THE GAME: Ranked 33rd in Division III by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette, Susquehanna will try to continue its mastery over King’s and its recent success in Homecoming games Saturday. The Crusaders have never lost to the Monarchs – winning all four of the previous meetings in this series by an average of 43.3 to 13.5, including last year’s 55-14 decision in Wilkes-Barre – and have won 11 of their last 13 Homecoming games. Two of those Homecoming losses have come in the last three years – most recently last season’s 35-30 setback to Allegheny. All of the King’s games have seen 10th-year Crusader head coach Steve Briggs down his former Springfield (Mass.) College teammate and Monarch head coach Rich Mannello. The two were one year apart at Springfield, with Mannello graduating in 1983 and Briggs in ’84. Mannello will enter this one in a better position than the past games as his team won its season opener for the first time since the program was re-established after a 30-year absence in 1993 – downing Hartwick two weeks ago. By contrast, Susquehanna won its 11th-straight opener, this time over FDU-Madison. The Crusaders come into Saturday’s game with the Middle Atlantic Conference’s top-ranked defense (166.0-yard avg.), also leading in pass defense (109.0-yard avg.). By contrast, King’s leads the MAC in rushing offense (203.0-yard avg.) and is second in both passing (257.0-yard avg.) and total offense (460.0-yard avg.). Susquehanna is fourth in both rushing (120.0-yard avg.) and passing (228.0-yard avg.) offense, but ranks third in total offense (348.0-yard avg.). King’s has the MAC’s lowest ranked defense (417.0-yard avg.) thus far. Halftime Homecoming festivities will find five more former Crusader greats being inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame, and the introduction of the 1999 Homecoming Court.
THE COACHES: Briggs is the winningest football coach in school history at 62-31 (.667), and is 7-2 in Homecoming games. Also a Crusader assistant for two seasons, he began the season ranked 36th among active D-III coaches in winning percentage. He has never suffered a losing season at Susquehanna. By contrast, Mannello is trying to guide his team to the first winning season in his tenure – presently with a career record of 13-46-1 (.225). He is off to a good start towards a winning campaign, guiding his team to a win in its opener for the first time since he helped re-establish the program in 1993.
THE CRUSADER OFFENSE (DELAWARE WING-T): Senior quarterback Andy Berwager (Hanover/South Western H.S.) completed 7 of 11 passes for 114 yards in the opener – including a 76-yard touchdown pass to junior halfback Rashonn Drayton (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) for the only first half touchdown – before leaving the game late in the second quarter with a knee sprain. Berwager was expected back to practice Monday and is probable for King’s. He ranks third in the MAC in passing efficiency (180.7) and is fourth at Susquehanna all-time in the area (117.49). Drayton went on to lead all receivers in the FDU game with three catches for 123 yards, although freshman Tim Ronchi (Factoryville/Lackawanna Trail H.S.) led all receivers with five catches for 32 yards. Ronchi is tied for second in the MAC in receptions per game. Fellow freshman Mike Bowman (Northumberland/Shikellamy H.S.) – a second-team all-state prep quarterback last year – replaced Berwager after the injury. He’ll get the nod if Berwager can’t go after also throwing for 114 yards, completing 8 of 22 passes – including his first collegiate touchdown with :18 left on a nine-yarder to junior halfback Jose Delgado (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.). Delgado rushed for 40 yards on 10 carries two weeks ago, although junior fullback Ryan Cidzik (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) led all Crusader ballcarriers with 45 yards on 12 carries. The veteran Crusader offensive line returns a player with starting experience at each position and averages 6-1, 260 pounds per man, but didn’t meet expectations in the opener. Junior tackle and Preseason All-American Randy Zook (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) tops the group as a returning first-team league All-Star and all-region pick by Don Hansen's Football Gazette last year.
THE MONARCH OFFENSE (I-FORMATION): Senior tailback Jim DeMaise is the King’s career rushing leader and tops the Monarch attack. A second-team Freedom League All-Star as a sophomore who was third in the MAC in rushing (99.4-yard avg.) a year ago, DeMaise rushed for 117 yards on 32 carries in the win at Hartwick and now has 2,247 yards. He broke the record on a 16-yard third quarter touchdown run, his second TD of the day. He presently leads the MAC in rushing. The strong King’s offensive line is almost identical in size to Susquehanna’s at 6-2, 260 pounds per man. The group is led by senior co-captain and guard Rob Johnston, who is a returning second-team league All-Star and one of the strongest players in the nation with a 500-pound bench, 865-pound squat, and 730-pound dead lift. Johnston started on the defensive line last year vs. Susquehanna. While DeMaise and Johnston are the Monarchs’s marquee names, sophomore quarterback Tom Pierantozzi leads the MAC in passing efficiency and is second in total offense, completing 14 of 17 passes for 230 yards with just one interception (184.2 rating/258 yards total offense) in the Hartwick win. Sophomore tight end Merritt Carr had a team best four catches for 79 yards (19.8 avg.).
THE CRUSADER DEFENSE (4-3): Freshman cornerback Antonio Nash (Washington, D.C./Spring Brook, Md. H.S.) picked up the team’s first Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week, sponsored by the Golden Corral Family Restaurant. Making his first collegiate start, Nash made both interceptions and had a pass break-up while posting six tackles (five solo) in the opener. He leads the MAC in interceptions. Junior free safety and tri-captain Mario Cromartie (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna H.S.) tied with sophomore linebacker Troy Sosnovik (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere H.S.) for the team tackle lead with eight (four solo apiece). Sophomore linebacker Dominick DeSteno (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Bergen Catholic H.S.) also made six stops (four solo), getting in on a sack. Senior end and returning first-team league All-Star Denny Bowers (Westminster, Md./Westminster H.S.) led the pass rush with a sack, forced fumble, and two tackles for losses of 19 yards.
THE MONARCH DEFENSE (MULTIPLE): Senior co-captain and middle linebacker Andrew Wilson is a returning second-team All-Star who led the Monarch defense in tackles for a second consecutive year with 69 stops, including 15.5 for losses of 48 yards. Wilson had a team high 11 (five solo) with a pair of sacks in the opener. Mammoth tackle Francis Corchado (6-5, 300) and end Anthony DeCesaris are a pair of senior returning second-team league All-Stars who lead the D-line. Corchado had 10 tackles for 32 yards in losses in ’98, while DeCesaris had 11 for 37 yards. DeCesaris had a pair of sacks and two pressures among his seven tackles (four solo) at Hartwick. Back deep, sophomore free safety Jacob Blomgren returns after a successful rookie season. Second on the team in tackles in ’98 with 58, he had six (three solo) with an interception in the opener.
THE CRUSADER KICK SPECIALISTS: Sophomore punter Ryan Hollis (Mifflin/Juniata H.S.) was third in the MAC and 19th nationally (39.1 avg.) in ’98 and had a 38.0-yard average in seven punts vs. FDU to once again rank third in the conference. Freshman kicker Andy Nadler (Westport, Conn./Staples H.S.) hit two of three FGs – connecting from 35 and 32 yards – and both PATs in his first collegiate game and ranks second in MAC kick scoring (eight points).
THE MONARCH KICK SPECIALISTS: Pierantozzi was the punter a year ago (32.9 avg.), but has relinquished that role to sophomore Chris Hinderliter, who averaged just 16.3 yards in three punts at Hartwick. Sophomore Dan Patterson is the new kicker and was 4 for 4 in PATs, but did not try an FG in the opener.
| The James W. Garrett Sports Complex, Publications, and Sports Information |
| Hours: 8:15 - 4:30 M-F (Academic year) 8:00 - 4:00 (Summer) | |
| Phone: 570-372-4119 Fax: 570-372-4048 E-mail: supubrel@susqu.edu |