after scoring another field goal to bring the final to 21-8.
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The Bald Eagle offense versus
Youngstown State (8/30)
THE COACHES
Second-year Head Coach Mark Luther (Penn State, ‘92)
will lead 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.
Kutztown’s Dave Keeny (Kutztown, ‘83, ‘87) begins his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Bear football team. Keeny led last year’s squad to a 7-4 record, matching the school record for wins in a season previously set in 1977 . Prior to taking the head coaching position, he served as KU’s offensive coordinator for five seasons. Previous coaching jobs include a three-year stint at Thomas More College.
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SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
The Kutztown Golden Bears (1-0, 0-0 PSAC East) are currently No. 20 in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and d2football.com Top 25 rankings. Despite the absence of four starters, Kutztown emerged with a 40-12 victory over Elizabeth City State College in their season-opener.
In its first time out, the KU offense put up 384 yards against Elizabeth City State, highlighted by two touchdowns and 125-yards rushing from junior running back Yorel Prosser. Freshman Harry Mims (13 attempts, 45 yards) also contributed yardage on the ground. In the air, red-shirt freshman Robert Flowers has taken over at quarterback in the absence of Josh Warren, making good on 11-of-19 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Favorite targets for Flowers included freshman wide receiver Trevor Smith (4 catches, 45
yds, 1 TD) and David Borden (2 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD).
Defensively, the Golden Bears limited Elizabeth City State to just 196 yards of total offense, including a stifling 33 yards on the rush. A defense that consists of seven returning
letterwinners, Kutztown finished fifth in the PSAC in total defense (308.7 yd/gm) last season. Linebacker Tyric Armstead led the way against ECSC with five tackles, followed by four stops from defensive tackle Matt
Sola. Other top defenders include two-time All-PSAC defensive back Pete Mendez and first team all-conference cornerback Andre Davis.
Senior kicker Marcel Kottke returns to lead a young but talented KU special teams after hitting 6-of-8 field goals and 32-of-34 point after attempts in 2000. Kottke hit a 20 yard field goal in the win over
ECSC. Sophomore kick returner Andre Davis returns after leading last year’s squad with 345 yards off of 18 returns. Handling punt returns is sophomore Pat Rogers (3 pr, 18
yds) and Trevor Smith, who ran back an ECSC punt 63 yards for the score.
BALD EAGLE NOTES...
THE OFFENSE
A young Bald Eagle offensive unit struggled against a stingy Youngstown State defense, covering just 199 total yards on the game. Of that total, 128 yards came from the LHU passing game being directed by red-shirt freshman quarterback Bill Witmer (Bellefonte/Bellefonte) (6-19, 59 yds) and junior reserve signal caller Brian Genis (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks) (8-12, 69 yds, 1 TD).
On the receiving end, sophomore Marcus Burkley (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills) hauled in seven passes for 61 yards including the lone Bald Eagle touchdown. Junior receiver Adam Angelici (Bethel Park/Bethel Park) caught three passes for 19 yards, and will look to again play a significant role in the passing game. Others expected to contribute to the Bald Eagle air attack are wide receivers Derrick Shields (Harrisburg/C.D. East) and John Caldwell (Virginia Beach, Va./Fork Union Military Academy), along with tight end Freddie Joye (Waynesboro/Waynesboro).
The LHU running game was held to just 77 yards by the Penguins. A pair of red-shirt freshman running backs, Melvin Kirby (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) and Maurice Walker (North Braddock/Woodland Hills), opened up their collegiate careers by pacing the Haven’s ground forces in Youngstown. Kirby carried the ball on 10 attempts for a total 45 yards, while Walker covered a net of 38 yards on 15 tries. Junior halfback Ryan Lightner (Elizabethtown/Lower Dauphin) is also expected to make an impact this season after switching over from his receiver position.
THE DEFENSE
The Lock Haven defense kept its composure against the No. 4-ranked Youngstown State offense, giving up 38 points and 450 total yards (336 rushing, 114 passing) against the Penguins. For the game, the Bald Eagles forced six turnovers and stopped two YSU drives at the goal line, one in the first quarter and another in the final stanza. Leading all defenders was junior strong safety Jim Hanzley (DuBois/DuBois Area), who posted 11 tackles, including seven solos. Cornerback Rob Carey (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) finished strong with 10 stops, including an interception at the LHU 10-yard line to halt a YSU drive in the second quarter. Linebackers Chad Koleno (Clarence/Bald Eagle Area) and Dan Wissinger (Johnstown/Ferndale Area) contributed solid numbers, posting nine and eight tackles, respectively.
The Haven expects to start four senior defensive linemen against Kutztown, Christopher Hileman
(Claysburg/ Claysburg-Kimmel), Lloyd Brooks (Williamsport/Williamsport Area), DePhilip Jackson (Harrisburg/Susquehanna Township), and Barry Byrd (Harrisburg/Harrisburg). Due to an injury to starting linebacker Dan Wissinger (ligament injury in left hand), linebacker Chad Koleno will be joined in the starting lineup by red-shirt freshman Corey Shaner (Knox/Keystone) and sophomore Derrik Metz (Roaring Spring/Central).
The secondary posted big defensive numbers against Youngstown State and returns to the field this Saturday injury-free. Safety Jim Hanzley and corner Rob Carey led LHU in tackles (11, 10) against Youngstown State and are both expected starters. Other key players in the LHU secondary include corner Jamie Thomas(Jersey Shore/Jersey Shore), who posted four stops, and free safety Kellen Bush (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills), who came up with three tackles in last week’s contest.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Maintaining kick return duties will be sophomore Rob Carey. Carey ran back five kickoffs for 93 yards (18.6 yd/kr) and two punts for 13 yards (6.5 yd/pr) in last Thursday’s game against Youngstown State. He will share return duties with Marcus Burkley on kick returns and Renaldo Nichols (Wilkes-Barre/GAR Memorial) on both kick and punt returns. The Bald Eagle kicking game has gone untested so far this season aside from one PAT, but senior kicker Jonathan Miller (Acme/Meyersdale) has the track record to give a solid performance if called upon.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bald Eagle gridders will open at home on Saturday, September 15, against 2000 NCAA Division II Championship finalist and No. 7-ranked (AFCA Division II Coaches Poll) Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at Hubert Jack Stadium.
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