2002 Warrior Football

Newly Ranked Warriors Host Cheyney on Family Day

October 8, 2002

East Stroudsburg, Pa. - For the first time in 2002, the Warriors find themselves now sitting squarely in the American Football Coaches Association top 25 poll at 24th compliments of their best start to a season since 1993.

“We have now went from the Hunter to the Hunted,” points out East Stroudsburg University head coach Denny Douds. “We need to set our own standard of excellence from on out.”

ESU will look to equal their 3-0 start in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division this Saturday when they entertain Cheyney University for the school’s Family Day contest.

The Wolves have not faired well against ESU as they have dropped 22 consecutive meetings between the two gridiron programs while heading into the weekend 0-5 this year.

Catch the Warriors on WVPO, RedzoneMedia, and BlueRidge TV 13

The action for Saturday’s game can be heard and seen by three different means. Chuck Seese and Pete Nevins will bring the call on the radio for WVPO 840 AM and on the internet at www.redzonemedia.com. Bob Capasso and Bob Brittain will also bring all the action live on television on Blue Ridge TV 13

Warriors Gun for Best Start Since 1993

ESU will be shooting for their best start in nine seasons with a victory this Saturday. The team has started 4-1 in each of the last three seasons but have failed to reach 5-1 in each of the last two tries. Success on their third try at 5-1 Saturday would be the best start to the season since beginning 1993 at 5-0-1. ESU went on to finish at 7-2-1 back in 1993 which was their best year until last year as Douds’ Warriors wrapped up at 7-3. A win would also clinch the squad’s third consecutive non-losing campaign.

ESU Vaults Into AFCA DII Coaches’ Poll at 24th

After knocking on the door of the national poll the past two weeks at 26th and 27th receiving 21 and 20 points, ESU moved up into the AFCA DII Top 25 at number 24. The Warriors gained 44 points this week after their road win at then 20th-ranked Bloomsburg to jump into the ranks.

The only other PSAC member in the latest poll is IUP which at 5-1 stands at 14th with 335 points to their credit.

The first NCAA Division II Regional Rankings were released on Tuesday with ESU in ninth of the 10 teams listed. The regional rankings are used to determine the four teams from each of the four regions of Division II . Other PSAC schools listed were IUP-4th, Clarion-8th and Bloomsburg-10th.

Brubaker Boot Propels Warriors to Upset of Bloomsburg

Freshman kicker Mark Brubaker redeemed himself last Saturday by booting the game-winning field goal through the uprights to give ESU a 16-13 lead with 50 seconds remaining. Brubaker’s 30-yard attempt at the end of the first half was blocked which would have sent ESU into the half with a lead.

The game-winner was the Strouchsburg native’s third field goal in seven tries and his second successful try from 38-yards which he is now two of four from 30-39 yards away.

Beisker and Glover Combine to Garner PSAC East “Defensive Player of the Week”

ESU CBs Beisker and Michael Glover were selected as PSAC East “Co-Defensive Players of the Week.” The duo teamed to force five turnovers last week. Both players picked off two passes. Beisker's first halted a Husky drive at the ESU 5-yard line and his second secured the game on Bloomsburg's last offensive play. Glover's first interception set up an ESU score to tie the game at 13-13 and his second was a leaping one-handed effort to stop a drive at the ESU 3-yard line.

The two also combined on a fumble that Beisker forced and Glover recovered at the ESU 20-yard line. Beikser added four tackles and a break-up.

The cornerbacks now stand as the top two interceptions leaders in the PSAC. Beisker is first with five in five contests while Glover is tied with two others with four over that same span.

Palm Continues to Lead League in Passing and Total Offense

Even after a subpar passing performance number wise last week, ESU quarterback Jeremy Palm still is atop the PSAC ranks in passing average per game and total offense. The senior has fired for 1,130 yards which is his third time to exceed the 1,000-yard mark for passing in a season. He had 1,924 yards a year ago and 1,402 yards in 1999. His career total is now 5,321 yards which is only 212 yards behind Andy Baranek (1982-84) for third place on ESU’s all-time career passing list.

Wide receiver John Jeffries continues to be Palm’s top target in 2002 with 26 catches for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Jeffries sits fifth in receptions per game at 5.20 and seventh in yards per contest at 79.4 in the Conference. Justin Kondikoff improved to 16 balls for 203 yards while Craig Mahon had a big 49-yard catch against the Huskies and eight catches for 182 yards for an impressive 22.8 yards per catch on the season.

Fullback Anthony Carfagno continues to rack up the receiving yards over the past couple weeks. For the second time in as many weeks the freshman eclipsed the 100-yard mark with his best total of 138 yards on six catches and a touchdown. His output a week earlier against Shepherd totaled 114 yards on seven receptions.

Carfagno has 16 catches for 297 yards and is now 10th in the PSAC at 74.2 yards receiving per game. He has added 72 yards on 22 carries and a total of four touchdowns.

ESU Tries to Continue Dominance in Series

East Stroudsburg has easily dominated the series with the Wolves as the Warriors have prevailed in 45 of the 46 meetings between the two schools. ESU has won the past 22-straight including a 52-8 throttling last year. The lone defeat to Cheyney came in 1979 by a score of 7-3.

Vaughn and Company Look for More Room to Run Against Lowest PSAC Rush Defense

The Warriors will attempt to rack up their largest day on the ground this week with the PSAC’s worst rush defense in Cheyney. ESU is averaging only 113.0 yards on the ground per game but may want to explore the option a bit more in the offense with the Wolves defense allowing 221.0 yards each contest.

Greg Vaughn continues to lead the team with 232 yards on 74 attempts over the team’s five games. Anthony Carfagno sits at 126 yards and Mike Yanocha 120 yards to their credit.

Barno, Thoman and Defensive Line Playing Big

Defensive linemen Dustin Barno and Greg Thoman have been guiding the efforts of a continually improving unit over the past weeks. Barno, a 2001 All-PSAC East player, is the leader of the line with six tackles for loss and three sacks. He has some young company in Thoman along with junior David Dean and freshman Zach Toomey. Thoman is tops on the defense with seven stops for loss including two a week ago at Bloomsburg along with two sacks and 22 tackles. Dean four stops behind the line with Toomey in with both three sacks and three tackles for loss.

Linebackers Ryan Vermillion and Phil DeCecco lead the team in tackles as they have most of the season. Vermillion has 44 hits (25 solo) with four tackles for loss while DeCecco is at 37. Both backers notched 10 tackles apiece in the win at Bloomsburg.

Wolves Have Talented Offense

The scoreboard may not show it but the Cheyney Wolves have talent on their offensive unit. The talent starts with the unit’s wide receiving corp. Ed Giddings and Twayne Brown have combined for 36 catches for 673 yards and six touchdowns. Giddings is rated sixth in the PSAC at 82.8 yards per contest as he has 414 of the duo yards to his credit. The team also has John Chestnut, a 754-yard 41-reception receiver from a year ago back but he has been limited to only one game of action.

The signal caller of the Wolves saw a Tyree McCants make his first start last week at Lock Haven. McCants was only able to connect on five passes on 21 attempts for 72 yards with an interception against the Bald Eagles. He replaced Colin Smith who directed the unit over the first four games. Smith comes in 62 of 125 for 824 yards along with six touchdowns and nine picks.

Running back has seen three backs split the carries. Mustafa Ali, Ron Martin and Trevis Willingham each have had at least 20 carries in five games. Ali has totaled the most yards at 140 while Martin and Willingham are not far behind at 122 and 112.

King and Group of Linemen Key to Cheyney Defense

Tim King, who was listed at running back to start 2002, is the top stopper on Cheyney. King has an impressive 9.6 tackles per game average with 48 on the season and 30 of those the solo variety. He ended last weekend with 10 stops and nine solo.

Cheyney linemen Riq Whitous and Terrence Cook have put together some solid numbers from their positions. Cook has stopped eight ball carriers behind the line for loss while Whitous has six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The two also have 32 tackles together in five games.

Marcus Turners is the Wolves best secondary defender. Turner has five tackles for loss, three sacks and 19 tackles.

Notes: Cheyney is only averaging 9.0 ppg while ESU stands in at 28.0 ppg … The Wolves punters have the lowest yards per punt average in the Conference at 25.5 … ESU is tied with Slippery Rock at a +9 turnover margin while Cheyney is last at -11 … The Warriors will enjoy a rare off week with an open date in their schedule for Oct. 19th … ESU returns to action after Saturday on Oct. 26th when they travel to West Chester.

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