The Tradition Continues

THE SEASON After opening the year with five straight wins, visions of a possible NCAA Division III playoff berth were looming, but losses at Widener and Lebanon Valley and at home to Moravian dashed those dreams. However, a thrilling last-second upset of nationally-ranked Lycoming and a solid defensive effort in the season finale against Albright left the Crusaders with a final record of 7-3 — equaling the finish of last year’s Commonwealth League championship squad.

THE COACH Susquehanna head coach Steve Briggs (Springfield, 1984), completed his 11th season as the winningest football coach in school history at 75-37 (.669). His 112 games on the Crusader sidelines are just 10 shy of the program record of 122 set by Amos Alonzo Stagg, Jr. from 1935-54. Briggs is 11-0 in season openers and began the season ranked 26th among active Division III coaches in winning percentage.

RECAPPING ALBRIGHT Susquehanna 24, Albright 16 (November 11, 2000 at Selinsgrove, Pa.) Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman threw for 196 yards and three touchdowns, including two in a span of 44 seconds late in the first half, as Susquehanna defeated Albright 24-16 in MAC Commonwealth League action at Lopardo Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Freshman split end Mark Bartosic caught five passes for 101 yards to become the first Crusader receiver to surpass 1,000 yards in a season as Susquehanna finished off its 15th straight non-losing season. Susquehanna opened the scoring on its first play from scrimmage following an Albright punt on the game’s initial drive, as Bowman connected with sophomore halfback Jon Dvorshock on a 48-yard scoring pass just 1:40 into the first quarter. Albright retaliated on a 20-yard field goal by George Merrill, the first of three on the day by the Lion kicker, to pull within 7-3 with 4:09 left in the first quarter. Albright took the lead early in the second quarter as Strack hooked up with Ernie Woolf on a 64-yard touchdown down the right sideline to move ahead 10-7, and Merrill added his second field goal of the game with 4:20 left in the half to extend the Lion lead to 13-7. However, the Crusaders struck back with 1:25 left in the second quarter as Bowman found senior split end Josh Kitchin for a 19-yard touchdown pass to push Susquehanna ahead 14-13. The touchdown pass was the 19th of the season for Bowman, establishing a new Susquehanna single-season record. The Crusaders were not done, though, as sophomore free safety Antonio Nash picked off a Strack pass and returned it 36 yards to the Albright 22. Three plays later, Bowman spotted Bartosic in the end zone for an 18-yard score and a 21-13 Susquehanna lead at the break. The second half turned into a defensive struggle, as the teams exchanged two punts apiece in the third quarter before sophomore kicker Andy Nadler hit a 20-yard field goal with 5:48 left in the quarter to push Susquehanna to a 24-13 lead. Merrill drilled a 35-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the quarter to trim the Crusader advantage to 24-16, butthe Susquehanna defense completely shut down the Lions in the final quarter, yielding just 17 total yards to Albright in the final frame.

Susquehanna just missed the school single-season record for total yards set in 1986 (3,932), but the Crusaders did establish a new record for passing yards (2,574) in a single season. The Crusaders led the MAC in third-down conversions (41.6 percent on 69 of 166 attempts) and first downs (213) while allowing the fourth-fewest sacks in the conference (23). Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) ended the season with no fewer than five single-season records and two career records, as he established new Crusader season standards of 184 completions, 354 attempts, 2,563 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and 2,462 yards of total offense. In addition, Bowman is now the career leader in passing attempts (578) and completions (295) and is just 130 yards shy of tying the career record of 4,087 passing yards set by David Battisti from 1987-90. Bowman finished third in the MAC in passing yards, third in total offense, fifth in passing efficiency and third in touchdown passes. Junior halfback Isaac Hernandez (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area H.S.) ended the year in ninth place in the MAC in rushing at 49.9 yards per game after carrying 107 times for 499 yards (4.7 average) and two touchdowns. Freshman split end Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) nearly rewrote the pass receiving record book as he grabbed 51 passes for single-season records of 1,028 yards and 15 touchdowns. Bartosic caught at least one touchdown pass in nine of the Crusaders’ 10 games and finished second in the MAC with those 15 scoring grabs. He also placed third in receiving yards, fifth in receptions per game (5.1), fourth in scoring (96 points) and sixth in all-purpose yards (1,166). Senior split end Josh Kitchin (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh H.S.) ended the season ranked second on the team with 35 catches for 428 yards (12.2 average) and one touchdown, and leaves Susquehanna ranked ninth on the career reception list with 74 catches. Sophomore halfback Jon Dvorshock (Picture Rocks, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) also caught 35 passes this season for 403 yards (11.5 average) and a 48-yard touchdown on the Crusaders’ first play from scrimmage against Albright. Dvorshock also ranked third on the team in rushing with 203 yards on 67 carries (3.0 average) and one touchdown. Sophomore split end Tim Ronchi (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail H.S.) made 29 catches for 336 yards and a touchdown to increase his two-year totals to 66 receptions for 791 yards. The offensive line was led by senior left tackle Randy Zook (Belleville, Pa./Indian Valley H.S.) and senior center Dave Wonderlick (Shenandoah, Pa./Shenandoah Valley H.S.), both of whom started all 10 games and were on the field for nearly all of Susquehanna’s 775 plays from scrimmage this season.