Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (1-2) vs. Albright (2-1)
Saturday, October 2, 2010 / 1:00 p.m. 
Ralston Athletic Complex

LIVE STATS
www.sidearmstats.com/wilkes/football

ALBRIGHT: Schedule / Roster / Statistics

THE MATCHUP
Wilkes University returns home as it plays host to Albright College at the Ralston Athletic Complex for Homecoming on Saturday.

The Colonels are coming off their second straight defeat, losing to Utica College 24-10 last week in New York. Sr. S Kevin Gerhart (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin) and Fr. LB Tate Moore-Jacobs (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) again led the defensive effort with 16 and 15 tackles, respectively. The Lions are coming off of a 41-31 home win over Catholic University last weekend, putting up 422 yards of total offense and owning a 40:25 time of possession.

THE HEAD COACHES
Colonels coach Frank Sheptock (Bloomsburg '85) is in his 15th year on the Wilkes sideline, racking up an 89-62 (.589) record. The 89 wins are second all-time in school history behind Rollie Schmidt's 90 from 1962-81. Sheptock has led the Colonels to two NCAA and six ECAC playoff berths during his tenure, along with a MAC championship (2006). Wilkes made the NCAA playoffs in 2005 and 2006, going 19-4 overall, including a 42-0 win over Washington & Lee in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. Since 1996, Sheptock has coached 12 All-Americans and 117 All-MAC performers.

John Marzka (Allegheny '91) is in his fourth year at the helm of Albright, owning a 28-10 (.737) overall record, including three postseason wins. The winner of the Nike NCAA Division II Coach of the Year award in 2009, Marzka led the Lions to the school's first ever NCAA playoff appearance and an 11-2 record last season.

THE SERIES
Albright owns a 19-15 all-time edge in the series, including wins in each of the last three games. The Colonels longest win streak in the series was from 1985-88 when Wilkes won four straight, outscoring the Lions 146-44.

UP NEXT
The Colonels hit the road as they travel to Lebanon Valley to play the Dutchmen next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. 

REACHING FOR THE TOP SPOT
Going into Saturday's game against Albright, Sheptock is just one win shy of tying Rollie Schmidt's all-time school record of 90. Sheptock's 89 career wins have been built up over 14-plus seasons of work and includes a program-record 11 wins in 2006. In 151 career games, Sheptock has a winning percentage of .589.

CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
Sr. WR Jordan D'Emilio (Stowe/Saint Pius X)'s 93 career receptions put him just 6 away from
entering the school's all-time top 10. He came into the season with 80 catches and has recorded 13 receptions for 134 yards and a TD so far this season.

A MAC LEADER
D'Emilio's 13 receptions this season tie him for first place in the MAC, along with Delaware Valley's Dan Heiland, as the two average 4.3 receptions per game. Last season D'Emilio totaled 55 catches, averaging 5.0 per game, good enough for fifth place in the conference.

IT'S TIVALD TIME
Jr. RB Zach Tivald (Edison, NJ/Edison) leads the Colonels in both rushing yards (212) and all-purpose yards (254) so far in 2010. He gained 88 yards on 17 carries in the opener, the second highest output in his career. Tivald has shown he can make the big play, as he has eight plays of over 10 yards, including a 34-yard screen pass against Waynesburg. Last season, Tivald led the Colonels with 557 rushing yards and added 10 receptions for 120 yards and a score.

HE THROWS, HE RUNS
So. QB Tyler Berntsen (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) put up 278 total yards (196 pass, 82 rush) in 2010 while throwing for 3 TDs and running for one more. Berntsen finished the Waynesburg game 11-16 (68.8%) with a 198.4 pass efficiency and no interceptions. Without lost sack yardage, Berntsen has 136 rushing yards, including five runs of 10+ yards.

LEADERS ON THE LINE
Sr. RG Joe Lemoncelli (Clarks Summit/Lakeland) and Jr. C Ben Webb (Shohola, PA/Delaware Valley) have combined for 44 career starts in a Colonels uniform. They helped pave the way for 379 yards of total offense against Waynesburg, including 171 on the ground.

THE BIG PLAY
The Colonels have come up with multiple big plays so far this season, with 15 runs of 10+ yards and and six passes of 20+ yards. Berntsen has been a part of 10 such big plays, with seven rushes and three passes, two of which went for TDs. Jr. WR Todd Eagles (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown East) has been on the receiving end of two big passing plays, a 34-yard TD against Waynesburg and a 35-yard TD against Springfield.

MULTI-PURPOSE THREAT
Jr. QB Marc Persing (Coal Township/Shamonkin) has alternated at quarterback with Berntsen this season, but against Springfield he added punting to his resume, twice pinning the Pride inside their own 10, including once at the four yard line. As a QB, Persing is 11-25 for 151 yards and a touchdown.

GETTING HIS TOUCHES
Fr. RB Auxence Wogou (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown) has contibuted to the offense in his first year on campus. Through three games, Wogou has carried seven times for 43 yards, a 6.1 average, and has a long run of 18 yards. He's also returned two kickoffs for 19 yards. 

THE CENTURY MARK
Sr. DT Chris Swinarski (Old Bridge/Old Bridge) is just one tackle shy of hitting 100 for his career,
impressive for a defensive lineman. He's also piled up 19.0 sacks and 15.5 TFL in his three-plus years in a Wilkes uniform. One of four captains for the Colonels, he leads the push on the defensive line with 3.5 TFL, which is tied for the team lead. 

The senior is also 7th on the team in tackles this season with 20, including 9 solos, and had a career-high 14 tackles, 8 solo, from his defensive tackle position against Springfield.

ANCHORS OF THE LINE
Along with Swinarski, Jr. DT Jimmy Moore and Jr. NG Harry Reese (Plymouth, PA/Wyoming Valley West) have caused havoc upfront. Combined, the three have 46 tackles and 4.5 TFL this season, adding a forced fumble and a pass defensed.

Reese, starting in his first game on the defensive side in the opener after playing in the offensive backfield last year, has recorded at least 6 tackles in each game this season, including 7 in each of the first two. Moore has totaled 56 tackles for his career, with 40 coming last year, and has 10.0 career TFL.

TOP FRESHMAN
Fr. LB Tate Moore-Jacobs (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) has been very impressive in his first year, as he leads the Colonels in tackles with 43 (17 solo). He's recorded at least 13 tackles in each of Wilkes first three games, including 15 against Springfield. In his first career game against Waynesburg, Moore-Jacobs led all tacklers with 13 stops and h ad 1.0 TFL in the Colonels 38-35 victory.

TACKLE MACHINES
In addition to Moore-Jacobs, Sr. LB Ryan Clifford (Raritan, NJ/Bridgewater) has racked up 27 tackles in 2010, good for third on the team, getting 9 in each of the Colonels three games. Clifford is also tied for the team lead with 3.5 TFL and has added a sack.

Last season, Clifford finished fourth on the team with 60 tackles, adding 4.0 TFL. He posted 7 tackles in a game four times, including each of his last three, where he combined for 33 tackles, 18 of them solo.

Jr. LB Walt Pabst (Scranton/Scranton) has also added to the tackle numbers for the Colonels, posting 21 through the first three games. He had a career-high 11 against Springfield, and had 37 with 2.0 TFL in 2009.

ADDING DEPTH
Not to be outdone are Fr. LBs Tom Calabrese (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere) and Rob Houseknecht (South Williamsport, PA/South Williamsport). They have combined for three starts this season, as Houseknecht filled in for Calabrese last week against Utica. They've each been all over the field for the Colonels, combining for 25 tackles, 4.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks. They've also each picked off a pass, adding to their all-around abilities.

THE BALL HAWKS
Sr. S Kevin Gerhart (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin) and Sr. S Greg Nielsen (Wharton, NJ/Roxbury) both find themselves around the ball on a frequent basis. Gerhart is second on the team with 37 tackles so far this year, including 12 in the season opening win and a career-high 16 last week against Utica. He also had 0.5 TFL, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. For his career, Gerhart has 210 tackles, 10 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. 

Nielsen has flashed his big play potential this year, picking off two passes and recovering two fumbles. He's added 21 tackles this season, including a career-high 9 against Springfield. His most important play came against Waynesburg when he picked off a pass with 43 seconds left to seal the win for Wilkes.

TRIPLE DUTY
Jr. Chris Horn (New Tripoli/Northwestern Lehigh) has handled field goal and extra point attempts, kickoff chores and the punting this season for the Colonels. Horn has been nearly perfect in the early-going, connecting on 2-3 field goals - with a long of 39 - and 7-7 extra points through the first three games. Horn leads the Colonels in scoring with 13 points.

In his first year as the full-time punter, Horn has averaged 34.7 yards on his 19 punts, putting four inside the 20. He's also had two of 50-plus yards. He's also flashed his strong leg during kickoffs, forcing opponents to receive them on their own 9-yard line on average.

YOUTHFUL RETURNS
Fr. RB Calvin Garvin (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) and Fr. WR Parrish Fells (York/Central York) have been the two primary kickoff returners for the Colonels, flashing their speed in their first year on campus. Garvin has returned 9 kickoffs for 153 yards, a 17.0 average, while Fells is averaging 18.2 yards on 4 returns, with a long of 27.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
The MAC's top offense at this point in the season, Albright is averaging 36.0 points and 429.3 yards of total offense per game. The leader of the Lions is So. QB Adam Galczynski, who is first in the conference among full-time quarterbacks in pass efficiency with a 145.6 rating. He's 26-41 passing for 370 yards and 2 TDs and has rushed for 98 more and a score on the ground. Jr. TB Josan Holmes leads the ground game, ranking third in the MAC with 115.3 yards per game. He averages 5.2 yards per carry and leads the conference in scoring with 7 TDs. Four players have at least 100 yards receiving, including two who have just 6 catches apiece. Jr. WR Josh Bakala is the Lions main target with 11 catches for 105 yards and 2 scores.

Jr. LB Ryan Ott and Sr. LB Rob Mancinelli lead a Lions defense that ranks seventh in both scoring and total defense. The linebackers have combined for 40 tackles and 2.0 TFL, while Ott has broken up 4 passes. Albright has not yet recorded an
interception on the season and has only one sack, but the Lions have broken up 18 passes and have 14.0 TFL as a unit.

Sr. K John Whelan is second on the team in scoring with 18 points, hitting on 2-4 field goals (with a long of 41) and 12-15 extra point attempts. Jr. P Brooks
Mitzkewich has punted 11 times this season, downing three inside the 20 and averaging 38.0 yards per kick.

THE NEW LOOK RALSTON ATHLETIC COMPLEX
The Ralston Athletic Complex is currently in Phase I of a $3 million renovation, which has seen a new synthetic turf along with lights added to the stadium. Fencing, a temporary visitor's press box and comfort facilities, as well as an upgraded public address system are additional features of this part of the project.

In addition to the Colonels football team, Wilkes men's and women's soccer along with field hockey will play on the new turf in the fall, while the lacrosse team will use the new field in the spring.

FOR OPENERS
After its thrilling 38-35 victory over Waynesburg on September 11, Wilkes is now 26-38-1 all-time in season openers since 1946. The longest win streak in their openers came from 1965-69 when the Colonels won five straight. Under Sheptock, Wilkes is 8-7 in the season's first game, including 5-3 at home.

MAC PRESEASON POLL
The MAC preseason coaches poll was released on August 3 as Wilkes was tied with Lycoming in the fourth slot. Delaware Valley, last year's conference champion, was picked first, receiving six first place votes.