Ben Guiles went off for a school-record five touchdowns - four rushing and one receiving - while going over 100 yards both on the ground and in the air to lead Lebanon Valley past Gettysburg, 57-42, in the season opener at Arnold Field.
Taking over full-time at quarterback, Colt Zarilla threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns as LVC hung 28 points on the Bullets in the third quarter to run away with the win.
Guiles stole the show with his 12th career 100-yard game, racking up 143 yards rushing and a career-high 103 yards receiving. He tied his own school record with four rushing touchdowns, and is the only player to score five combined.
"Anytime you win the first one, it's a good feeling," head coach Jim Monossaid. "Guiles had a heck of a day. In order to run the ball and do some things up front, we started with an inexperienced group and I think they've come together."
Lebanon Valley's 57 points were its most ever in a season opener and the most in any game since beating Bridgewater 63-14 in 1989. Big plays were the key to LVC's outburst, with Guiles running for a 59-yard score in the second quarter before cutting through for a 57-yard touchdown catch in the third, and Joey Miller making a spectacular horizontal catch at the pylon in the third to put the Dutchmen up by two touchdowns.
"They were bringing people downhill and committed to stopping the run, and we had to burn them," Monos said. "Overall we had enough big plays that we ended up winning the game."
The Dutchmen defense was outstanding in the second half, generating six sacks - including two sacks each by Andrew Hurst and Zach Halpin - and led by Cory Homer's 15 tackles.
LVC's offense generated 547 yards overall, averaging 7.7 yards per play and converting all five red zone chances. The running game was balanced, with Guiles running just 16 times and Pete Panichi (10-59) andBlair Ransom (9-44) picking up the rest of the load. Gettysburg's offense was inconsistent at times, with Kody Smith taking over at quarterback for starter Kyle Whitmoyer and going 17-for-34 for 167 yards.
A first-quarter touchdown by Guiles and Sean Fakete's 22-yard field goal made it 9-7 following Freddy Caruso's run for Gettysburg, and the Bullets retook the lead to start the second quarter after Smith hit Bobby Romano. Guiles answered back with his second score, hitting a seam on the right side and blazing up the sideline midway through the quarter.
It became a dogfight for the rest of the half, with Gettysburg's Ted Delia scoring from six yards out to go up 22-16 before Guiles got free again for a 28-yarder two drives later to end the half up 23-22.
The third quarter, however, turned the momentum firmly in LVC's direction, with Guiles scoring from 18 out on the second play of the half following a big return by Macke Hall and a Tim Picerno catch; Guiles then caught his 57-yarder from Zarilla on the next drive to blow the game open at 37-22.
Gettysburg stopped the bleeding with a long pass to Caruso, but Miller's touchdown and another late strike from Zarilla to Matt Mankiewicz made it 51-29 heading into the fourth quarter.
The offensive fireworks didn't stop there, with the sides combining for three touchdowns in the final five minutes on a Nick Ulassin run and Jon Smoker catch for Gettysburg and a Blair Ransom touchdown for LVC.
Lebanon Valley will make a long road trip to Grove City next Saturday for a 1:30 start as part of the PAC-MAC Challenge series.
Game Notes: Despite putting four first-time starters on the offensive line, LVC racked up 272 yards of rushing, averaging 6.0 yards per carry, and allowed only two sacks ... Guiles now has 31 career rushing touchdowns, chasing down Charlie Parker 10's record of 35 ... Cory Homer had one of the best games of his career, leading all players with 15 tackles and adding a sack and a pair of hurries on a key drive in the third quarter ... Nate Kauffman was all over the field, generating eight tackles and two pass break-ups ... Nick Bowne forced and recovered a fumble to go with a sack and six tackles ... Dave Hallinan notched his first career interception ... Joey Miller, making his first career start, ended with 68 yards on four catches with his first career touchdown ... Sean Faketebooted his first career field goal, LVC's first since the 2009 season ... The first quarter began with a string of turnovers, including fumbles lost by both teams and an early interception by Zarilla ... Zarilla had a solid day punting, averaging 40.6 yards and dropping four of his seven inside the 20.