LATROBE, Pa. – Making his first career start, Joe
Lapkowicz (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Twp.) completed 12
of 13 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns to lead McDaniel to
a 38-7 victory over St. Vincent in the football opener for both
teams on Saturday.
In the most offensive day since racking up 556 yards at
Gettysburg on Oct. 9, 2004, the Green Terror (1-0) outgained the
Bearcats (0-1) by a 407-66 margin, including 208-21 on the
ground.
Eric Zwilsky (Knoxville, Md./Brunswick)
rushed for 111 of those yards for his second collegiate 100-yard
rushing day. He also added three touchdown carries.
Saum Sami (Fruitland, Md./JM Bennett)
racked up 101 of McDaniel's 199 receiving yards on four
catches, including a touchdown.
Anthony Johnson and Sean
Hufgard led the St. Vincent defense with 12 and 10
tackles, respectively.
Mike Ford (Drexel Hill, Pa./Haverford
Twp.) forced a fumble on the Bearcats' first play
that Travis Wenrich (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad
Weiser) recovered to set up the offense at the St.
Vincent 36. After Zwilsky gained five yards on the first two plays
and a short completion set up fourth down at the Bearcat 29,
Lapkowicz threw an interception that Antoine
Barber returned 75 yards for a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Zwilsky rushed for 23 of the 51 yards
the Green Terror needed to knot the game.
On an 11-play drive that consumed 5 minutes, 36 seconds,
McDaniel ran the ball 11 times for the game-tying score – a
one-yard Zwilsky dive.
Knotted at 7, a 12-yard sack by Etai Gamliel
(Brookeville, Md./Sherwood) dropped St. Vincent back
inside the one-yard line, facing a fourth-and-32.
After a 22-yard punt gave the Green Terror the ball inside
the 25-yard line, the offense couldn't net a single yard and
was forced to settle for a 40-yard Jay Leonard
(Westminster, Md./Westminster) field goal to take a 10-7
lead with 8:45 remaining in the first half.
Three passes from Lapkowicz to Saum on the final drive
before the half ended gained 69 yards but a blocked field goal kept
it a 10-7 game at the intermission.
Opening the second half with the ball, Lapkowicz found
Zwilsky for a 26-yard completion and Zwilsky reeled off a 27-yard
run up that middle before turning to the left side and finding the
end zone for a 17-7 advantage, capping a 5-play, 60-yard march that
needed just 2:09.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Lapkowicz needed
just 3 minutes, 22 seconds to find Sami for a 32-yard pass play
that capped a 7-play, 69-yard drive for a 24-7 lead with 7:53 left
in the third quarter.
A 34-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline by
Matt Cahill (Havertown, Pa./Haverford Twp.) with
8:54 to play in the contest capped a quick four-play drive for a
31-7 lead.
Zwilsky put a bow on the Green Terror's first road
win in its last nine tries with an 11-yard scamper to the end zone
with 2:56 on the clock.
The McDaniel defense, which didn't have a player
with more than six tackles, finished with five sacks, including 1.5
by Albert Leech (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas
Johnson).
For the Green Terror, the victory marks the first time the
squad has been over .500 since finishing 2005 with a 5-5 record.
McDaniel improves 60-48-6 on opening day.
The Green Terror returns to action in the home opener
against Moravian on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.
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