By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
The Mid-Atlantic Region has the opportunity to shine in the South Region playoffs this year. Beyond that ... anyone's guess. Lycoming takes the top seed, surprising many (including D3football.com) who believed the South Region flowed through Virginia. Christopher Newport's loss to Ferrum eliminated the Captains from consideration for the bye. Bridgewater's only loss was to 7-2 CNU, a four-point loss at POMOCO Stadium. Lycoming's lone notch in the "L" column came at home against up-and-coming Delaware Valley.
Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that Lycoming's loss to 8-2 Delaware Valley might actually help the Warriors solidify a No. 1 seed? Well, that's the way it turned out and the Warriors will get the break.
Panthers stun Captains, host Mules
Frankly, it doesn't make much sense -- but that's football. Just as we thought the Captains were in solid position for a top seeding in the playoffs, the Ferrum Panthers knocked off the Captains of Christopher Newport 19-17.
Calling two timeouts before a Matt Broskie 27-yard field goal attempt with just seconds left, Ferrum attempted to gain a mental advantage over the Captains' kicker. Perhaps the ice got to Broskie as he shanked the chip-shot wide to the left, leaving the Panthers with a result no one was expecting.
"I was concerned that the last two weeks we haven't shown that we've gotten any better," Kelchner told the Hampton Roads Daily Press. "So now we've got a chance to redeem ourselves. We've got a very busy week and a lot to do."
The Captains will host Muhlenberg, finally. As you may recall, the Mules were scheduled to play the Captains earlier in the year, in Newport News, only to have Hurricane Isabel intercede.
After starting the season a dismal 0-2, the Mules have seven consecutive wins, most of them coming comfortably. But you would have known this was coming if you read my Oct. 7 column:
Hanging by a thread: Muhlenberg
Muhlenberg has struggled mightily, losing to Kings Point and McDaniel while having their game against Christopher Newport cancelled. The Mules are a better team than they have seemed this season and should improve. Their season may bank on their game at home against Hopkins on Oct. 25.
This was true. Muhlenberg beat Hopkins and effectively won the Centennial's automatic bid. Last season, the Mules demolished Mass-Dartmouth in the first round and lost to John Carroll in the second round. That's one more playoff win than CNU can claim. Christopher Newport will look for their program's first postseason victory in three trips.
Eagles No. 2 seed, tables turned
The last time Bridgewater faced a PAC team in the playoffs, they found themselves down by a ton (35-3), on the road, in the snow ... well, it didn't look good. Then the Eagles started one of the largest, if not the largest, comeback in playoff history, knocking off Washington & Jefferson, 59-42.
This week, the Eagles will host the Yellow Jackets of PAC champion Waynesburg.
"The two things we have to be prepared for is at the next level everybody's going to be fast, and at the next level teams are going to be good enough to take advantage of your mistakes," BC coach Michael Clark said in the Harrisonburg Daily News Record.
Waynesburg capitalized on Washington & Jefferson mistakes aplenty in their 27-17 win against the Presidents. In fact, Waynesburg is all but two points from a 10-0 mark and may provide the Eagles with more than a first-round pushover. Bridgewater will have to assume the mentality they had back in 2000 to hold off a new face in the playoffs.
Lyco leaves no doubt, gets top seed
The Warriors needed a win to secure a position in the playoffs. That didn't seem to be a problem.
Frank Girardi's troops fired on all cylinders, thrashing Susquehanna, 38-0. While the scoring machine was in full force, the Warriors stepped up their defensive effort, snatching five interceptions and two Crusaders fumbles, allowing only 25 rushing yards for four quarters.
Combine the tremendous performance with a Christopher Newport loss, and the Warriors were seriously considered for the top spot in the region. The consideration became reality on Sunday afternoon.
"I think two things contributed to us getting that bye," Girardi reported to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. "One, we have played at an extremely high level the last two weeks and we continue to get better and better. The fact that Christopher Newport got beat on the final week also helped us." Note to Girardi: It helped a lot!
One thing we are guaranteed in the 2003 playoffs is that Lyco will play the Tigers in the second round. Both Trinity and East Texas Baptist are Tigers. For those not familiar with either, Trinity fell victim to the Purple Raiders in last year's Stagg Bowl.
Trinity is led by quarterback Dan DesPlaines, the grey-haired senior who was thrown into the Stagg Bowl after Roy Hampton's well-document celebrations after a victory in the national semifinals forced the Tigers to leave him home. They enter this week with an 8-2 record with a pair of road losses to Pomona-Pitzer and Rhodes. Trinity received an automatic bid from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
East Texas Baptist won the American Southwest Conference by one point, literally. There was a three-way tie for the league championship split by point differential. ETBU's season rested on a final minute drive, trailing Mary Hardin-Baylor by seven. With less than 60 seconds on the clock, ETBU quarterback Phil Van Cleave connected on fourth-and-21 and fourth-and-9 to set up a 21-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds remaining. The Tigers scored on their overtime possession and intercepted UMHB for the victory.
Del Val makes a statement
You think the Aggies are ready for next year even though they have another game against New Jersey in the ECAC playoffs this weekend? Delaware Valley twice overcame 18-point deficits in the second half against Widener and rattled off 21 unanswered points during an eight-minute span in the fourth quarter, taking a 48-41 lead. Tyreak Saviour returned the ensuing kickoff to the Del Val 16-yard line when Mike Lomas found Clayton Devine in the back of the end zone, tying the game at 48.
Widener scored a touchdown in their overtime possession with Del Val taking over. On a third-and-3 from the Widener 4, Del Val quarterback Adam Knoblauch connected with Rob Wallace for a touchdown. With darkness approaching, Widener led 55-54 as Del Val called a timeout to mull its options. G.A. Mangus decided to go for the win. Taylor Ramos took the conversion to the back of the end zone for a 56-55 Del Val win.
The Aggies finish 8-2, their best season in ... well ... a LONG time. Del Val graduates a total of seven seniors, and have a chance to go 9-2 with the ECAC game coming up. We will have more on the Aggies next week, but suffice it to say it was quite a run, and I expect we will have much more to say about them in the future. Del Val is a fun to team to watch, regardless of your allegiance. Mangus has this team on the map to stay.
Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year nominees
The nominees are ...
John Port, Quarterback, Albright
First, the numbers: 374 pass attempts, 237 completions, 29 passing touchdowns, 3,397 passing yards. Port was tied for the nation's lead in total yardage in a game, amassing 542 yards, in addition to becoming the MAC's all-time leader in total yards in a season. Port led the Lions to a 7-3 record, improving dramatically after a 2-8 season in 2002.
Carlo DeAngelo, Defensive Back, Delaware Valley
One of only a handful of seniors with the Aggies, DeAngelo's seniority and hustle helped anchor the 2003 season's biggest surprise. With nine interceptions, DeAngelo was among the nation's leaders in picks, returning two for touchdowns, and averaging 15.5 yards per return.
J.D. Ricca, Quarterback, Hampden-Sydney
Ricca is only a sophomore, but it didn't stop him from airing the ball out in Hampden-Sydney's tremendous 9-1 season. Ricca's completion percentage was slightly lower than that of Port; their overall numbers incredibly similar: 206-for-336 with 10 interceptions and 29 touchdowns for 3,032 yards. Hard to tell the two apart. Well, you can. The Tigers were 9-1, falling only to Bridgewater in a brutally close game. The three-point differential in that contest was the difference in the Tigers' season.
Josh Kemp, Defensive Back, Ursinus
Kemp, a 5-8 180-point sophomore, was tied for first in the country with 15.5 sacks. While much will be expected from Kemp over the next two seasons, his prowess from the corner kept the Bears deceptively close in numerous contests, including a four-point loss at McDaniel. Individually, this performance is impressive.
Brett Trichilo, Running Back, Wilkes
Second in the country in total rushing yards, Trichilo was THE man. 208 yards per game, 27 rushing scores, 6.8 yards per carry. The man literally carried the Colonels to an 8-2 record. Oh, almost forgot: he's a junior. The ground havoc will return next season.