“I was nervous. I remember smiling back at him, trying to pretend I wasn’t nervous.” — Travis Rearick

Oct. 16, 2010: Mercyhurst 22, Edinboro 21 (OT)

“The rest is history.” — Trevor Kennedy

Quarterback Cody Harris put Edinboro on top in OT, but could only watch Mercyhurst win the game with a two-point conversion pass./ETN

EDINBORO — Two years after winning in dramatic fashion at Edinboro, Mercyhurst was back at Sox Harrison Stadium fresh off a 28-27 thriller at Indiana (Pa.).

On this day, the Lakers forced overtime on an Gerald Anderson 9-yard run with 59 seconds left in regulation.

“We were down like the whole second half,” said Travis Rearick, who was a starting junior quarterback at Mercyhurst in 2010. “So we were finally excited to get back into it.”

In overtime, Edinboro took first possession and scored on an Cody Harris 1-yard run to go up 21-14. The Lakers answered with Rearick finding Terrence Coon for an 11-yard scoring pass.

Mercyhurst lined up for a PAT to force a second overtime.

Then flags flew.

“They were going to kick an extra point,” Edinboro coach Scott Browning said. “We jumped offsides so it moved (the ball) up a yard and a half.”

A yard and a half closer, the Lakers decided to go for two — and the win.

“It was a momentum thing,” Lakers coach Marty Schaetzle. “It wasn’t a matter of that the play was going to be any better from 1-1/2 or three yards out. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.”

What?

Read the rest of this entry »

Anthony Vendemia accounted for three TDs in Mercyhurst's 38-29 win./Jack Haranhan/Erie Times-News

Last season, Anthony Vendemia and Linnell Robinson had games against Gannon they’d like to forget.

A year later, they were part of a victory they’ll never forget.

Vendemia, a junior quarterback, and Robinson, a senior cornerback, were instrumental in Mercyhurst’s 38-29 win against the Knights today at Gannon University Field.

“The other victories in the past, they were good, but this one means just a little bit more,” Vendemia said. “We wanted this one.”

The Lakers not only won their sixth consecutive game, but ended a two-game skid against Gannon.

“It means a lot because now, I don’t have a losing record against Gannon,” Robinson said. “I’m 3-2 against Gannon. Couldn’t go out with a losing record against Gannon.”

Against Gannon last season, Vendemia came in relief of Travis Rearick, who had a season-ending knee injury. He was sacked five times and lost a fumble that lead to Gannon’s final touchdown drive.

The Knights won 30-27.

Today, he went 12-of-24 for 146 yards and touchdown. He wasn’t sacked, didn’t turn the ball over and had two short rushing scores.

Read the rest of this entry »

In his high school days, Matha was a standout athlete at McDowell before going to Pitt./Photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

Transferred. Injured. Ineligible.

Senior right tackle Dan Matha has had his share of obstacles, but is once again a force on the field in helping No. 22-ranked Indiana (Pa.) boast one of the top rushing teams in NCAA Division II.

” It’s a great feeling,” Matha said. “It’s been a lot of bumps along the way. Haven’t always been healthy. So to finally be healthy. It’s a weight off my shoulders.

“To be able to play and do the things I know I’m capable of doing. Not really being hindered by an injury or pain or anything, it’s long overdue.”

With the 6-foot, 7-inch, 290-pound Matha helping clear space to run free, the Crimson Hawks (5-1, 2-1 PSAC West) are seventh nationally in rushing and have the nation’s second-leading rusher in senior Harvie Tuck.

“We vote every week in the offensive meeting room which side of the line did better,” Tuck said. “The right side has been getting a lot of wins. Probably four out of the six weeks, they’ve won and I think part of it is because of Dan.”

It wasn’ t that long ago Matha, an McDowell High graduate, was at Pitt wondering if he’d ever become healthy enough to even compete for a starting spot, let alone play.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here are three games worth watching in Week 5.

Game of the week: No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) at No. 20 Michigan State Spartans (3-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., WJET (ABC)

Pregame rant: First road of the season won’t be an easy one for the Buckeyes in their Big Ten opener. How well sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller handles this will determine if Ohio State remains unbeaten.

Miller has seven rushing TDs, seven passing TDs, but more importantly, he’s completing 61.2 percent of his passes. Last season, he only completed 54.1 percent of his passes.

He may find it much tougher to execute against the Spartans, who have only given up two passing touchdowns. Ranked sixth in the nation in total defense, Michigan State is giving up just 3.94 yards a play.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chad Noce/SRU

In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing area college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Slippery Rock senior tight end Chad Noce to talk about several topics.

Noce and the No. 24-ranked Rock (8-2, 6-1 PSAC West) are preparing for Saturday’s PSAC title game at Kutztown against the No. 8 Golden Bears (9-1, 6-1 PSAC East). Noce, who played defense his year at Slippery Rock in 2008, is known for his run blocking ability at tight end.

A McDowell High graduate, Noce has just two career catches for 10 yards. Both grabs came last season against Gannon, which ironically upset the Rock last week, 33-27, in Erie. With the Rock trying to rebound from that loss, Rankin caught up with Noce to talk about their playoff hopes and the chance to win a championship.

You’re coming off a tough loss, but can make amends in the PSAC championship game. How are you guys feeling right now heading into that game? We’re feeling good. We know we made a mistake. I feel like we overlooked Gannon a little bit. I feel like we were looking toward the next week. We had the Gannon game. We knew we were in the PSAC championship already so I think that played a little part in that loss. Underestimating them a little bit, we’re feeling good. We should be ready to go.”

Read the rest of this entry »

True freshman quarterback Ty Stoldt had six turnovers for Edinboro in its 24-23 loss to Slippery Rock today./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News

James Jackson has his back.

Following Edinboro’s 24-23 loss in which true freshman Ty Stoldt threw three third-quarter interceptions in his first career start, Jackson, who starred as a true freshman last season at cornerback, was proud of how Stoldt played.

“He’s a tremendous freshman,” said Jackson about the skinny 6-foot, 2-inch, 169-pound Stoldt. “He might not look it physically, but he’s going to be the future at Edinboro.”

Stoldt played in place of sophomore Cody Harris, who was cleared to play this morning after sustaining a minor concussion in last week’s loss at Indiana (Pa.), but hadn’t practiced all week.

Harris is expected to start in next week’s PSAC West rivalry game at Mercyhurst College.

“Cody will be back,” Edinboro coach Scott Browing said. “He’s good to go now, but we’re not going to forget about Tyler either because I think he did an awful lot of good things.”

While Stoldt did some good things like looking down field when pressured, he went 9-of-23 for 140 yards, was sacked twice and lost three fumbles.

An Alden, N.Y. native, Stoltz was just 3-of-13 in the second half for 30 yards, but left an impression on Slippery Rock senior safety Jayson Nickson, a four-yeart starter out of Mercyhurst Prep.

“He actually played a really good game, especially for being a true freshman in a game of such a high rivalry,” Nickson said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dustin Galich has 25 total tackles this season for Mercyhurst College./ETN file photo.

Credit big bro.

Before games, Mercyhurst College sophomore defensive end, Dustin Galich, applies black paint underneath his eyes that by the end of the game is running off his face from him sweating.

Why?

Thank his older brother, Nick Galich, for inspiring Dustin to dawn the war paint.

“I played football with my brother at McDowell (High),” Dustin Galich said. “I saw him do it when I was younger and I was going to copy him. So I do straight across (the bottom of his eyes) down to the little (beard) that I have. I saw him always do it.”

Nick attends Edinboro, but does not play football.

“He’s in the education program just living the dream,” Dustin Galich said.

Mercyhurst (3-2, 1-1) will try to bounce back from a 30-27 homecoming loss torival  Gannon in Saturday’s PSAC Weset game against Indiana (Pa.). The Crimson Hawks (2-2, 1-1) are coming off a 19-0 win against No. 25-ranked Edinboro.

Daniel Tapscott hit Lawrence Coleman for 3 TDs in Gannon's 30-27 win./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News

Lawrence Coleman caught three TD passes in today's 30-27 win for Gannon./Submitted photo.

Legend has it Daniel Tapscott and Lawrence Coleman have been clicking in practice, but it hadn’t transferred into big-time production in the games.

That all changed today.

Tapscott, a redshirt freshman quarterback, found Coleman, a senior receiver, three times in the second half to spark Gannon’s 30-27 win at PSAC West rival Mercyhurst College.

“From Day 1, he and I have been talking about clicking,” Coleman said. “Every game, I tell him, ‘Let me get your number. Let me get your number.’ Today I got his number. Hopefully I can keep it and not lose it this time so it feels like a monkey has been lifted off our back.”

Don’t worry Lawrence. Tapscott has faith.

“I think I was little nervous about taking my chances deep and just throwing it up, said Tapscott, who had thrown just three touchdowns in Gannon’s first four games before matching that number today. “I got so much faith in Cole. I know if I just throw it up there, he’s going come down and make a play for me.”

Entering today’s game, Coleman, who played at Erie Community College in Buffalo, N.Y. before transferring to Gannon, had seven catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

On Saturday against Mercyhurst, he had seven catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns against the PSAC’s third best defense.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dustin Galich made four tackles in his first career start Sept. 3 for Mercyhurst College. The Lakers won in overtime, 24-23, against Notre Dame College (Ohio)./Photo by Jack Hanrahan of the Erie Times-News.

Earlier this week,  Mercyhurst College sophomore nose guard Dustin Galich took time to do a Q&A with ETN sports reporter Duane Rankin about Saturday’s game between the No. 18-ranked Lakers (1-0) and No. 19 Kutztown (1-0).

After tallying 31 total tackles  in a reserve role last season, the 6-foot, 2-inch, 240-pound Galich is now a starter. In last Saturday’s 24-23 season-opening win against Notre Dame College (Ohio), Galich made four total tackles in the overtime victory.

“He played well on Saturday,” Mercyhurst coach Marty Schaetzle said. “Made some plays. Last year, his role was he rotated in and kind of did a lot of good things. When you play a lot more, it’s not as many good things you do. It’s making sure you do all the little things right play in and play out.”

Now more is being asked of the McDowell High graduate. So in keeping with that them, Rankin asked Galich about football, nerves and pizza rolls.

Pizza rolls?

How was it to go from playing a series or two a game to playing most of the game? “It was a little different at first, but once I got into the swing of things, it was just playing football again. Last year, Alex Trouten, our starting nose, he helped me a lot. Last year, as a freshman, I struggled with a lot of the plays and everything. Just getting the whole defense down. Now it’s just back to playing ball, which is kind of nice.”

Read the rest of this entry »