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THE GAME
The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania football team will host 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship runner-up Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 15, at LHU’s Hubert Jack Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
THE SERIES
Saturday’s contest will mark the 80th time the two squads have met on the gridiron. The Huskies hold a 39-37-3 lead in the series, including 14 wins in the last 21 contests. The last time Lock Haven captured a victory from Bloomsburg was in 1992 under Head Coach Dennis Therell, a 38-33 win on the road at BU’s Redman Stadium.
THE LAST TIME VERSUS BLOOMSBURG
Bloomsburg University defeated Lock Haven, 52-7, in week three of the 2000 season. It was the Huskies’ first victory of the season, igniting a 12-game win streak that culminated at the national championship game.
The Huskies were led by a pair of 100-yard rushers in Arrastene Henry (136 yds, 2 TD) and Marques Glaze (114 yds, 1 TD). Quarterback Eric Miller went 17-22 for 231 yards, throwing for two touchdowns. Defensively, linebacker Greg Roskos led the Huskies with nine tackles, while linebacker Jeremiah Dyer added six stops.
Lock Haven quarterback Ed Galiczynski led the charge for the Bald Eagle offense, netting 145 yards on 15 completions (25 attempts) with the lone LHU touchdown, a pass to fullback Ray Riley. The LHU defense was piloted by free safety Ryan Matheson, who posted a season-best 17 tackles on the game. Joe Rose (11 tkls, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception) and Chad Koleno (8 tkls) were also key players in the defensive effort.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
The No. 7-ranked Bloomsburg Huskies are 1-0 following a 29-18 win over Shippensburg University last Saturday. BU erased an early 6-0 Shippensburg lead, piling on 22 points in the second quarter to head into the break with the 22-18 advantage. Leading the way was senior quarterback Chris Thompson, who, in his first start since his sophomore season, connected with Rocco Forgione (21
yds) in the second frame and twice with Tierell Johnson (17 yds, 6
yds) in the second and fourth quarters to account for the bulk of BU scoring.
Thompson made his season debut in style, completing 12-of-21 passes for 160 yards and three scores. On the receiving end were Bloomsburg’s leading returners Tierell Johnson and Rocco
Forgione. Johnson caught five passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday. Forgione reeled in two Thompson passes for 49 yards and a score.
The Bloomsburg offense utilized the running game just as frequently, resting on the performance of running back Marques Glaze, who covered 124 yards on 28 carries against Shippensburg.
Linebackers Jeremiah Dyer (8.0 tackles) and Greg Roskos (6 tackles, 2 forced fumbles) made the most noise against Shippensburg, while lineman Fran Gregor posted two tackles for loss (-10 yards) among his 5.5 tackles.
Sophomore defensive back/kick returner Bryant Stone ran back a Shippensburg kickoff 93 yards for the score in the second quarter last weekend, his second career kickoff return for touchdown. Other players to watch in the Huskie return game include Toyae Berry and Darryl Williams.
Zach Quigley took over the kicking duties for Thompson, last year’s starter, making 3-for-3 extra point attempts versus Shippensburg. Two field goal attempts, a 24- and 33-yarder, were unsuccessful.
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The Bald Eagle offense talks things over
at Kutztown last Saturday
THE COACHES
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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.
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| 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.
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Bloomsburg’s Danny Hale (West Chester, ‘68), the 2000 American Football Coaches Association
(AFCA) Division II Coach of the Year, is in his ninth season with the Huskies.
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| Following 2000’s national championship run, Hale has posted a win-loss mark of 64-27-1 and is currently fifth among active coaches on the all-time NCAA Division II winning percentage list with a career record of 104-40-1 (13 yrs; .721).
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BALD EAGLE NOTES
THE OFFENSE
The Bald Eagle offense posted 223 yards against Kutztown University, 147 in the air and 76 on the run. Quarterbacks Brian Genis (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks) and Bill Witmer (Bellefonte/Bellefonte) split time again, Genis tallying 95 yards (13-28-2) and a touchdown. Witmer (6-15-0) added 52 yards passing. Genis connected with Marcus Burkley (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills) for the 5-yard touchdown strike in the fourth quarter against Kutztown for Burkley’s second score of the season.
Burkley leads LHU receivers with 103 total yards (12 receptions) and two touchdowns over the two-game span. Adam Angelici (Bethel Park/Bethel Park) and John Caldwell (Virginia Beach, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) have both also played a significant role in the offense, Angelici posting seven catches for 48 yards and Caldwell registering 56 yards from six receptions.
A pair of Pittsburgh area natives generate the bulk of the yardage in the Bald Eagles’ running game. Red-shirt freshmen Maurice Walker (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) and Melvin Kirby (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) are responsible for 92-percent of LHU yards gained on the ground. Walker has 74 yards in 25 attempts, and Kirby posts 101 yards from 18 carries.
Protecting them up front are tackles senior Mike Landis (Quakertown/Quakertown) and freshman Jarrod Hendricks
(Rockton/DuBois Area) along with Bill Cook (York/Central York), Josh Clair (Manheim/Manheim Central), and Jason Popp (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin).
THE DEFENSE
The LHU defense is led by sophomore cornerback Rob Carey (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) and senior linebacker Chad Koleno (Clarence/Bald Eagle Area). Carey (16.5
tkls/13 solo) pocketed seven solo and three tackle assists versus Kutztown and was also credited with a forced fumble. Koleno (14.5
tkls/11 solo) tallied 7.5 total stops (6 solo), including one for loss, along with a fumble recovery and a pass break-up in last week’s contest. The two are also among PSAC leaders in tackles, falling fourth and seventh, respectively, on the combined list.
The bulk of the experience still lies in the defensive line, where the Bald Eagles will start four seniors. Covering the two end positions will be Christopher Hileman (Claysburg/Claysburg-Kimmel) (3.5
tkls) and Barry Byrd (Harrisburg/Harrisburg) (3.0 tkls), while Lloyd Brooks (Williamsport/Williamsport Area) (1.0
tkls) and DePhilip Jackson (Harrisburg/Susquehanna Township)(7.5
tkls) will control the middle.
Derrik Metz (Roaring Spring/Central) (12.0 tkls, 1 TFL) and Corey Shaner (Knox/Keystone) (4.5
tkls) along with Koleno will hold down the three starting linebacker slots.
Cornerback Rob Carey provides a boost to the secondary, as does corner Jamie Thomas (Jersey Shore/Jersey Shore) (5.5
tkls) and starting safeties Robert Glielmi (Athens/Athens Area) (1.5
tkls) and Kellen Bush (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) (5.5 tkls, 1 pass break up).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rob Carey is currently third in the PSAC in kickoff return yardage (23.6 yd/return) and fourth in punt returns (9.5 yd/return). He is aided by Marcus Burkley and Renaldo Nichols (Wilkes-Barre/GAR Memorial) on both kick and punt returns. Punter Joe Walker (Camp Hill/East
Pennsboro) is seventh in the conference, averaging 39.8 yards after 17 attempts. Kicker Jonathan Miller (Acme/Meyersdale) had a rough outing against Kutztown, and will be looking to better himself in the standings after missing wide a 36-yard field goal and also going 0-1 on
PATs.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bald Eagle gridders will take to the road for next week’s game at Indiana (Pa.) University. Game time at George P. Miller Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
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