Senior quarterback Bill Shirk completed 20 of 30 passes with just one interception. Shirk also threw four touchdown passes in the game against Lock Haven.

Shirk connected with senior wide receiver Jamal Smith for three of the touchdowns. The first came just three and a half minutes into the game. At their first possession, Lock Haven quarterback Robert Meade’s pass was intercepted by senior free safety Matt Sutjak for a 44-yard return that put the Marauders four yards from the Lock Haven end zone.

Shirk’s pass to Smith gave Millersville the early lead. The score was 7-0, with Anthony Kassab’s added point.

The two connected again later in the first half to bring the score to 13-0 before Lock Haven finally made it to the scoreboard, narrowing the Marauder lead to six. Sophomore running back Fateen Brown scored on a 2-yard rush, bringing the score to 20-7.

Lock Haven also managed to score in the second quarter, bringing the half-time score to 20-14, Millersville.

Millersville was the first to score in the second half, Shirk and Smith connecting yet again to bring Millersville’s lead to 14 points.

For the third time, the golden duo of Shirk and Smith combined to bring Millersville’s final total to 35 in the fourth quarter.

The final score for the game was Millersville 35, Lock Haven 21. The team’s next game is versus Gannon at 4 P.M. in Biemesderfer stadium.

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Minnesota, picked by many as a Super Bowl Contender, was edged by the Saints 14-9 in a dud. The defending champions’ defense looked great, and kept Adrian Peterson off of the scoreboard. Favre looked atrocious, and was clearly out of sync with his receivers. Could have used a little training camp, eh, Brett?

Detroit got jobbed out of a last-second win against Chicago. Calvin Johnson clearly pulled in what should have been the game-winning catch with under a minute to go. Last I checked, both feet and a rear end in the end zone with full possession of the ball is a touchdown. Cutler looked good after recovering from an early pick. Matt Forte absolutely blew up, and I envy anyone who picked him up in their fantasy leagues.

New England’s offense was as dynamic as ever in a contest in which Cincinnati decided not to play until the second half. It was good to see Wes Welker coming back full steam from the knee injury he suffered in week 17 of last season. He is the epitome of how far effort and smarts will take you in the league. Batman and Robin (TO and Ochocinco) looked pretty good in the second half, but the Bengals had better be ready next week when the Ravens come to town.

Miami sneaked past Buffalo in one of the most boring games I have seen in years. Brandon Marshall looked great, but was held in check by a much-improved Buffalo defense. Miami’s front seven, namely Karlos Dansby, lived in the backfield all game long. Everyone wants to throw Trent Edwards under the bus, but what can you expect from an offense with arguably the two worst tackles in the league?

Tennessee looks like the real deal. Chris Johnson backed up his mouth by shredding Oakland’s defense. Vince Young was very efficient in the first act of a make or break year for him. Oakland gets blown out on opening day? Yeah, I was not shocked, either.

The Giants turned the ball over four times, but, luckily, still managed to win the turnover battle en route to a 30-20 victory over Carolina. Eli Manning continued his Jekyll and Hyde ways by throwing three touchdowns, all to Hakeem Nicks, and three interceptions.
The G men will need to clean it up in order to keep pace in the NFC East.

Pittsburgh nudged past Atlanta in battle of the kickers. Dennis Dixon managed to not give the game away, and was reasonably efficient; however, there is no doubt Steeler fans are yearning for everybody’s favorite sex offender, Big Ben, to return. Troy Polamalu is the best defensive player in the league…period.

In the battle of probable top five picks, Tampa Bay rallied to take down the Browns. Josh Freeman is a franchise quarterback for the Bucs, while Jake Delhomme…not so much. The Cajun veteran threw two picks, an improvement over the four he threw last season in week one.

Jacksonville took the first step to saving Jack Del Rio’s job in a 24-17 win over Denver. David Garrard looked like he did two years ago, throwing three touchdowns and no picks. My favorite partier, Kyle Orton, put up fairly good numbers in the loss. The best part about Orton’s respectable performance is that hopefully it will quell all the idiots who have been clamoring for Tim Tebow. How can you lead a team if you are abstinent?

Houston came through with an important win in franchise history. Though it is only week one, the convincing win over the dreaded Colts should be the push in the rear this team needs to contend for a wild card. A tip of the cap to anyone who picked up Arian Foster in their fantasy leagues, he had a day and a half.

Sam Bradford was awfully busy in his first NFL start, throwing the rock an astounding 55 times. Bradford struggled, throwing three picks and averaging just 4.6 yards per attempt. Derek Anderson was quiet most of the day, but stepped up late by connecting with Larry Fitzgerald to win it.

Seattle’s blowout of the 49ers was the biggest surprise in week one. I thought San Francisco would cruise through a very weak NFC West. Pete Carroll’s second go round in the NFL looks like it could be promising. A performance like this makes me wonder if Mike Singletary dropped his drawers again in the locker room.

Philadelphia’s 27-20 loss to the Packers stirred up more controversy than Clinton’s affair in the oval office. Thousands of Birds fans are pleading for Michael Vick to be given the keys to the offense after a flashy performance in relief of Kevin Kolb. In my opinion, Andy Reid did the right thing by pledging his allegiance to Kolb after the game.

Washington took advantage of one of the worst decisions in a long time by Wade Phillips. Instead of kneeling on the ball to end the half, the boys tried a swing pass to Tashard Choice, who promptly coughed up the ball and watched helplessly as DeAngelo Hall raced down the sideline. My biggest question is why Marion Barber and Felix Jones each were only given the ball eight times?

The Jets fell flat on their collective face on Monday Night Football. They committed an astounding 14 penalties and picked up only eight first downs. Anybody who watched Hard Knocks has to be dying to hear what Rex Ryan had to say during and after the game.

Kansas City finished off week one with a huge upset for the Chargers. The Chiefs defense looked wonderful and very well coached. The Chiefs also have a bonafied playmaker in rookie Dexter McCluster, that man can motor! Trent Dilfer did his best from the booth to ruin a good game.

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The game was underway with Millersville kicking off to the Greyhounds who had a 10-play, 46-yard drive before failing to convert on fourth down. Millersville took over on downs on their own 36.

Millersville showed an impressive opening drive going 53 yards in nine plays, ending in a 27-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Anthony Kassab with 6:22 left in the first quarter.

The Greyhounds were able to control most of the clock in the first quarter thanks to their running back Herb Woodard. Woodard kept the momentum for the Greyhounds into the second quarter by scoring two touchdowns.

Woodward’s first untouched score came on the first play of the second quarter with a run up the middle. Woodard scored again on a five-yard dash giving Assumption a 14-3 lead. The score came after Millersville went three and out after recovering a fumble.

However, the Marauders responded on their next drive with an 87-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Bill Shirk to junior wide receiver Matt Edgerieder. The extra point was then blocked bringing the score to 14-9.

The ensuing kickoff from Millersville went out of bounds, giving Assumption the ball on the 40 yard line. After piecing together another impressive drive, Assumption’s Woodard scored his third touchdown of the quarter giving the Greyhounds a 21-9 lead.

With just under three minutes to go in the half, the Marauders began their next drive on their own 20 after the kickoff went out of the end zone.

Shirk led the Marauders down the field with nine completions including a touchdown pass to junior tight end Greg Frantz, cutting the deficit to five with a score of 21-16 at the half.

Millersville received the ball to open the third quarter and mixed up their offensive strategy by putting senior wide receiver Jamal Smith under center in a wild cat-like formation. However, the Marauders went three and out and were forced to punt. The punt was then blocked and recovered by Assumption on Millersville’s 16 yard line, putting the Greyhounds in the red zone.

Millersville had a strong goal line stand and held the Greyhounds to a field goal, bringing the score to 24-16.

After exchanging punts Millersville finally got the break they desperately needed when senior linebacker Shane Gross sacked Assumption’s quarterback, forcing fumble. Sophomore Zack Riley recovered the ball in the end zone for a Marauder touchdown. After a failed two point conversion, Millersville was only down 24-22.

Assumption put up another field goal with 12:33 left in the game, giving them a five-point lead over Millersville. The Marauders responded with their best offensive showing all day. Shirk led the Marauders down the field on a ten play drive that ended in a touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Dominic Sanders, giving Millersville a 28-27 lead. They again failed on a two-point conversion.

Assumption got the ball back with just over seven minutes left in the game. The Greyhounds picked apart the Marauder defense as they drove down the field in a 15-play, 67-yard drive that ended in a touchdown.

On fourth and eight, with 44 seconds remaining in the game, Assumption’s pass went incomplete, but a pass interference penalty was called. The penalty gave the Greyhounds a first and goal on the nine yard line. After a holding call on the offense that pushed them back to the 19, the Greyhounds narrowly found David Canney in the end zone. It appeared he was barely able to get a foot in bounds.

Millersville got the ball back with only seconds remaining on the clock to piece together a miracle final drive. The first pass from Shirk fell incomplete. The next pass went to sophomore Mike Jones who was tackled as time expired before a time out could be called.

Millersville now has an opening day record of 3-8 since 2003. However, Millersville put up impressive stats including Shirk’s 310 passing yards. Senior free safety Matt Sutjak led the defense with 13 tackles, and sophomore linebacker Pat Maloney had a career high 10 tackles.

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Every year after spring camp the football team has a spring game. This year the game is April 22, on Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium, and begins promptly at 7 p.m. The game is not a regulation game, but a scrimmage within the team. The team is either split up as offense against defense or divided evenly.

The fall 2010 season marks Millersville’s head coach Greg Colby’s third season with the Marauders. Colby said “All the players did a good job, [are] in good shape, [and] the team [has gotten] better with a lot of improvement. As a group [the team has] gotten more athletic and stronger [than] a year ago,” Colby said.

Colby also said to look for the new guys on the team, like the freshmen, and redshirt freshmen, but warned that “no one is going to outshine the others, it is a team effort.” He also mentioned the improved leadership and coaching on the team saying, “Leadership has been good.” When questioned about his approach to leading the team, Colby said “The coaching is good; I try to be a coach, a little of a father figure, leader, and a friend.”

Although excited about the coming season Colby warned, “It’s hard to predict how the fall will turn out because we are playing ourselves, but [we are] confident we going to win more games.”

Members of the Marauder football team are also excited about the new season. “The team is making the right step, [we are] restoring a winning team, ”Owen King, a junior defensive end, said.

So come out, support the team, and see how the team has improved this spring. See if you notice any changes from last spring if you saw last year spring game. Remember a team cannot win or improve if they do not have encouragement from the fans and students.

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The team is not that far away from a ring and to get rid of Mcnabb in hopes that unproven Kevin Kolb will lead them to the promised land is ludicrous. Through all of the hoopla of Mcnabb becoming a Skin there was one person who suffered more than anyone out of this whole ordeal, Jimmy Clausen.

While it wasn’t a certainty, Clausen seemed pegged to be selected by Washington at the number four slot. I think this would have been a bit of a reach, especially with a glaring hole at left tackle, but now there is no chance Jimmy goes fourth overall. As you scan through the next few picks there are a few spots where there is a chance he could be selected. Seattle seems set at quarterback after overpaying for Charlie Whitehurst, Cleveland could use a quarterback but GM Mike Holmgren is on the record saying he doesn’t have interest in Clausen. Buffalo at nine seems to be the best case scenario for Clausen.

The Bills have a void the size of Niagara Falls at left tackle and I am hard pressed to think that they would pass up a quality tackle if one is available. Clausen and his agent should pray that the three best tackles, Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga, and Trent Williams, are off the board by the time pick number nine rolls around. Anthony Davis from Rutgers has all the upside you could ask for in a left tackle, but there are too many red flags for the Bills to risk another flop in the first round. If the big three are gone at tackle, which seems likely, Clausen will be a Buffalo Bill April 22. If the Bills pass things will get very interesting. Jacksonville selects tenth and while Clausen could be tempting they have too many holes to fill before replacing David Garrard.

If Clausen makes it out of the top 10 it is going to be a long wait for the Notre Dame product. San Francisco, picking 13th and 17th could look at Jimmy but I doubt Mike Singletary is going to be in favor of taking another quarterback. Seattle also has the 15th pick but again there are too many other holes and they are invested in Whitehurst. As you scroll through the rest of the teams in the first round, none have a need at quarterback. Unfortunately for Clausen it looks as if he could be in store for a Brady Quinn or Aaron Rodgers type of draft day. If Buffalo passes I see somebody trying to make a play for San Francisco’s 17th overall selection or trying to grab a spot in the twenties, just like Cleveland did for Quinn.

Interestingly enough there are people out there who feel that he is going to be a better NFL quarterback than Sam Bradford; I am one of those people. All of the questions that have been raised about Clausen’s leadership skills and intangibles are unwarranted. Whoever ends up with Clausen will have an NFL ready quarterback, one who is far more prepared for the NFL than Bradford. Clausen was groomed by quarterback and offensive wizard Charlie Weis for four years at Notre Dame. He played in a pro style offense while Bradford thrived under the collegiately exclusive spread. When Clausen is drafted he can call up Philadelphia and thank them for probably costing him top five pick money.

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Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen are going to go through a month of intense scrutiny leading up to April 22. There is a never-ending search for the coveted franchise quarterback. Bradford and Clausen are seen as the elite quarterbacks in an otherwise weak year for the position, thus helping their stock immensely. Since 2000, 26 quarterbacks have gone in the first round of the draft, 16 of which went in the first half of the first round. Interestingly enough, 13 of the 26 are not full time starters; this shows what a crap-shoot the NFL draft can be.

As draft day looms closer, it appears to be more than likely that the Rams, in search of their next franchise quarterback, are going to pass on two of the best defensive prospects in the last 20 years (Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy) to take a gamble on Sam Bradford.

I think Bradford will be a good pro, but to give up a chance to have a game changer like Suh or McCoy anchoring your defense for many years would be ludicrous. Every good defense needs a good front four; Bradford will sell more tickets, Suh or McCoy will win more games. St. Louis allowed their quarterback to be hit 98 times last season, how long is Bradford ’s brittle body going to last if he gets tagged that much?

Seattle is well aware that their former franchise quarterback Matt Hasselback is on his last legs in the league. Chronic back problems and age are going to put an end to a productive career for Hasselback and send Seattle searching for answers under center. In one of the more intriguing moves in the offseason to date, Seattle moved down from 40th to 60th in this year’s draft and sent a 2011 third round pick to San Diego for Charlie Whitehurst.

Whitehurst has never thrown a pass in a regular season game and remains unproven. The flight up the west coast proved to be a good one for the former Clemson quarterback, as he was swiftly signed to a two year deal worth up to $5M annually. Hasselback is entering the final year of his contract and is 34 years old; it sure sounds to me like Seattle has their starter for 2011 penciled in.

While it is not a requirement to have a franchise quarterback in order to have a winning franchise in the NFL, it sure is helpful. You can take a math test without a calculator, but it is quite a bit easier to have one. Every team is thirsting for wins and the quickest route is by finding the right man under center. The franchise quarterback does not necessarily have to come from the first round of the draft.

Two of the NFL’s best, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, were taken in the second and sixth round respectively. There are many quarterbacks taken outside of the first round who are more than capable of leading an offense. If you can build enough parts around a guy, then you are going to turn a good quarterback into a great one.

Taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft can make or break your team. Just ask the Oakland Raiders how happy they are about JaMarcus Russell’s production. It is amazing how some years have yielded a bevy of good quarterbacks in the first round, while others have left general managers frustrated. Many consider 1983 the greatest year ever for quarterbacks in the first round. Three hall of famers were selected that year: John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. Recently, 2004 was almost a perfect year for first round QBs: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Unfortunately for me, Buffalo ruined the trend by selecting JP Losman 22nd overall.

There have been countless years in which the antacids were flowing amongst the front offices of many teams. Many think 1999 is the worst of the bunch with Tim Couch (first), Akili Smith (third) and Cade Mcnown (12th) all going in the top 15. That year was so bad it hurt to type. Not far behind is 2002 when David Carr (first), Joey Harrington (third), and Patrick Ramsey (32nd) all went in the opening round. In the quest for quarterbacks, sometimes you’re the pigeon, and sometimes you’re the statue.

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The two teams arrived in Miami on Monday and spent Tuesday taking part in media day. Now that all the questions have been asked, there is only one that needs to be answered. Who will win the game?

The Saints and the Colts dominated the headlines all season long. Both teams started the season undefeated until week 15 when the Saints fell to the Dallas Cowboys. The Saints went on to lose the next two games as well, ending the regular season on a three game losing streak.

The Colts also began the season unbeaten until they faced the New York Jets in week 16 in a questionable decision to sit Payton Manning and the rest of the starters. Rookie head coach Jim Caldwell stood by his decision, also sitting his starters for the second half in their final game against the Bills, a game they also lost.

Sunday’s game has high implications for the Colts. This is especially true for Manning, who wants to be placed in the likes of Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas as one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks. A second Super Bowl win, he will certainly help Manning achieve that position.

However, winning the game will not be an easy feat. The Saints have dominated the NFC this season, averaging nearly 32 points a game. But, the Saints’ high-powered offense will have to face a defense that gives up an average of less than 20 points a game.

The Colts will also most likely be without defensive end Dwight Freeney, who is suffering from an ankle injury. With Freeney out of the game, or in less than perfect form, the Colts will have to find other ways to pressure Drew Brees.

Brees has thrown six touchdowns this postseason and having more time in the pocket will allow him to make big plays down the field. The Saints will also have to take advantage of Freeney’s injury by having a solid ground attack with Reggie Bush.

Bush has come on strong late this season and will need to showcase his talents in order to keep the Saints close against an aggressive Colts defense. If Freeney does not play it will also allow Bush to act as another receiver, giving Brees yet another option that the Colts will have to slow down.

Another key aspect of this game will be the Saints’ defense, who have given up an average of about 235 passing yards a game and 21 points, an average that puts them near the bottom of the league. Unless the Saints’ defense can put pressure on Manning and force him to make mistakes, it could be a long day for the Saints’ secondary.

As with every Super Bowl, it is almost impossible to predict the outcome of the game. However, with these two teams so evenly matched, it will surely go down as one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory.

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Think about how long the average football play lasts. Anywhere from five to 20 seconds not including the rare plays that can last longer (think long interception return for touchdown). Think of how long each player is on the field during a game. Typically, around 30 minutes not including special teamers, or defensive players or offensive players, who play on the special teams as well. Now include the number of packages, formations and substitutions take place throughout a football game.

So now our players who get the most playing time, maybe get 25 minutes. Factor in the time between each play, in the NFL and college it’s 40 seconds. Remember that half time lasts 12 minutes in professional football and 20 minutes in college football. Let’s not forget the time during timeouts awarded to each team, TV timeouts and time spent during challenges.

Sitting down and logically thinking about it, football games on television take about three hours with the average player probably only spending an actual 15 to 25 of those minutes playing football.

I may not have done the actual calculations, but I believe, logically, this assumption is almost accurate. If you do not believe me and want to figure out the actual numbers, please by all means fill me in. But, since I’m lazy and only write, I don’t feel like doing the math portion, estimating works for me.

Now this is not an attack on football or those who play football. I love football and I always will. I will continue to follow it to near obsession. However, if we think about it, do we maybe glorify these professional athletes a little too much?

There is no denying that they are the most athletic and physical individuals at their craft. That is why they make the big bucks. But is it necessary?

In the end these athletes only care about themselves. You will never find professional athletes who will take more than significantly less amounts of money to form a dynasty. You can see mini-dynasties in college football because they’re not getting paid. Honestly think about it.

This obviously excludes some, but think of the many players who celebrate after every tackle or first down, make millions of dollars who are just playing a game, who very rarely devote themselves to a city like most cities or towns devote themselves to the athletes. Then to make things worse think of how many athlete arrests have happened to individuals taking their gifts for granted.

This may seem like a vicious attack but I promise it’s not.

I played rugby for four years at Millersville. I knew nothing of the sport going into it. I can tell you one thing, I’ve never had to be in better shape in my life to play this sport.

I played sports in high school, and I grew up playing pickup football more times than I can remember. Since I began playing the sport, I became more invested in it on a professional level. Rugby games include two 40 minute halves with a running clock and only a 10 minute halftime. There is little break in play and the sport involves unending running and tackling.

I’m not saying everyone should stop what they’re doing and play rugby. What I’m saying is to view sports with an open mind. Americans are so eager to spread their sports on an international level, while most Americans are so hesitant to accept foreign games.

If you’re bored and tired of playing video games try a new sport, you could have been missing out on a great one.

Soccer is still growing in America, but it is the No. 1 sport on the globe. We have a habit of investing so much in the athletes we watch while so many have let us down (I know the number who don’t screw up is much more, but still the number who continue to mess up is disturbing.)

Maybe we should start rooting for athletes who do not take what they have for granted and play in long games instead of a commercialized sport where most athletes probably spend more time not playing in games than actually playing. Where they hoot and holler after making plays that they get paid tons of money to make.

I can’t say I’ll change from the sports that I watch, but I now have more of an open mind. Hopefully, others will start to change their minds too.

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The Marauders held Edinboro’s rushing game in check most of the game.  Edinboro rushed 38 times for only 3.4 yards per carry.  Millersville out rushed Edinboro because of the efforts of Senior Brad Lantz.  Lantz rushed for over 100 yards on 22 carries in his final game.  Lantz put up impressive numbers for the Marauders in his career.  He rushed for 2,670 yards during his career, making him fourth all-time.

The defense forced two turnovers, which has been a strong point throughout the year for the team.  Head coach Greg Colby said, “We were one of the top teams in the leagues in turnover margin.  That aspect shows a great chance for success and it definitely was a bright spot.”

The defense intercepted 11 passes and recovered 12 fumbles.  The Marauders showed they could make big plays on defense throughout the entire season.

Millersville’s first two possessions in the first quarter led to a field goal and a touchdown, but Edinboro responded with two of their own touchdowns. The Marauders scored first after a 10 play drive.  Senior John Banzhof made a 37 yard field goal to start the scoring for the Marauders.  After Edinboro was able to score on a 22 yard completion, junior quarterback Bill Shirk responded with his own touchdown.  A seven yard touchdown to sophomore Matt Egenrieder gave the Marauders the lead.

The Marauders were shut out the rest of the half, but struck back in the third quarter with a safety.  Freshman cornerback Christian Rodriguez intercepted a Joe Wanson pass on Edinboro’s first possession in the second half.  Edinboro came right back with an interception of their own on the next play. The interception placed them on their own two yard line which gave the Marauder defense a shot at a safety.  On the first play, running back Michael Battles was stopped in the end zone by freshman Jamie Hoffman and sophomore Ryan Christian for a safety.

A long drive starting at the end of the third quarter and ending in the fourth, gave the Marauders their second touchdown. Shirk was able to rush in at the goal line for a touchdown, which cut the lead to two. The two point conversion was unsuccessful. Joe Wanson threw his third touchdown pass, but the Marauders responded once again. Junior Jamal Smith broke a 22 yard run to bring the Marauders within a field goal with 5:25 left in the game. The defense forced a punt and got the ball back to the offense with 1:49 left in the game. The Marauders were unable to break through Edinboro’s defense and came up short after an impressive comeback.

The Marauders showed growth throughout the season and never quit on a game.  Colby said, “It was an up and down season. We were improved from where we were last year.  We found out where we are and know what we have to do better.  Our team is still very young; we played 10 true freshmen during the season and only had seven seniors, and the majority of our players are coming back next year. I really like our chances.”

Seniors include Brad Lantz, Julius Carter, Jordan Shank, Christian Calderon, Darnell Johnson, Nick Kyper, and John Banzhof. Carter played all 11 games at the safety position this season and compiled 87 total tackles, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.  Calderon started all 11 games this season and was a key piece of the Marauders offensive line.  The Marauders finished the season 3-8.

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The Marauders offense struggled in the first quarter. ESU forced Millersville to punt on their first three possessions. The Marauders first two offensive drives were three-and-outs. With the offense having trouble in the first quarter, the Marauders defense stepped up. On several third downs, the defense held strong and forced ESU to punt.

Senior Julius Carter intercepted a Matt Marshall pass to give the Marauders hope, but ESU countered with an interception of their own off Junior Quarterback Bill Shirk. Wide Receiver Matt Egenrieder said, “We came out flat and beat ourselves.”

The Marauders defense did not have the same success in the second quarter. East Stroudsburg’s offense exploded in the second quarter for 23 points. Penalties hurt the Marauders on both sides of the ball. A holding penalty and illegal blocking penalty forced Millersville into difficult third and longs, which turned into punts.

The Marauders were able to tack on a field goal at the end of the half to cut the lead 23-3. Senior John Banzhof kicked a 32 yard field goal, his only attempt of the day. Banzhof also punted 10 times, averaging 35 yards per punt, and pinning ESU inside their 20 yard line twice.

East Stroudsburg started strong in the third quarter. Starting with the ball in the second half, the offense put together a six play drive for 62 yards that ended in a touchdown. The Marauders found themselves in a deficit too large to overcome against a strong ESU defense. Positives can be taken from a loss like this. Egenrieder said, “We can definitely gain from this loss. We have been having a great week of practice and we know what we have to do to win games. When we are playing smart, and don’t commit penalties we know we can compete. The team can finish the season strong and we expect to win against Edinboro.”

Freshman linebacker Pat Maloney had a big day on the score sheet. Maloney made 15 total tackles, including 11 solo tackles. Sophomore inside linebacker Ryan Christian also had double digit total tackles with 13. Senior running back Brad Lantz ran for 82 yards, eclipsing the 600 yard mark on the season. Quarterback Bill Shirk also achieved 1500 yards passing on the season, throwing for 122 yards against ESU.

The Marauders face 7-3 Edinboro on Saturday at home. Edinboro lost their star quarterback, Trevor Harris, to an ankle injury in their last game and his status for the game against Millersville is unknown. The Marauders hope to end the season on a strong note.

Junior Owen King said, “I think the team will rally around the seniors and get them a win. The seniors deserve to go out on top. They were committed to the team all season, worked hard, and helped out the younger players.”

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