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2000 Archives CHRIS PHELPS NAMED HEAD FOOTBALL COACH Chris Phelps, a 1991 graduate of St. Lawrence University, has been named the new Saint head football coach. Most recently the varsity receivers coach and recruiting coordinator "We are excited to have Chris Phelps return to St. Lawrence as our head football coach," said St. Lawrence athletic director Margie Strait. "We had an excellent pool of candidates for the head coaching position, and Chris' familiarity with the university, plus his coaching experience at both the Division III and IAA level made him the ideal choice to rebuild our program." A native of Laconia, NH, Phelps was a four-year starter at "I am really excited about the opportunity to return to St. Lawrence as its head football coach," Phelps said. "It is a strong academic institution and a place where you can be successful athletically. "There is outstanding administrative support for the football program, and the facilities we can offer our athletes are top of the line. It's a whole different world from when I was here as a player. Phelps began his duties January 2 and his first priority will be recruiting for the upcoming season. His wife Kim and their daughter Bailey, 7, and son Ryan, 4, will move to Canton in mid-January. "I am looking forward to meeting with the players when they return to campus after winter break," the new Saint coach said. "I think they will be excited about what we plan to do from an offensive and defensive standpoint." Phelps hopes to run a no-huddle multiple-I offense which will feature a variety of different formations. "If it fits our available talent, we will try to challenge the opposing defenses with an audible-based system which puts a variety of formations on the field which are a little different. We'll run I formation, split backs and some one-back formations and run and throw out of all of them." Defensively he plans an even front 4-4 base defense. "The even front defense tends to fit the size and personality of the Division III level player and gives you the opportunity to get the most out of your personnel," Phelps added. ALEXANDER AND VAN DIEN EARNED UCAA November 17-- Sophomore Howard Alexander and Mark Van Dien were both named to the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association All-Conference second team for their efforts during the 2000 season. Alexander, a running back out of Yonkers, N.Y., was the Saints' leading ground-gainer this season and finished fifth in the UCAA in rushing. The sophomores straight-ahead running style netted 653 yards on 172 carries and three 100-yard games. Alexander broke out in week eight for 196 yards and a touchdown on 49 carries in a 14-6 win over Gettysburg. He game totals were three carries and 32 yards short of single game school records. Van Dien, a free safety in St. Lawrence's 4-3 defense, led the team with three interceptions and was tied for the team with seven pass break-ups. A native of Saranac Lake, N.Y., Van Dien finished second on the squad with 93 stops, including 43 of the solo variety and one for a loss. SAINTS FALL TO HARTWICK IN SEASON FINALE Nov. 11: The Saints dropped thier 2000 season finale at Hartwick, 41-0, on Saturday afternoon to finish the season at 1-9 overall and 0-4 in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association. Three Hartwick players had two touchdowns and quarterback Dan Pincelli threw for five touchdowns as Hartwick piled up 501 total yards of offense. Ryan Johnson started the Hartwick scoring attack with a 19 yard catch with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. Johnson hauled in another Pincelli touchdown pass, this time for a 17 yard score. The Hawks took control of the ball again with under a minute remaining in the half and drove 48 yards to extend their halftime lead to 21-0. Hartwick added 13 more points in the third quarter, one on a 40 yard pass from Pincelli to Ryan Soule and a 47 yard catch and run to Mike Ononrata. Another touchdown with 46 seconds left in the final quarter, a four yard run from Onorata, capped the scoring at 41-0. RENSSELAER ROLLS WITH BIG SECOND HALF Nov. 4: Jeremy Barnes scored three touchdowns and ran for 129 yards on nine carries as host Rensselaer scored 28 second half points en route a 49-7 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football victory over St. Lawrence Saturday afternoon. RPI, now 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the UCAA, racked up 291 yards on the ground and 413 total while limiting the Saints, 1-8, 0-4, to 161 total yards. T he Engineers jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead on two touchdowns by Scott Allard, one from five yards out and the other on a one-yard plunge. RPI made it 21-0 with a quick strike touchdown pass from Sean O'Bryan to Evan Cochran that covered 77 yards with 11:46 left in the first half. The Saints put together a 13 play, 80-yard drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Dan Chin to Stephan Triendl with 1:13 left in the half to cut the lead to 21-7 after Adam Filippetti's conversion. It was the first passing touchdown of the season for the Saints. RPI got good field position with an interception early in the second half and Wayne Evans scored on a 16-yard run to make it 28-7. Barnes then scored from 51 yards out to make it 35-7 after three. Barnes tacked on touchdowns of 11 and six yards in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. Tim Gavin led the Saint offense with eight catches for 111 yards as Chin completed 12 of 32 for 132 yards, but had three passes picked off. ALEXANDER APPROACHES RECORDS AS SAINTS SNAP STREAK (October 28, 2000) - Sophomore Howard Alexander rushed for 198 yards on 46 carries as St. Lawrence rolled to their first victory since September 26, 1998, downing the Gettysburg Bullets 14-6. The 46 rushes by Alexander were three short of the school-record of 49 and he was 32 yards short of the school-record for rushing. The win snapped a 22-game Saints losing streak and extended the Bullets streak to 10 straight games. St. Lawrence started the game on a high note, as Jesse Hoffman intercepted Gettysburg quarterback Dennis Flaherty's first pass of the game and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. Mike Jerome tacked on the point-after, giving St. Lawrence a 7-0 lead just 1:29 seconds into the game. After allowing the Bullets to drive the ball down to the 17-yard line, the Saint defense nearly intercepted a third down pass, and a bad snap on the field goal attempt kept Gettysburg off the board. The SLU offense went three-and-out on their next possession, but Matt Hiller picked off a Flaherty pass on the first play of the ensuing Bullets drive. Huge holes opened by the Saints offensive line allowed Alexander to capitalize on the turnover on a two-yard touchdown run. Gettysburg cut into the lead on a one-yard run by Alex Nicholas midway through the second quarter. The extra point kick attempt missed wide right, cutting the Saints lead to 14-6. Safety Mark Van Dien kept the Bullets from scoring on a last second effort, picking off Flaherty, the Saints third interception, as the first half came to a close. The Saints put together a 17-play, 60 yard drive on their first possession of the second half, but a 33-yard field goal attempt by Jerome into a stiff wind was pushed wide-right as neither team scored in the third stanza. The Bullets completed a 33-yard play-action pass from Flaherty to Pat Jordan and threatened the Saints lead early in the fourth quarter, but the SLU defense was up to the task, stopping Gettysburg on downs. The orange-and-blue Bullets started a fourth-quarter drive with 1:30 left on their own 20 yard line and pushed the ball to the Saints 21 yard line, but could not crack the SLU defense as the entire Saints team rushed the field to celebrate the win. Despite being outgained by the Bullets 392 to 260, St. Lawrence improves to 1-7 on the season. Jay Toscano rushed for 134 yards on 24 carries and Flaherty threw for 184 yards, completing 16 of 34 passes but threw three costly interceptions. St. Lawrence used heavy doses of Alexander as the ground game gained 215 yards and the air attack had 45 yards on 15 attempts. The Saints next game is scheduled for November 4, at Rensselaer with kickoff scheduled for 1:00. ST. LAWRENCE BLITZED BY ITHACA, 58-0 October 14 -- The Saints dropped their 21st consecutive game to the Ithaca Bombers (4-2) on Saturday afternoon at Ithaca, 58-0. The Bombers capitalized on two early Saint interceptions to build an insurmountable 24-0 first-quarter lead. The Saints received the opening kickoff and went three and out. Ithaca took over their own 44-yard line. Tom Giorgio nearly scored on the Bombers first play from scrimmage, being forced out of bounds by mark Van Dien at the Saints' 30. Giorgio capped the drive nine plays later on a seven-yard run up the middle. St. Lawrence starting quarterback Dan Chin through an interception on the ensuing drive, giving Ithaca possession deep in Saints' territory. The Bombers capitalized with a 29-yard field goals eight plays later. Young added to the Bomber lead on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Ted Sullivan, stretching the lead to 17-0. Another interception by Chin on the first play from scrimmage on the next drive was returned 28 yards for a touchdown. Ithaca added to their 24-0 first quarter lead early in the second quarter on a two-yard touchdwon reception by Brian Mulkeen from Young. Seth Steinberg, who had made 77 straight point-after tries, missed the extra point, giving the Bombers a 30-0 lead. Mulkeen caught his second touchdown of the game with 3:53 left on the first half clock, extending the Ithaca lead to 37-0. Mulkeen struck again, this time a three-yard reception from backup quarterback Billy Feldmaier, with 49 seconds left in the half. Ithaca piled up 259 yards of offense to the Saints 33 and carried a 44-0 lead inot the locker room. The Saints' defense held on Ithaca's first possession of the second half, but they pinned the Saints deep witha a punt. Two plays later, Chin's third interception thrown was returned seven yards for a touchdown. The St. Lawrence defense made a goal line stand on a long-drive by the Bombers, giving the SLU offense the ball on their own one-yard line. Mike Guanay added to the lead with his first career touchdown after the Saints picked one of only four first downs on the afternoon. Mike Guanay added to the lead with his first career touchdown, a 23-yard ramble with 7:26 left in the game, capping the scoring and giving Ithaca the 58-0 victory. Mulkeen led the Ithaca offensive attack with four receptions and three touchdowns. The Saints managed just 43 yards of offense while the Bombers piled up 450 yards. SAINTS BLANKED BY ST. JOHN FISHER, 34-0 October 7, 2000 -- The St. Lawrence University football team was shutout Saturday afternoon by St. John Fisher (1-5), 34-0, extending their losing streak to 20 games. Fisher ended a nine-game losing streak of their own with the win. Matt Davis led the Cardinals offensive attack, rushing 22 times for 156 yards and a touchdown, as St. John Fisher outgained the Saints, 396 yards to 142. St. John Fisher scored on the first two possessions of the game, a nine-yard pass from Greg Roland to Chris Murphy and a three-yard run by Davis. Two first-half interceptions thrown by St. Lawrence quarterback Dan Chin gave the Cardinals good field position throughout the first half. A first quarter field goal attempt by the Saints’ Mike Jerome was blocked by Rich Converse, denying St. Lawrence’s best scoring opportunity of the game. Scott VanAlst kicked a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter to extend the halftime lead to 17-0. VanAlst added another field goal, this time from 27 yards out to build the Fisher lead to 20-0. The Cardinals piled up more points early in the fourth quarter as Ricky Fauth, who finished with a team-high four receptions for 67 yards, hauled in a 30-yard pass from Roland. Back-up quarterback David Blahowitz capped the scoring with a 45-yard naked bootleg run with 1:49 left on the game clock to give the Cardinals the 34-0 victory. Howard Alexander was the Saints leading rusher with 13 carries for 63 yards. St. John Fisher rushed for 292 yards while holding St. Lawrence to 56 yards rushing. Chin completed eight of 21 passes for 74 yards and three interceptions in his first collegiate start. With the loss, St. Lawrence drops to 0-5 on the season. Their next game is scheduled for Saturday, October 14 at Ithaca. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. SAINTS FALL TO STATESMEN, 41-7 September 30, 2000-- Travis Widrick ran for 122 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns to lead the Hobart Statesmen (3-1, 2-1 UCAA) past St. Lawrence, 41-7, extending the Saint losing streak to 19 games. The Saints managed just 120 yards of total offense while Hobart piled up 456 yards. Hobart took command of the game from the opening kickoff as Deshaun Washington took the kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing drive, sophomore quarterback Andy Corcione fumbled on the first play giving Hobart the ball deep in the Saints territory. The defense held however, thwarting a fourth down try by the Statesmen. Hobart struck again early in the second quarter on a pass down the middle from Dan Birdsall to Andy Pirozzolo on a 32-yard pass. Brandon Franklin blocked the point after attempt holding Hobart to a 13-0 lead. Travis Widrick ran untouched down the middle of the field for a 59-yard score. The Statesmen converted on the two-point try, giving Hobart a 21-0 lead at halftime. The Statesmen added three more touchdowns in the third quarter. Jamie Breslin collected a 37-yard touchdown from Dirdsall, Widrick added a 59-yard touchdown run and Henry Leeper scored on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Hobart freshman Craig Swanson. The bright spot for St. Lawrence came in the final quarter. A 27-yard pass from Scott Wiley to Dean Cirilla put the Saints on the five yard line. Two plays later, Bren Hayes rambled from one-yard out to give the Saints their only touchdown. Birdsall finished the game 17 for 32 for 239 yards and two touchdowns. With the loss, St. Lawrence drops to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the UCAA. Their next game will mark the dedication of Leckonby Stadium. That game will kickoff at 2:00 on October 7 against St. John Fisher. SAINTS DROP 18TH CONSECUTIVE, 28-7, TO ROCHESTER September 23, 2000— The St. Lawrence University football team fell to the Rochester Yellowjackets (3-0, 2-0 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association) 28-7, marking their 18th consecutive loss. Greg Lozeau scored two touchdowns and rushed for 150 yards for Rochester. The Saints, who drop to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the UCAA, got a 100-yard rusher in Howard Alexander for the second week in a row as he carried 18 times for 106 yards. The Saints started the game off well, forcing Rochester to fumble the kickoff while kicker Mike Jerome got the recovery. Three plays later, Brian Kowalski intercepted a pass from Scott Wiley and returned it to the St. Lawrence 45-yard line. Like last weekend, the SLU defense came up big. After going 30 yards in one play, Yellowjackets quarterback Jeff Piscitelli fumbled at the Saint’s nine yardline and linebacker Mike Chambers came up with the recovery for St. Lawrence. After trading punts, Rochester broke open the scoring on a 15-yard pass from Piscitelli to Chris Sisto with 4:12 left in the first quarter. Rochester would threaten again midway through the second stanza, but another big defensive play, an interception by Matt Hiller, gave the Saints the ball back at their own 10-yard line. After going three and out, Rochester started with the ball at their own 34 with 6:06 left in the half. Eight plays and 66 yards later, the Yellowjackets found themselves up 14-0 courtesy of an eight-yard touchdown run by Lozeau. Starting the third quarter, St. Lawrence received the kickoff and marched 81 yards in eight plays as Alexander picked up his third 20-plus yard touchdown run of the season. Alexander went 27 yards this time and a Jerome kick cut the Rochester lead in half. Two possessions later however, John Breedy went in from one yard out to extend the Yellowjackets lead to 21-7. On the ensuing drive, Wiley fumbled and Alex Wagner recovered the ball at the SLU 19-yard line. Two plays later, Lozeau found paydirt from 16 yards out for his second touchdown of the game to close the scoring, 28-7. Rainy conditions caused some sloppy play as the teams combined for nine fumbles and two interceptions. Freshman quarterback Wiley finished the game eight for 16 for 74 yards while Piscitelli completed 13 of 22 passes for 174 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Overall, the Yellowjackets finished with 406 yards of offense to the Saints 207. SAINTS FALL SHORT AGAINST ALFRED, 21-7 September 16, 2000 -- The St. Lawrence University football team had a fourth quarter rally snuffed out by two late turnovers, losing the first-ever football game played at Leckonby Stadium. Alfred out-gained the Saints, but an anemic week one offense came alive for St. Lawrence, piling up 128 yards on the ground and 113 through the air after gaining just 90 total yards last week against Union. Alfred opened the scoring early in the second quarter. Jesse Raynor got the touchdown on a one-yard run which was set-up by a 29-yard pass from Todd Zandrowicz to Nick Freeman. Raynor leaped over the pile for the Saxons touchdown and Ryan Rambacher added the extra point to give Alfred a 7-0 lead with 14:24 left in the first half. St. Lawrence forced a fumble to stall the Saxons next drive on the SLU 13-yard line. Despite having nearly a five-minute edge in time of possession, the Saints found themselves down 7-0 as the second half kicked-off. Alfred threatened again late in the third quarter when a personal foul against St. Lawrence gave the Saxons possession jsut 28 yards from paydirt. The St. Lawrence defense came up with the big-play again, however, as Jonathon DuPont intercepted a Zandrowicz pass at the Saints own five-yard line. The Saints gave the ball right back on an interception thrown by Scott Wiley at the St. Lawrence 36. The Saxons didn’t wast ethe turnover this time as Zandrowicz ran a bootleg around the left end 10 yards for the touchdown and Rambacher added the point-after to go up 14-0. Another Wiley interception gave Alfred the ball in Saints territory on the ensuing drive. The defense held strong again as Mark Van Dien zipped in to pick-off a Zandrowicz pass at the Saints 26 and returned it all the way down to the Saxons 34. Stephan Triendl broke up the shut-out six plays later on a three-yard rushing touchdown and Mike Jerome added the point-after, giving Alfred a seven-point lead. The Saint defense held on the Saxons next possession, giving St. Lawrence the ball at their own 24. A fumble by Michael Lucas on the next play gave Alfred field position and Raynor capitalized again, this time scoring from five yards out. The Saints hopes ended on the next drive when a Wiley pass tipped off Dean Cirilla’s hands to Saxons cornerback Rob Graham. Howard Alexander was the Saints workhorse, carrying the ball 21 times for 126 yards. Wiley finished the game 10-17 with three interceptions and 113 yards. Ryan Audet caught seven passes for 88 yards in the game SCHEDULE CHANGE ANNOUNCED The game versus Rochester scheduled to take place on September 23 has been re-scheduled to kickoff at 1:30. The game will take place at Leckonby Stadium on the campus of St. Lawrence University. UNION ROLLS TO 40-7 WIN OVER THE SAINTS The St. Lawrence University football team kicked off its 2000 season on rain-soaked Frank Bailey Field at Union College Saturday afternoon, dropping a 40-7 decision to the Dutchmen. Pre-game rains soaked the field and lightning pushed the start of the game back from 1:00 to 1:30. After going three and out on their opening drive, the Saints gave up a 63-yard touchdown on a pass from Ben Gilbert to Dan Hamister on Union's second play from scrimmage. The Dutchmen muffed the point after try, carrying a 6-0 lead into the second quarter. Union extended its lead to 13-0 with a workman-like 68 yard, 11-play drive just two minutes into the second quarter. A 22-yard punt return by Hamister gave the Dutchmen excellent field position at the Saint 37 to start their next drive. Union cashed in three plays later on a 13-yard pass from Gilbert to Bryan Slekes. The Saints cracked the scoreboard on the following drive, going 66 yards in seven plays, capped by a 34 yard run by sophomore Howard Alexander. Alexander's touchdown was his first as a Saint and made the score 20-7. Union answered with just 21 seconds left in the half as Gilbert connected with Hamister once again, this time for a 15 yard scoring pass and a 27-7 halftime lead. The Saints' defense stood solid on Union's first possession of the second half, but a fumble by Saint quarterback Justin Wright on the ensuing drive gave Union the ball at the Saint 43. A fake double end-around fooled the Saint secondary and left Hamister wide open for his third touchdown catch of the game, this time from 32 yards out. Andrew Ruffo added a 36 yard field goal on Union's next possession for a 37-7 lead and a fourth quarter interception of a pass by freshman quarterback Scott Wiley set up a 25-yard Ruffo field goal to complete the scoring. Alexander led the Saint offense, carrying 12 times for 58 yards. Saint quarterbacks completed just two of seven passes for minus one yard in the game. Union had a 474-90 edge in total offense, 248 rushing and 226 passing. The Saints will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Leckonby Stadium when they host Alfred in their home opener. SAINTS OPEN 2000 SEASON AT UNION The St. Lawrence University football team kicks off the 2000 season on Saturday, September 9, in Schenectady, N.Y., against the Union Dutchmen, one of the top teams in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association. The Saints hope to put an end to a 15-game losing streak, but they are facing an opponent they have not beaten in their last four meetings. This will be the second straight season that threse two teams open with one another. Union won last year's meeting, 45-17, at Weeks Field in Canton. This season, St. Lawrence is looking for revenge on the Dutchmen's home turf. St. Lawrence will take a young team to the artificial turf of Frank Bailey Field, carrying just 12 upperclassmen on a team of over 80 players. The Saints will carry the majority of their experience on the offensive side of the ball. Starting wide receivers Ryan Audet and Dean Cirilla are both seniors, along with left guard Matt Magrone, fullback David Perfield and tailback Adam Filippetti. Sophomore Justin Wright will be the starting quarterback, a role he was thrown into as a freshman due to injury to then-senior Jared Amell. The rest of the starting lineup is made up of sophomores except for freshman right guard Pat Sullivan. However, he will be playing next to Jared Bongo, one of the Saints best linemen who played every down at center for the Saints in 1999. Watching Wright's blindside along with Magrone is Matt Berholf. John Kane will start at right tackle while sophomore Nick Ormasen will be the Saints starting tight end. Defensively, St. Lawrence will need to tighten-up after allowing 38 points a game in 1999. Brian Doherty is the Saints only senior slated to start, and he saw action in just five games last season. Three juniors, captain and nose tackle T.J. Kelley, cornerback Jonathon Dupont and strong safety and captain Matt Wightman hope to lead this green defense to some better numbers in 2000. Wightman was the Saints' leading tackler last season, making 93 stops, two for loss. Dupont heads into the new season with six career interceptions, three in each of his first two seasons. Kelley collected 33 tackles last season although his primary job is to stuff the run and keep opposing lineman off Saints' linebackers Frank Civitella, Will Horn and Mike Chambers. Civitella is the most experienced linebacker as a sophomore. Horn, a highly-touted linebacker from the Bronx, and Chambers are both freshman. The secondary boasts second-team All-UCAA selection Justin Hartman along with interception-specialist Dupont and Wightman at strong safety. Mark Van Dien, a sophomore, will tie down the free-safety position. Hartman had 62 tackles, three and a half sacks, and three interceptions in 1999. Van Dien made 62 stops and had two tackles for loss. Special teams will take on a new look with All-UCAA selection Greg DiCenzo lost to graduation. Sophomore Mike Jerome is the front-runner for punting, placekicking and kickoff duties for the Saints this season. "We can add a new oxymoron to George Carlin's list," said Saints head coach Greg Burton. "We have what I like to call 'experienced youth' on our team. Most of our guys, despite being sophomores, have a full season of varsity playing time under their belts." Hopefully, the experienced youth can turn the around the season and a half long losing streak, and give the Saints something they haven't had since September 26 of 1998- a win. With the determination and commitment Burton and his coaching staff have made, along with a group of talented freshman and game-worn sophomores, there is no reason this can't be the season that the Saints start marching to the top of the UCAA standings. 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 "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.
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