East Stroudsburg University
Pete Nevins, SID (570 422-3312)
ESU-Edinboro Football
EAST STROUDSBURG - Quarterback Jeremy Palm completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Kondikoff and Mike Berry booted the extra point with 1:38 remaining to give East Stroudsburg University a 31-30 football victory over Edinboro Saturday.
The Warriors ended the season with a 7-3 record, best at the school since the 1993 team went 7-2-1. Edinboro finished 4-6.
Edinboro had taken the lead, 30-24, with 2:56 remaining on Alonzo Roebuck's four-yard run, his third touchdown of the game. John Geis' extra-point attempt went wide, however.
ESU took the ball and went 61 yards in six plays for the winning touchdown. Palm completed passes of 20 yards to wide receiver John Jeffries and 25 yards to Kondikoff before the scoring strike.
Roebuck scored on touchdown runs of 5 and 1 yards and Sean McNicholas kicked field goals of 45 and 37 yards to give the Fighting Scots a 21-6 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Warriors rallied as Mike Berry booted a 32-yard field goal and tailback Andre Castiglioni ran six yards for his second score of the game to cut the margin to 21-16 entering the fourth quarter.
Geis booted a 19-yard field goal to put Edinboro ahead, 24-16. ESU then tied the game with 7:11 left as tackle Dan Bratton recovered a fumble by Castiglioni in the end zone and Palm connected with Jeff Jeffries on a two-point conversion.
Palm completed 9 for 19 passes for 183 yards while Kondikoff caught five passes for 88 yards and John Kotarsky three for 109 yards for his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game.
Roebuck was the game's leading rusher with a career-high 151 yards on 28 carries and teammate John Williams ran for 91 yards on 23 attempts. The Fighting Scots rushed for 315 yards, but only passed for 35.
Castiglioni posted his seventh 100-yard game of the season, breaking his own school record of six set last year, with 119 yards on 23 carries. He finished the season with 1,069, becoming the first ESU player ever to gain 1,000 yards in two different seasons.
ESU punter Adam Hostetter, who entered the game tied for the NCAA Division II leader with a 44.1-yard average,punted three times for 149 yards or 49.7 yards per punt.
Warrior safety Jeremy Brown made his eighth interception of the season, returning the ball 30 yards to lead to ESU's first score. He also was the team's leading tackler with 13. Tackle Bryan Rybicki was next with nine tackles while linebacker Brian Holkovic made eight.
The victory put a bookend pair of wins on the season. The Warriors won their opener over another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division opponent Clarion in late August, 33-27, on a touchdown with 1:53 left.
ESU-Edinboro Football (-2-)
Edinboro 3-9-9-9 30
East Stroudsburg 0-6-10-15 31
Edin - Sean McNicholas 45 field goal, 1:42 left, 1st
Edin - Safety, ball snapped into endzone on ESU punt, 14:55 left, 1st
ESU - Andre Castiglioni 5 run (kick blocked), 7:02 left, 2nd
Edin - Alonzo Roebuck 5 run (Josh Geis kick), 0:45 left, 2nd
Edin - Roebuck 1 run (pass failed), 13:30 left, 3rd
Edin - McNicholas 37 field goal, 8:20 left, 3rd
ESU - Mike Berry 32 field goal, 5:49 left, 3rd
ESU - Castiglioni 6 run (Berry kick), 1:46 left, 3rd
Edin - Geis 19 field goal, 11:45 left, 4th
ESU - Dan Bratton recovered fumble in end zone (John Jeffries pass from Jeremy Palm), 7:11 left, 4th
Edin - Roebuck 4 run (kick failed)
ESU - Justin Kondikoff 22 pass from Palm (Berry kick)
Team Statistics:
First Downs: ESU 19, Edinboro 15; Rushing: ESU 37 for 92 yards, Edinboro 59 for 315 yards; Passing: ESU 12 for 27 for 231 yards, 0 interc.; Edin 4 for 11 for 35 yards, 1 interc.; Fumbles/Lost: ESU 1/0; Edinboro 0/0; Penalties: ESU 6-30, Edinboro 4-30; Punting: ESU 4 for 37.3, Edinboro 3 for 41.0
Individual Leaders:
Rushing: ESU - Andre Castiglioni 23 for 119 yards, A.J. Oliveri 5 for 14 yards; Edinboro - Alonzo Roebuck 28 for 151 yards, John Williams 23 for 91 yards, Brandon Munson 4 for 51 yards.
Passing: ESU - Jeremy Palm 9 for 19, 183 yards, Jon Pry 3 for 8 for 48 yards; Edinboro - Steve Tryon 4 for 11, 35 yards
Receiving: ESU - Justin Kondikoff 5 for 88 yards, John Kotarsky 3 for 109 yards, John Jeffries 2 for 34 yards; Edinboro - Chris Buehner 2 for 32 yards
Punting: ESU - Adam Hostetter 3 for 49.7 average, Sean McNicholas 3 for 41.0 average.
Interceptions: ESU - Jeremy Brown 1 for 30 yards
Records: ESU 7-3, Edinboro 4-6