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Complete
Box Score
EDINBORO, PA – Edinboro University head
coach Scot Browning will probably spend the winter wondering what
if. The first-year mentor of the Fighting Scots spent most of the
2006 season trying to establish the running game. He finally came
up with an alternative solution – throw the ball!
After combing for 54 points over a five-game
stretch, Browning watched his team roll up 105 points in the last
two games.
On Saturday Edinboro concluded its season with
a 51-25 win at Lock Haven. The Fighting Scots jumped out to a 21-0
lead just eight minutes into the game, with the Bald Eagles
staging a brief comeback before the Scots answered with a pair of
fourth quarter scores.
The victory was the second straight for the
Fighting Scots and boosted them to 6-5 overall and 3-3 in PSAC
West action. It marked the fourth consecutive winning season for
Edinboro. Lock Haven fell to 2-9 and 1-5, respectively.
The 51 points marked the first time Edinboro
had scored 50-or-more points in back-to-back games since 1994.
Trevor Harris (Waldo, OH/Marion Pleasant) completed his
record-breaking campaign with a big finish. The redshirt freshman
followed up a school-record 437-yard, 5-TD effort last week by
completing 23 of 38 passes for 353 yards and 3 TDs. The 353 yards
is tied for the third-highest single-game total, and in the
process he also set the school record for yards passing in a
season with 2,547 yards.
In addition, Harris broke the season record for
attempts in a season during the game (313) and previously set the
school record for completions in a season, ending with 192. He
threw for 20 touchdowns, tied for the third-highest season total,
while throwing just seven interceptions.
Ryan Valasek (Natrona Heights,
PA/Highlands) also finished a record-breaking year, as the
senior wide receiver caught 7 passes for 116 yards and 2 TDs. He
ended the year with 64 catches for 1,032 yards, becoming just the
second receiver in Edinboro history to reach 1,000 yards. Ernest
Priester did it twice. He ended with 10 TDs, the third-highest
season total.
For his career, Valasek finished with 132
receptions, the third-highest total, for 2,265 yards, the
second-highest total, and 20 TDs, also second.
Lock Haven opened the game with a three-and-out
series, and Edinboro took over at the LHU 49. The Fighting Scots
came out in an open backfield, and Harris completed a 38-yard pass
to Kyle Witucki (Tarentum, PA/Highlands) on the first
play. Three plays later Houston Brown (Westerville, OH/Westerville
Central) scored on a six-yard run. Kody Robertson (Columbus,
OH/Hilliard Davidson) added the first of six extra points for
a 7-0 lead with 12:04 left in the first quarter. It was Robertson’s
139 career extra point, a new school record.
Lock Haven moved to the Edinboro 31 on its next
possession, thanks in large part to a fake punt run for 33 yards,
but the drive ended when Damion Malott (Akron, OH/Akron North)
came up with the first of two interceptions, returning it 41 yards
to the LHU 23. On the next play, Harris found Valasek in the back
of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. Fullback Caleb Mayer
(Bennington, VT/Berkshire) picked up a blitz to give
Harris the time to throw. Edinboro led 14-0 at the 10:05 mark.
Malott forced and recovered a fumble on the
next series, giving the ball back to Edinboro at the LHU 37. The
Bald Eagles were called for pass interference on the next play,
and Brown followed with his second touchdown, scampering 22 yards.
With 7:01 remaining in the first quarter, Edinboro led 21-0. In
fact, excluding penalties, Edinboro had run off five plays and
scored three touchdowns.
The lead grew to 24-0 on a 31-yard field goal
by Robertson early in the second quarter. Lock Haven would answer
with a 73-yard drive later in the stanza, culminated by Ilio
DiPaolo’s 16-yard TD pass to Rafael Smith.
The duo proved troublesome all day for the
Fighting Scots. DiPaolo, a slippery freshman who constantly eluded
a heavy rush, finished with 276 yards through the air and another
40 on the ground. Smith caught 12 passes for 176 yards and 2 TDs.
Edinboro built the lead back up to 24 points at
31-7 with 2:59 to play, as Brown capped a seven-play, 80-yard
march with a 10-yard run. The Bald Eagles tacked a 26-yard field
goal by Marc Domonkos with three seconds left for a 31-10 Boro
advantage at the half.
Valasek added his second touchdown of the
afternoon midway through the third quarter, hauling in a nine-yard
pass from Harris. The score was set up by Dave Jazenski’s
(Erie, PA/Iroquois) interception. Robertson’s PAT attempt
was wide to the left, but the Scots still led 37-10.
Lock Haven came right back behind DiPaolo to
close to 37-16, as Smith caught a 38-yard TD pass with 4:11
remaining in the third quarter. It marked just the second score
allowed all year by Edinboro in the third period. The two-point
run failed.
The Bald Eagles made it interesting at 37-23
with 14:21 left in the game when Jelani Washington-Crum caught a
15-yard scoring toss from DiPaolo.
Harris quickly put any comeback hopes to rest
less than three minutes later. He found Ryan Rybicki (Covina,
CA/Charter Oak) behind the Lock Haven secondary, with the two
combining on a 55-yard scoring play. It marked the first career
touchdown for Rybicki, and boosted the lead to 44-23. Brown then
added his fourth touchdown of the afternoon, bursting 55 yards
with 4:08 to play. The freshman, a starter at cornerback for six
games before moving to tailback, had his second 100-yard game in
four contests, finishing with 126 yards on 17 carries. He also
became the second back to rush for four touchdowns, one shy of the
school record, this season.
Lock Haven added a safety with two seconds left
for the final score. Rather than punt of his own end zone,
Robertson stepped out of the end zone.
Edinboro finished the day with 463 yards, while
Lock Haven had 392. Rybicki posted career highs of 5 catches for
87 yards, while Brad Gossett (Perry, OH/Perry) caught 4
passes, a career-high, for 31 yards, and Witucki had 3 catches for
81 yards.
Jim Soltis (Garrettsville, OH/Cardinal)
led the Boro defense with 10 tackles, while Ben Stroup (Columbus,
OH/Hilliard Davidson) had 7, with 3.5 for losses.
Robertson completed his senior season with
several records. He departs with the career records for extra
points made (144) and extra points attempted (165), ranking third
in career field goals made (33) and tied for second in attempts
(56). He ranks second in points scored by a kicker (234).
With the game out of reach, a pair of seniors
got to try their hand at the other side of the ball. Chris
Kaczor (Brook Park, OH/Berea), who started all 45 games of his
career on the offensive line, played defensive end on the final
series, narrowly missing a sack. Jazenski, an outstanding running
back in high school, carried twice for five yards. |
