Akeem Satterfield played his final college game in his hometown last Saturday as Slippery Rock lost at Mercyhurst, 38-23./Photo by Christopher Millette/Erie Times-News

Mercyhurst’s 38-23 PSAC West win against Slippery Rock was more than just a homecoming win for the Lakers.

It was Akeem Satterfield’s his final college game in his hometown.

An Erie native, Satterfield ran for 90 yards for the Rock in the loss. Satterfield, who played for Cathedral Prep, is one of four players from Erie playing for Slippery Rock this season.

“It’s bittersweet. man,” Satterfield said. “Bittersweet. Played a good game, but we didn’t win. So that’s just it. Wish it would have turned out the other way, but it didn’t.”

To add insult to injury, no pun intended, Satterfield also hurt his shoulder in the first half, but returned to the game.

“Oh man, I had a real bad stinger,” he said. “I couldn’t feel anything. I thought my shoulder was dislocated, but it was just a stinger.”

This season, Satterfield is eighth in the PSAC in rushing with 361 yards and two touchdowns. He is sixth in career touchdowns at Slippery Rock with 33, eighth in scoring with 198 points and 10th all-time in rushing with 2,575 yards.

The Rock also have three players out of Strong Vincent High in junior receiver Bobby Joyce, senior defensive back Marquis Knight and sophomore defensive back Kevin Green, a transfer from Edinboro.

In Saturday’s loss, Joyce had two catches for 25 yards and Knight had eight total tackles. According to the participation chart, Green didn’t play.

Charles Rush/ETN

Earlier today, Duane Rankin caught up with former Penn State player Charles Rush (2001-05), an Erie native and Cathedral Prep graduate, and asked him about the Penn State situation involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

Sandusky has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.

“I’d say I’m just I’m in complete shock and disbelief,” Rush said. “I first heard about when watching College GameDay (on ESPN) Saturday morning. I saw it and called one of my friends, one of my teammates about it. I was just shocked. Then I went to ESPN.com and read the article about it. I know of Coach Sandusky and I would see him around the weight room or whatever. Talk to him there, but my interaction wasn’t that great with him.”

Rush was a freshman at Penn State in 2001-02. In 2002, Penn State assistant Mike McQueary testified he witnessed Sandusky sexually abusing a boy in the team’s shower. He called his father about before reporting it to Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

Rush said he never heard about this during that time.

“Absolutely not,” Rush said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gannon dropped to 3-5 after losing, 35-7, at Indiana (Pa.) today.

The Knights had beaten the Crimson Hawks the past two seasons. Gannon (3-5, 2-3 PSAC West) has already matched its loss total from a season.

Gannon has finished 6-5 the last two seasons. Next week, the Knights play at Clarion before closing out PSAC West play at home against PSAC West leader Slippery Rock.

Cathedral Prep graduate Javon Rowan had four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown for IUP (5-2, 4-1) today. The senior receiver has had a touchdown catch in each of his last two games.

Rowan also had four punt returns for 39 yards against Gannon.

Read the rest of this entry »

Junior tailback Akeem Satterfield rushed for a team-high 52 yards for Slippery Rock in its 24-23 win today at No. 25-ranked Edinboro. Satterfield is a Cathedral Prep graduate./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News.

Area talents Ryan Skelton and Jayson Nickson shined in Slippery Rock’s 24-23 win at No. 25-ranked Edinboro today. Skelton, a senior linebacker at Edinboro who starred at General McLane High, had game-high 11 tackles  with 9 being solo stops.

Skelton had a sack, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and a blocked field goal that James Jackson returned for a 62-yard touchdown.

Can you say PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week?

Nickson, a senior strong safety at Slippery Rock who starred at Mercyhurst Prep, had seven tackles and pass break up.

As for Akeem Satterfield, the Slippery Rock junior tailback started the game with a 29-yard run, but finished with just 52 yards and no touchdowns on 15 carries.

An Cathedral Prep graduate, Satterfield also fumbled twice, but he lead the Rock in rushing today.

Edinboro didn't allow Justin Caliste to celebrate a touchdown as he did three times last week against Millersville. The Scots limited him to 61 yards on four returns today./ETN file photo.

Edinboro did the right thing regarding Justin Caliste: Kick away from that young man.

The No. 19-ranked Scots (4-0, 1-0 PSAC West) didn’t allow Gannon’s impact true freshman to dictate their game today against the Knights (1-3, 0-1 PSAC West) and that helped them prevail, 27-0, at Gannon University Field.

Caliste, who has three returns for touchdowns with two of those coming in Gannon’s 47-0 win against Millersville last week, had just two punt returns for 25 yards and two kickoff returns for 36 yards.

Caliste’s longest return was 25 yards for kickoff and punt, respectively, but his most memorable return didn’t gain a yard. Chasing a punt from Ryan Genco laterally to the left sideline, Caliste caught it and was immediately nailed by senior linebacker Ryan Skelton, a General McLane graduate, for no gain at the Gannon 33.

Edinboro kicked away from Caliste after taking a 7-0 lead on the game’s opening drive. David Olszewski kicked the ball right. Trying to field it, Joe Sobucki touched the ball near the sideline. Edinboro almost recovered it at Gannon 2-yard line, but the ball barely touched the out-of-bounds line.

Other times, Edinboro had freshman Noah Ackerman, a Cathedral Prep graduate, pouch kick the ball short, which is why Gannon fullback Danny Giegerich had three kickoff returns. He gained 21 yards total.

Junior Donny Mallin has been used more as a blocking tight end at Gannon.

In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing local college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Gannon junior tight end Donny Mallin to talk about a variety of topics.

A Cathedral Prep graduate, Mallin caught his first carer touchdown for Gannon two weeks ago against Shippensburg. He’s been playing behind senior Evan Twombly, but Mallin was listed as a starter with Twombly for last week’s 47-0 win against Millersville.

Saturday at noon, Mallin and the Knights (1-2) open PSAC West play against area rival Edinboro (3-0) at Gannon University Field. Gannon is 0-5 all-time against the Scots, who are ranked 19th in the AFCA NCAA Division II poll.

The 6-foot, 2-inch, 250-pound Mallin was eager to talk about this upcoming game, but first, he and Rankin discussed what he’s learned from Twombly, an Baldwinsville, N.Y. native who has caught four career touchdowns for the Knights.

What it’s been like to learn from Twombly, but get a chance to play?” Evan is a great guy to play behind. He’s obviously a good player. Just watching him from my freshman year to now, it’s been easy to pick up things and putting it into the game hasn’t been that difficult of a transition because just watching him has made it a lot easier.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Rock junior tailback Akeem Satterfield is one of several Erie players who will factor into the outcome of Saturday's Indiana (Pa.)-Slippery Rock game./ETN file photo.

Saturday’s 7 p.m. Indiana (Pa.)-Slippery Rock game at Mihalik-Thompson Field in Slippery Rock will feature key players from Erie.

For the Rock (2-1), junior tailback Akeem Satterfield, a Cathedral Prep graduate, has 286 yards rushing and five touchdowns this season.

Senior safety Jayson Nickson, an Mercyhurst Prep graduate, has eight total tackles and an interception return for a touchdown. Chad Noce, a senior tight end out of McDowell High, has played in every game this season, but doesn’t have a catch.

Bobby Joyce, a Strong Vincent graduate, is being redshirted. He’ll be a redshirt junior in 2012.

For IUP (1-1), senior safety Andre Henderson, a Strong Vincent graduate, has nine total tackles and senior receiver Javon Rowan, a Cathedral Prep graduate, has one catch for 16 yards and five punt returns for 29 yards.

The Crimson Hawks have two more players from Erie in true freshmen Mario Sanders, a Cathedral Prep graduate, and Jacob Breakstone, a McDowell graduate.

Sanders, a defensive back, and Breakstone, an offensive lineman, haven’t played this season.

Taking a look back at former Erie athletes who shined in college, here’s a look at Cathedral Prep graduate Bob Sanders when he starred at Iowa.

Sanders went on to star with the Indianapolis Colts where we won Super Bowl XLI and was the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Sanders is now with the San  Diego Chargers, who open the 2011 NFL season Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

IUP senior receiver Javon Rowan will look to make big plays for first-year IUP head coach Curt Cignetti./Photo by Janet B. Campbell of the Erie Times-News.

Erie natives Javon Rowan and Andre Henderson are both listed first on the depth chart for Indiana (Pa.) heading into Saturday’s opener against East Stroudsburg. Game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at IUP.

The Warriors (1-0) won their season opener, 56-14, against Pace.

Both seniors, Rowan is a wide receiver out of Cathedral Prep and Henderson is a  strong safety out of Strong Vincent. Henderson sat out last season with an injury as his shoulder has been bothering him since 2009.

Rowan, who has had hamstring issues in his time at IUP, had just 12 catches for 128 yards last season.

The Crimson Hawks have two freshmen from Erie in defensive back Mario Sanders, a Cathedral Prep graduate, and offensive lineman Jacob Breakstone, a McDowell graduate.

The four Erie natives will return home for an Oct. 22 game at Gannon. The Crimson Hawks also play at nearby Edinboro on Oct. 1.

Mercyhurst plays at IUP this season Oct. 8.