1999 Archives

1999 Results

1999 Stats

1999 Summaries

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SLU FOOTBALL STADIUM TO BE NAMED FOR ALUMNUS

St. Lawrence University will build a new football stadium in the spring, and name it in honor of a distinguished graduate.

The stadium, with a seating capacity of 1,500, has an estimated cost of $1 million. It will be called the Leckonby Stadium, in honor of William B. Leckonby of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Construction will begin on the stadium, sited at Weeks Field, in the spring and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2000.

A 1939 graduate of St. Lawrence, Leckonby was a four-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball and tennis) and campus leader while a student. Following graduation, he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the National Football League, later serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Leckonby became head football coach at Lehigh University in 1946.

His 16 years of coaching included an undefeated season in 1950. He remained at Lehigh until his retirement in 1984, serving as director of athletics and physical education. Leckonby has been an active
St. Lawrence alumnus, serving as a class agent, career advisor, fund-raising volunteer and two-term member of the Alumni Executive Council. He was elected to the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991. Leckonby established the William B. Leckonby Scholarship at St. Lawrence, to assist athletes from the Capital District of New York State, especially football players from Troy High School, from which he graduated. He has also made a gift to the Advantage 2000 Fund of Campaign St. Lawrence, assisting the University's commitment to athletic, recreation and fitness opportunities for today's and tomorrow's students.

"To have the new football stadium named the Leckonby Stadium is a great honor," Leckonby said. "The new stadium will be built adjacent to the same football field on which I played over 60 years ago. I am very proud of this recognition by the University."

St. Lawrence President Daniel F. Sullivan said, "Bill Leckonby's thoughtfulness, generosity of spirit and insistence that we reach high in athletics as well in academics have served to inspire us. I'm pleased that we can honor him in this way, and thank him for his wonderful support of the University."

Leckonby is married to Amanda ("Johnnie") Johnston Leckonby, a 1945 graduate of Vassar College.

CHRIS SARGENT IS UCAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

St. Lawrence University freshman wide receiver Chris Sargent was named the 1999 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Rookie of the Year in voting by the conference coaches. Sargent was also named a first team receiver on the all star squad after leading the Saints in receptions with 42 for 390 yards and three touchdowns. He was also the kickoff return leader with 26 for 469, an 18 yard per return average and second on the squad in all purpose yards, averaging 89.4 yards per game.

Kicker Greg DiCenzo, who was also named to the ECAC Upstate All Star team, was first team punter and placekicker on the UCAA team. He made nine of 12 field goals and led the Saints in scoring with 46 points and averaged 36.1 yards per punt with 13 inside the opponent 20. Other UCAA all star selections included Justin Hartman, a second team defensive back, reciever Nate Zwirko, and Adam Button, named to the second team defensive line.

SAINTS FALL TO HARTWICK 38-28 FINAL APPEARANCE FOR SAINT SENIORS

The Hartwick College Hawks jumped out to a 35-7 lead in the third quarter and held on for a 38-28 win over St. Lawrence at Weeks field on Saturday afternoon. Hartwick quarterback Dan Pincelli completed 15 of 25 pass attempts for 249 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Hawk scoring attack.

Pincelli's 38-yard touchdown pass to Greg Balcavage opened the scoring with 3:24 remaining in the first quarter. Pincelli connected twice in the second quarter with 23 and 14 yard scoring passes to John Nowak. Stephan Triendl put the Saints on the board with just 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter to make the score 21-7 at the half.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Hartwick's Ryan Soule ran 94-yards for a touchdown to build a 28-7 lead for the Hawks. The lead would increase to 35-7 just 2:21 into the third quarter as Pincelli threw for his fourth touchdown of the day to Ryan Johnson.

St. Lawrence quarterback Justin Wright capped an 8-play 55-yard drive on the following possession with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Sargent to close the gap to 35-13 after a failed 2-point conversion. A.J. Pilato gave the Hawks 3 points on their following possession with a 40 yard field goal. St. Lawrence was forced to punt on the following possession but a fumble by Hartwick's J.J. Seamon at the Saint 25-yard line gave the ball back to the Saints early in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Petrie's three-yard dash into the end zone capped the 75-yard Saint drive and Wright's pass to Dan DeBottis for the conversion was good to make it a 35-21 game 2:49 into the final quarter. Following a punt by each team Hartwick regained the ball on their own 28 but a Justin Hartman interception quickly gave the ball back to the Saints in Hartwick territory on the 43-yard line. A Wright scoring pass to Nate Zwirko for 26 yards closed the gap to just 10 points with 5:32 to go in the game.

The Saints quickly regained the ball on the Hartwick 48 when David Perfield forced a Paul Paddock fumble. Zwirko caught a 9-yard pass from Wright on first down but the Saints were unable to gain the extra yard on their next three tries and Hartwick was able to tun out the clock after taking over on downs.

Balcavage finished the day with 7 catches for 133 yards while Mike Onorato gained 75 yards on 12 carries for the Hawks.

For the Saints, Justin Wright completed 18 of 28 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Nate Zwirko caught the ball 4 times for 69 yards while Stephan Triendl picked up 50 yards on the ground in 12 carry attempts. Frank Civitella led the defensive effort for the Saints with 13 tackles whil Jeff Caraher, Matt Ryan, and Ference Saurus each had 8 tackles for Hartwick.

The game was the season finale for both teams as Hartwick finishes with a 6-4 overall record and the Saints fell to 0-10. The game also marked the final appearance for 10 Saint seniors - Mac Beaton, Dan DeBottis, John Delegan, Matt DiCarlo, Greg DiCenzo, Rich Merritt, David Perfield, A.J. Pilowa, Jim Smith, and Jim Walter.

RENSSELAER DOWNS ST. LAWRENCE 32-7 TRIENDL SHINES FOR SAINTS
Senior quarterback Matt Robbens passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Red Hawks of Rensselaer to a 32-7 victory at St. Lawrence on Saturday afternoon. Wide receiver Richard Mokay cuaght 7 passes for 159 yards and both passing touchdowns for the Red Hawks.

Kicker Eric Byrne started the scoring with a 29-yard field goal 3:46 into the first quarter capping a 10-play, 68-yard drive for Rensselaer. Eric Hair's rushing touchdown with 1:28 left in the first quarter made it a 10-0 game after one period.

St. Lawrence's defense held the Red Hawks scoreless on after a Rensselaer first and goal from the Saint 4-yard line early in the second quarter, but the Saints were unable to get past their own 5-yard line and punted to their own 30. Robbens passed to Mokay for the touchdown on the only play of the ensuing drive to put the Red Hawks ahead 17-0. Byrne's second field goal of the day later in the quarter made the score 20-0 at the half.

The Saints would score the only points of the third quarter going 80 yards on 6 plays capped by a 38-yard Stephan Triendl rush for the touchdown. The Saints would get as close as the Rensselaer 7-yard line on their next possession but were stopped short of the goal by the Red Hawks. The Red Hawks drove the length of the field after taking over the ball on downs as Robbens again connected with Mokay for a 69-yard score 2:08 into the fourth quarter. Rensselaer would cap the scoring on their next possession as Wayne Evans punched the ball into the end zone from the 1-yard line for the 32-7 final.

The Red Hawks rushed for 281 yards and 609 yards of total offense, led on the ground by Hair with 99 yards on 13 carries and Scott Allard with 73 yards in 15 tries.

Triendl led the offensive efforts for the Saints with 77 yards on 7 carries. Quarterback Justin Wright passed 13 times for 55 yards while Chris Sargent caught 7 passes for 34 yards. Sargent also had 77 yards on 4 kickoff returns.

Justin Hartman, Mark Van Dien, and Matt Wightman each had 11 tackles in the game to lead the defensiev effort for the Saints. Frank Civitella and Matt Sexton both recorded a sack in the game. Greg DiCenzo punted 5 times for the Saints averaging 31.8 yards with a long punt of 40 yards.

The Saints, now 0-9, close out their season next week against Hartwick in Canton while the Engineers, who improved to 8-0, return to Troy to play host to Hobart.

GETTYSBURG DOWNS ST. LAWRENCE 59-28
SAINT OFFENSE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

Gettysburg College senior fullback Paul Smith carried 39 times for 335 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Bullets, now 3-5, to a 59-28 victory at Weeks Field on Saturday afternoon. Smith, who rushed for 390 yards and had 527 all-purpose yards last week against Muhlenberg, has now rushed for 725 yards in his last two games.

Smith's heroics overshadowed a strong St. Lawrence offensive effort as the Saints accumulated 555 total all-purpose yards including 202 on kickoff returns.

Smith started the scoring 6:55 into the first quarter with a 23-yard run that capped a 10-play, 86-yard drive for the Bullets. Alex Nicholas caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Dennis Flaherty with just 22 seconds to go in the opening stanza to give Gettysburg a 14-0 lead entering the second quarter.

St. Lawrence's Stephan Triendl put the Saints on the board with a 23-yard touchdown run 1:52 into the second quarter but a 21-yard Dan Evenko field goal 5:59 into the period gave Gettysburg a 17-7 lead. Kevin Petrie cut the gap to 3 with a 1-yard run into the end zone with 4:09 to go in the half but Alex Nicholas' 79-yard touchdown reception just 1:04 later made it a 24-14 game at halftime.

The teams each found the end zone twice in the third quarter with Smith and Jeff Boyd running for 49 and 42 yard scores respectively for Gettysburg and St. Lawrence quarterback Justin Wright running once and passing to Dan DeBottis for the two Saint touchdowns.

Gettysburg put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter with Bryan Pojanowski catching a 57-yard Flaherty touchdown pass just 15 seconds in and Zack Smith rushing for two touchdowns later in the quarter to complete the scoring for the 59-28 final.

The Saint attack was St. Lawrence was led offensively by quarterback Justin Wright, who completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards, and by tailback Eddie Marlette, who carried the ball 12 times for a gain of 58 yards. Freshman Brian Vanderet gained 37 yards on just 4 carries in the fourth quarter. Ogdensburg's Chris Sargent caught 6 passes for 39 yards while Mike Palladino gained 46 yards on just two catches including a 32-yard reception that set up an eventual 1-yard touchdown run by Wright.

Matt Wightman led the Saint defense with 14 tackles while Greg DiCenzo had a strong day averaging 40.3 yards on 4 punts and connecting on 4 of 4 extra point attempts.

The Saints, now 0-8, return to action next Saturday when they host Rensselaer at 1:00 p.m.

FOOTBALL SAINTS BOW AT NORWICH 16-13
An interception deep in Norwich University territory with 43 seconds to play killed a late St. Lawrence University bid for the go-ahead points and the Cadets held off the winless Saints 16-13 in an NCAA Division III football game in Northfield, VT Saturday afternoon.

St. Lawrence trailed 16-6 five minutes into the final quarter, but drove from its own 20 to score in eight plays to cut the lead to 16-10 with 8:01 to play. Matt Wightman's interception then gave the Saints the ball back with 1:07 to play and quarterback Justin Wright went deep, but had his pass picked off on the Cadet 22 by Lathan Sutton to kill the Saints last shot at a victory.

The Saints, now 0-7, jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a pair of field goals by kicker Greg DiCenzo. His first came on the Saints' second drive as SLU got to the Norwich 12 before stalling and DiCenzo converted a 29-yard field goal which stood up for a 3-0 lead after one period. A subsequent drive later in the first period got to the Norwich 12 to start the second period, but a holding penalty pushed the Saints back and DiCenzo converted a 35-yard field goal to make it 6-0 with 31 seconds gone in the second period.

Norwich came back with two field goals by Kenny Hurren, one from 25 yards out with 5:52 to go in the half and the other with 40 seconds to go and from 26 yards out to make it a 6-6 game at the half.

Hurren's third field goal of the game, this one from 34 yards out after the Saint defense allowed Norwich only 12 yards following a fumble deep in SLU territory, made it 9-6 with 4:35 to go in the third period, but the Cadets capped a 66 yard drive with Matt Nelson's one yard run with 10:50 to go for the game's first touchdown and a 16-6 lead.

The Saints answered that with their 80 yard drive which included a 22 yard pass from Wright to Mike Paladino and a 39 yard hookup with Nate Zwirko which put the ball on the Cadet seven. Stephan Triendl got the touchdown on a one yard run with 5:41 to play to cut the lead to 16-13, but the Saints couldn't come up with the equalizer.

Norwich held the Saints to a net of 40 yards rushing on 28 carries, but Wright hit on 10 of 20 passes for 104 yards. The Cadets held a 285-175 overall edge in yardage.

Zwirko caught four passes for 57 yards and Wightman hauled in a 31 yarder from DiCenzo on a fake punt. Triendl finished with 18 yards on five carries to lead the Saint ground game.

Adam Button had a strong game defensively with eight total tackles including four for loss and two sacks. Dave Perfeild added seven tackles and a sack while Peter Thomas and Matt DiCarlo were also in on seven tackles each. The Saints will host Gettysburg to begin a season-ending three game home stand next weekend.

ITHACA BEATS SAINTS 43-14, BUT SLU OFFENSE SHOWS PROMISE

The result of Saturday's NCAA Division III college football game between unbeaten Ithaca, 6-0 and ranked 10th nationally in Division III, and winless St. Lawrence was probably what everyone expected.

Ithaca scored 21 first quarter points, led 28-0 at the half and had a
43-0 lead in the third quarter.but the Saints showed some definite offensive bright spots in a game which ended up a 43-14 Ithaca victory.

The Saints had their best ground game of the season with an all freshman backfield accounting for 198 yards rushing and passed for another 155 yards to total 308 yards while Ithaca put up 449. And, Saturday's score was a big improvement over last season's 60-0 wipeout at Ithaca, which won its 16th straight in the series between the two teams.

St. Lawrence, which had nearly as many players in blue jeans on the sidelines due to injury as it did dressed for the game, got a pair of fourth quarter scores against Ithaca reserves, but were able to move the ball throughout the game.

The Bombers jumped out to their 21-0 lead as Tommy Giorgio scored on a 35 yard run to cap a 72 yard drive with 12:44 to play in the period and after freshman quarterback Justin Wright's first pass attempt of the game was picked off by Ron Amato at the Saint 40, the Bombers covered the distance in three plays with Jeff Erne catching a one yard scoring toss from Brian Young with 11:20 left in the period.

Young, who completed 16 of 18 passes for 163 yards in the first half, passed the Bombers back down the field after a 50-yard field goal try by SLU's Greg DiCenzo came up just short and Dave Maddi scored the first of his two touchdowns to cap the 67-yard drive with 2:31 to go in the first period. The Saints then drove to the Ithaca 25 before stalling, and after an exchange of punts the Bombers drove 57 yards to make it 28-0 as Giorgio, who had 114 yards on 11 carries, scored on a 16 yard run with 3:40 to play in the half.

Ithaca tacked on 15 third period points, getting an unplanned two point conversion on its first touchdown of the second half. Billy Feldmaier found Ted Sullivan with a 28-yard scoring pass for the touchdown with 8:31 left in the third, and while the Saints blocked Seth Steinberg's point after kick, Erne plucked the ball out of the air and ran up the middle for the two point conversion. The Bombers then went 42 yards in three plays for their final touchdown of the day with Maddi scoring from 26 yards out with 2:52 to go in the third period.

Chris Sargent, who caught seven passes for 110 yards for the Saints, put SLU on the board with 6:23 to go in the game as he hauled in a five-yard scoring pass from Wright, who kept an 11 play, 70 yard drive alive with two big runs. A 43-yard hookup between Wright and Sargent was the big play of the day for the Saints and put the ball on the Ithaca 12.

The SLU defense added the second Saint touchdown as Pat Nesci stripped the ball from Ithaca quarterback Greg Sheeler on a sack with 2:52 to go and rumbled into the end zone from 56 yards out to complete the scoring.

Wright finished with 14 completions in 22 attempts for 138 yards and gained another 49 yards on rushing plays. He netted ten yards after sacks and losses were added in. Stephan Triendl led the Saint rushing attack with 81 yards on 17 carries while Eddie Marlette added 25 yards on four tries. Sargent added a 16 yard punt return to go with his 110 receiving yards.

Defensively, Jon Dupont had nine tackles, Dave Perfield had eight including two for losses and Matt Wightman was in on seven stops. Sean Howrigan added a sack for the Saints, who will look for their first win when they play their final road game of the year at Norwich next weekend.

HARVEY-BOWEN RUNS ST. JOHN FISHER
PAST SAINTS, 52-31
Harvey-Bowen Breaks School Record For Most Rushing Yards In A Game Zwirko Shines For Saints With 84-Yard Kickoff Return And Three Touchdowns
ROCHESTER, NY--St. John Fisher running back Alan Harvey-Bowen rushed for a school record 249 yards and the Cardinals generated a school record 446 rushing yards as a team as St. John Fisher College posted a 52-31 win Saturday afternoon at Growney Stadium.

The Cardinals notch their first win of the season and improve to 1-4 overall while the Saints fall to 0-5 on the year (0-3 UCAA) with the defeat.

The Saints came out strong for the third week in a row as the Cardinal quarterback Chris Tiermini threw an interception to freshman defensive back Justin Hartman (Tri-Valley/Woodbourne, NY) on the Cardinal 48-yard line. Hartman raced 43 yards on the return and gave the Saints a drive start at the St. John Fisher 5-yard line. St. Lawrence quickly capitalized on the turnover as freshman quarterback Justin Wright (Williamsville North/East Amherst, NY) hit senior wide receiver Nate Zwirko (Williston Northampton/Easthampton, MA) on a 5-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead.

St. Lawrence would make three interceptions in the opening quarter but could only convert those miscues into seven points. The turning point in the contest came early in the second quarter when senior punter/kicker Greg DiCenzo (Duxbury/Duxbury, MA) appeared to pull off a fake punt when he completed an 11-yard pass to sophomore defensive back Jonathan Dupont (Dansville/Dansville, NY). The Saints were whistled for pass interference and were forced to punt.

St. John Fisher quickly scored two plays later when Harvey-Bowen rambled 60 yards for a touchdown to tie the contest at 7-7. After stopping the Saints on four plays, St. John Fisher took its first lead of the game on a 15-yard scoring run by running back Jeff Harrison. The game then took a bizarre twist when DiCenzo lined up for a 35-yard field goal with just over four minutes left in the first half. DiCenzo had his attempt blocked for the second time on the afternoon. The loose pigskin was picked up by St. John Fisher defensive end Tony Hong who returned the ball 34 yards before lateraling the ball to senior linebacker Gary Palumbo. Palumbo raced the remaining 34 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 Cardinal lead.

Zwirko got the Saints back to within a touchdown when he caught a 53-yard scoring pass from Wright with 1:01 left in the first half. The St. Lawrence defense could not keep the hosts off the scoreboard as St. John Fisher scored 10 unanswered points in the final 41 seconds of the half to take a 31-14 halftime lead.

The second half started out well as DiCenzo nailed a 40-yard field goal to cut the Cardinal lead to 31-17. That would be as close as St. Lawrence would get on the afternoon as the hosts would score back to back touchdowns to take a commanding 45-17 lead.

Zwirko would provide some offensive punch in the final quarter as he put together an 84-yard touchdown on a kickoff return to make the score 45-24 in favor of St. John Fisher. The play was the longest kickoff return of the season for the Saints. Harvey-Bowen set a Cardinal record with 249 rushing yards while the Cardinals tied a school record for total rushing yards (446) and points in a contest (52).

Zwirko led the Saints with five catches for 72 yards while Wright completed nine of 20 passes for 130 yards and two interceptions. Sophomore linebacker Matt Wightman (Oneonta/Maryland, NY) made 11 tackles (eight solo) to lead the defense. Junior wide receiver Ryan Audet (Fair Haven/Orwell, VT) shined on special teams with a partial block of a Cardinal punt.

St. Lawrence returns to action Saturday when the Saints hosts perennial New York State power Ithaca College at 1:30 p.m. St. John Fisher travels to Buffalo State for a 1:00 p.m. contest next Saturday afternoon.

 

BRANDON RUNS HOBART PAST SAINTS, 28-10
Brandon Finishes Day With 130 Yards On 24 Carries And Two TD's

Running back Keith Brandon rushed for 130 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead Hobart College to a 28-10 win over St. Lawrence University Saturday afternoon in a Family Weekend contest on Weeks Field. The Statesmen improve to 1-2 overall (1-1 UCAA) with the win while the Saints fall to 0-4 overall (0-3 UCAA) with the defeat.

St. Lawrence jumped out to a quick start for the second consecutive week as senior kicker/punter Greg DiCenzo connected on a 48-yard field goal to give the Saints an early 3-0 lead. The field goal capped a seven play, 25-yard drive which began at the Saints' own 44-yard line.

Hobart shook off the early deficit, however, and proceeded to score two touchdowns in just under two minutes to take a 14-3 lead with 11:10 to play in the first half. Quarterback Daniel Birdsall went to the air and connected with wide receiver Scott Yoder for a 5-yard scoring play while Brandon added a 2-yard scoring run to account for the two touchdowns.

The second half saw more excellent play from Brandon as he shook off numerous St. Lawrence tacklers to rumble 73 yards and give the Statesmen a 21-3 advantage. The scoring run was the longest rushing play of the season for Brandon.

The Saints recahed into their bag of tricks in their next possession as DiCenzo fired a perfect 23-yard pass to freshman Mark Van Dien on a fourth down play that put St. Lawrence on the Hobart 13-yard line. The fake punt kept the drive alive and junior tailback Adam Filippetti finished off the 14-play, 69-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-10 in favor of Hobart.

Hobart proceeded to put the game away as it answered with a 10-play, 74-yard scoring drive to take a 28-10 lead. Freshman running back Terry Smith capped off the scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Statistically, Brandon led all rushers with 130 yards on 24 carries. Birdsall completed 14 of 25 passes for 147 yards while Yoder led all receivers with six catches for 49 yards for the Statesmen.

Hobart employed a solid defensive effort as it allowed only 37 passing and 105 rushing yards. St. Lawrence allowed a season low 265 total yards in the defeat.

The Saints were led in rushing by Filippetti with 37 yards on nine carries. Junior wide receiver Ryan Audet caught two passes for 14 yards to lead the receiving corps.

St. Lawrence returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 9th when the Saints travel to St. John Fisher for a 1:00 p.m. contest.

ROCHESTER SCORES TWICE IN FINAL 59 SECONDS OF FIRST HALF TO TURN BACK SAINTS 28-17

Rochester quarterback Jeff Piscitelli rushed for 68 yards and three touchdowns and added a 29-year scoring pass as the Yellowjackets scored twice in the final 59 seconds of the first half to overcome a 14-7 St. Lawrence lead and went on to a 28-17 win in a UCAA football game Saturday afternoon.

Rochester, now 2-1 overall, snapped a three-game losing streak against the Saints, who fell to 0-3 on the season and 0-2 in the UCAA. St. Lawrence got off to a good at Rochester's Fauver Stadium as placekicker Greg DiCenzo kicked field goals of 38 and 45 yards to give the Saints a 6-0 lead after penalties stalled promising scoring drives.

Piscitelli brought Rochester back on a 10-play 80-yard scoring drive, scoring on a one-yard keeper to give Rochester a 7-6 lead 12 seconds into the second quarter. The Saints came back on a 74 yard scoring pass from Jared Amell to senior Nate Zwirko with 12:38 to play in the half to take a 12-7 lead and made it 14-7 on a two point conversion pass from Amell to freshman fullback Jesse Hoffman.

Rochester tied the score at 14-14 when Piscitelli picked up his own fumble and ran the ball 17 yards for the tying score with 59 seconds to go in the half and Mike Mott's interception put the Yellowjackets back in business just 22 seconds later on the Rochester 40. Piscitelli completed a 29 yard scoring pass to Darren Gaul on the final play of the first half and Brad Hartman's kick made it 21-14 at the intermission.

DiCenzo cut the Rochester lead to 21-17 with the only scoring of the third period on a 26 yard field goal with 2:04 to play, but Rochester iced it when Piscitelli raced down the sideline 37 yards for a score with 14:11 to play to make it a 28-17 game.

Rochester outgained the Saints 413-297 with 252 of its total coming on the ground. Stephan Triendl led the Saint rushing game with 53 yards on eight carries while Dean Cirilla added 41 on seven totes. Amell hit on 10 of 35 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown with Zwirko catching five passes for 103 yards, but Rochester had two interceptions and four sacks. Matt Wightman led the Saint defense with 12 stops while Adam Button was in on 11 tackles. Rob Mallory had an interception for the Saints and Dave Perfield had two sacks.

GENUNG, EASON LEAD ALFRED TO 39-23 WIN OVER SAINTS
Zwirko Shines For Saints In Losing Effort With Two Touchdown Catches

Alfred junior running back George Eason combined for 149 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns to lead the saxons to a 39-23 win over St. Lawrence University Saturday afternoon at Merrill Field. The win in the Saxons' home opener improved Alfred to 2-0 on the young season while St. Lawrence falls to 0-2 with the defeat.

The Saxons never trailed throughout the contest and took a 7-0 lead on an Eason 6-yard scoring run with 8:13 left in the opening quarter. After then proceeding to stop the Saints on four downs, the hosts partially blocked a punt by senior kicker Greg DiCenzo. Alfred received a drive start at the Saint 21-yard line and increased the lead to 10-0 on a 20-yard field goal by Ryan Rambacher.

The St. Lawrence offense sputtered throughout the opening quarter as Alfred did not allow a single first down until nine seconds into the second quarter. St. Lawrence managed only 39 rushing yards in the contest.

Eason became a one-man wrecking crew as he added a 1-yard scoring run and a 28-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to increase the Alfred advantage to 26-3.

Senior wide receiver Nate Zwirko generated the lone bright spot offensively in the first half when he ran back a punt 72 yards to give St. Lawrence a drive start at the Alfred 8-yard line. After a rush for no gain and two incomplete passes, DiCenzo booted a 26-yard field goal to give St. Lawrence its first points of the game.

Alfred cornerback Andrew Genung made life miserable for Saint junior quarterback Jared Amell as he picked off three passes in the first half of play. Amell would complete 12 of 21 passes for 78 yards on the afternoon and throw one touchdown pass.

The Saints began the second half in strong fashion as Amell connected with Zwirko on a 32-yard touchdown pass to cut the Alfred lead to 26-9. A roughing the passer penalty on Alfred helped St. Lawrence on this scoring drive and the Saints stopped Alfred on its first possession of the third quarter.

Eason was not done for the day, however, as he added a 6-yard scoring run for Alfred with 44 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 33-9 in favor of the hosts.

Zwirko would add his second touchdown catch on a 24-yard scoring grab from freshman backup quarterback Justin Wright with just five-tenths of a second left in the contest. Zwirko would finish the day with three punt returns for 90 yards, four kickoff returns for 88 yards, and four catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns.

Freshman wide receiver Chris Sargent had his second straight solid contest as he led all receivers on both teams with seven catches for 55 yards.

Senior tri-captain Matt DiCarlo and impressive freshman defensive lineman Adam Button each made 12 tackles to lead the Saint defense.

St. Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when the Saints travel to Rochester to take on the University of Rochester Yellowjackets at 1:00 p.m.

UNION BUILDS BIG LEAD EN ROUTE 45-17 WIN
Union College established early domination and rolled to a 35-3 lead en route a 45-17 win over St. Lawrence in the 1999 football opener for both teams.

The Dutchmen opened the scoring on a two yard run by Jasper Mills after a Saint penalty spoiled a good defensive stand with 8:20 to go in the first period and struck back again just under three minutes later when Matt Laporta caught a 16 yard scoring pass from Ron Gilbert. It went to 21-0 with 29 seconds left in the first period on a 19 yard pass from Gilbert to Brian O'Donnell.

The Saints were moving the football for the first time with the wind in the second quarter when James Griffin stepped in front of a Saint receiver and intercepted a Jared Amell pass, returning it 56 yards for a touchdown and Laporta's 19 yard run with 3:46 to go in the first half gave the Dutchmen a commanding 35-0 lead.

Kicker Greg DiCenzo put the Saints on the board with a 49 yard field goal as time expired in the first half, but Union got the three back with 8:06 to go in the third on Andy Ruffo's 46 yard field goal for a 38-3 lead. Mills scored his second touchdown of the game with 2:25 to go in the third before the Saints got a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns.

Freshman Chris Sargent caught his first collegiate touchdown pass on a 26 yard play from Amell and Dean Cirilla scored on a seven yard run for the Saint points.

The Saint ground game was held to a net of 34 yards in the game with Cirilla gaining 51 yards on nine carries. Amell connected on 16 of 31 passes for 153 yards, but had three picked off and was sacked five times. Nate Zwirko had eight catches for 88 yards and Sargent had five for 47. Sargent also had two kickoff returns for 41 yards.

Union gained 151 yards on the ground and added another 167 yards passing.

The Saints will play at Alfred next weekend.

SAINTS REBUILD WITH NEW FACILITIES, TALENTED FRESHMAN CLASS IN 1999

Brand new facilities and added roster depth are the key themes swirling around the St. Lawrence University football program for the 1999 season.

Head coach Greg Burton moves into his second season on the Saint sidelines with new practice fields and a new natural grass playing field to work with. As part of its multi-million dollar commitment to upgrading facilities, the Saint athletic department installed new practice fields along with a natural grass playing surface on Weeks Field.

The improvements made their mark on both the coaching staff and the players as they began training camp for the 1999 season on August 15. The squad is looking to wipe away the memories from a long 1-8 season last year. In addition to new facilities, the largest roster of players since 1990 were welcomed to Canton this year. A total of 80 athletes arrived for the beginning of training camp, including 50 freshmen.

"We feel that we had a quality recruiting class from this past year," said Burton. "That allows us to have the largest number of student-athletes in preseason camp at St. Lawrence since 1990. So, our numbers have certainly increased and we're excited about that."

The Saints will continue to employ a Multiple I formation offense and will rely on a capable quarterback to direct the offensive troops. Junior tri-captain Jared Amell returns for his second season and comes off a 1998 season which saw him complete 96 of 190 passes for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns. Amell, a native of nearby Saranac Lake, transferred to St. Lawrence from Union College and will get a chance to take on his former team in the season opener Sept. 11. Junior Scott Miller and freshman Justin Wright will battle for the number two signal caller position while freshman Andy Corcione will also be taking snaps from center.

The ground game loses the services of Matt Fitch to graduation. Fitch led the squad in rushing as a tailback with 335 yards on 79 carries and will likely be replaced by junior Adam Filippetti. Filippetti saw limited action at tailback last season as he accumulated only nine carries in six contests. Other players contending for the tailback position include junior Dean Cirilla and freshmen Stephan Triendl and Brian Vanderet. Cirilla contributed 185 yards on 70 carries in 1998 to place second on the team rushing chart. Three freshmen are looking to provide offensive punch at fullback as Jesse Hoffman, Kevin Petrie, and Jimmy Dolan will all battle in preseason for starting honors.

The air attack features the return of the top three receivers from last season. Senior Nate Zwirko is looking to put together another outstanding season as he led the squad in receptions and touchdowns in 1998. Zwirko hauled in 45 catches for 595 yards and seven touchdowns, including a school record 94-yard scoring reception against Norwich. Junior Ryan Audet is looking to improve upon his sophomore performance of 31 receptions for 355 yards while freshman Chris Sargent will look to contribute right away at wide receiver. Sargent joins the Saints after an outstanding scholastic career at nearby Ogdensburg Free Academy. Zwirko and Sargent will also figure in the Saints' kickoff and punt return teams this season. Senior Dan DeBottis looks to anchor the tight end position as he pulled in 22 passes for 178 yards last season. Pushing DeBottis at tight end are freshmen Brian Doherty and Nick Ormasen, a local product from Richville, NY. These players will pose a challenge to opponent secondaries.

The Saints have some experience on the offensive line, as senior tri-captain Jim Walter (6-1, 256) anchors the guard position while junior Matt Magrone (5-9, 255) and freshman Dan Randow (6-4, 240) will also look to contribute at guard this season. The offensive tackle position features size and experience in senior Mac Beaton (6-0, 276) and classmate Rich Merritt, (6-4, 320) and sophomore Kirby Richard (6-2, 263). Freshman Ethan Norcross (6-2, 300) will push for playing time at tackle while freshmen Jared Bongo (6-2, 240) and Ethan Kane (6-0, 310) will battle it out for the center slot.

Defensively, St. Lawrence will have more holes to fill as the squad lost five of 11 starters from a year ago. The team will still use a 4-3 defense so the returning players will not have to overcome the obstacle of learning a new defensive format. Tri-captain Matt DiCarlo returns at middle linebacker and looks to continue his strong play in 1999. He tied for the lead in tackles last season with 63 (34 solo) and will be completing his final year of collegiate eligibility. Freshman Sean Howrigan will contend with DiCarlo for playing time at middle linebacker. Three players are emerging in preseason at strong side linebacker as freshmen Frank Civitella, Joe LeRoy, and Ash Morgan have all shown promise at this position. Senior Jim Smith will anchor the weak side linebacker spot as he contributed 34 tackles (22 solo) and two sacks in 1998. Six of Smith's tackles were for a loss last season.

The secondary features the return of Eric Reyes and Jonathan Dupont as Reyes moves from free safety to cornerback while Dupont stays at this position. Reyes had a solid campaign as a sophomore with 62 tackles and a team-leading 50 solo stops. He also picked off two passes while recovering two fumbles and forcing another fumble last season. Dupont led the team in interceptions with three and added 39 tackles (24 solo) as a freshman. Freshmen Rob Mallory and Justin Hartman will look to contend for playing time at cornerback as well. The safety position will feature a trio of players in sophomores Jason Gross and Matt Wightman and freshman Mark Van Dien. Sophomore

T.J. Kelley is looking to have a breakthrough season on the defensive line as he wants to better his 48 tackle (31 solo) performance last season. Kelley placed second in tackles for a loss with nine and added a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 1998. Junior A.J. Pilowa and senior John Delegan will look to anchor the defensive end position and will be pushed by sophomores Joe Gawron, Justin Hanna, and Joe Nesci. Freshman Adam Button will look to make an immediate impact as a defensive tackle this season.

The Saint kicking and punting game rotate around the play of Greg DiCenzo as he returns for his final year of eligibility while completing his second year of graduate school. He connected on two of four field goals including a 41-yard boot against Norwich and averaged 34.3 yards per punt a year ago. He even managed to add a season high 75-yard punt against the same Norwich team and has the ability to pin opponents deep in their own territory.

The schedule was increased to 10 contests for the 1999 season and the Saints will get to play six games on Weeks Field. Union christens the new playing facility on Sept. 11 before the squad hits the road for contests at Alfred on Sept. 18 and Rochester on Sept. 25. Hobart follows in Canton on Oct. 2 before the team travels to St. John Fisher for an Oct. 9 meeting. Perennial upstate New York power Ithaca visits Canton on Oct. 16 before the saints close out the road portion of the schedule with an Oct. 23 contest at Norwich. The late season schedule favors St. Lawrence as the gridders close the season by hosting Gettysburg on Oct. 30, Renssealer on Nov. 6, and Hartwick on Nov. 13. "We are playing a tough schedule as always this year. It will be a challenge for us but we're excited to have a 10 game schedule with six contests at home," Burton said.