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2002 FOOTBALL AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Offensive tackle Nick Ormasen, a senior from Richville, NY was named the 2002 St. Lawrence University football MVP while senior center Jared Bongo of Waterford, NY was the winner of the prestigious John Burger Memorial Award as Lineman of the Year in awards presented at the Saint football banquet.

Other award winners included senior linebacker Jesse Hoffman, who was named Defensive Player of the Year; sophomore receiver Gary Gaines, who was the Offensive Player of the Year; senior offensive lineman John Kane, who received the Coaches Award and freshman linebacker Mike Reed, who was named Rookie of the Year.

Bongo Named 1st Team All Conference

Jared Bongo, four-year starter at center for the St. Lawrence University football team was named first-team All UCAA in voting by the conference coaches, while senior linebacker Jesse Hoffman made the second team and four Saints were on the honorable mention list.

Offensive lineman Nick Ormasen made the honorable mention list for the second straight year while running back Derek Buckingham and receivers Gary Gaines and Tim Gavin were also recognized by the league coaches.

Buckingham led the Saints in rushing with 604 yards on 181 carries, a 3.3 per carry average and scored a touchdown. He also caught 24 passes for 146 yards.

Gaines was the leading receiver for the Saints with 43 catches for 436 yards and four touchdowns while Gavin caught 34 passes for a team-high 441 yards, a 13 yard per catch average, and scored two touchdowns.

Nine Saints were named to the UCAA All Academic team with sophomore or higher standing and grade point averages of 3.2 or higher. Those honored with their class, hometown and major are: Keith Curley - Sr., Concord, New Hampshire, English Brendan Hayes - Jr., Tupper Lake, New York, History John Hetsko - Jr., Lake Peekskill, New York, Math Jesse Hoffman - Sr., East Amherst, New York, Chemistry & Math Eric McMahon - Jr., Burlington, Vermont, Biology Patrick Reagan - So., Glenfield, New York, Undeclared Gabe Sataloff - So., Baltimore, Maryland, Undeclared Mitch Singsheim, So., Huntingdon Valley, PA, Undeclared, Herb Yancey - So., Lowville, New York, Undeclared

SAINTS DOMINATED BY HARTWICK, SEASON ENDS AT 0-10

November 16 - Senior wide receiver/kick returner Ryan Soule had four touchdown receptions to pace the Hartwick College football team to a 68-7 non-conference victory over St. Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon at All-Weather Field.

Soule, who entered Saturday's game as the NCAA Division III leader in receiving yards per game (174.0) and all-purpose yardage per game (227.9), had five catches for 186 yards, including a 96-yard touchdown catch with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter. He broke the NCAA record for most touchdowns scored on kickoff returns in a career with his seventh on Saturday.

Soule, who broke the record of six TD returns by Byron Womack of Iona (1988-91), had a 64-yard return for a touchdown to open the scoring in the second half.

Hartwick (7-2) took a 7-0 lead when Soule caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Daniel Pincelli. Sophomore free safety Anthony Tomaino followed with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown. The ensuing extra-point gave Hartwick a 14-0 lead with 9:05 left in the first quarter.

Soule scored the next three touchdowns for the Hawks on receptions of 28, 96, and 17 yards, respectively. Hartwick fullback Eric Hipsman added a 1-yard touchdown run and Chris Ryerson connected on a 28-yard field goal. Junior tailback Clarence Welch finished the scoring in the first half on a 31-yard run to give the Hawks a 52-0 lead with 5:47 remaining before halftime.

In the third quarter, senior All-American cornerback Kory Schramm intercepted a pass and returned the ball 52 yards for a touchdown. Shramm had another interception in the first half and raised his school-record total to 25. Hartwick kicker/offensive lineman Matt Mlinar connected on a 21-yard field goal to give Hartwick a 68-0 lead with 12:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Senior tailback Howard Alexander put St. Lawrence on the scoreboard with a 5-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Alexander had 10 carries for 77 yards. Sophomore quarterback Jon Blumhagen (was 9-of-19 for 75 yards. Senior linebacker Jesse Hoffman had a game-high nine tackles, and teammate Mike Reed added seven tackles for the Saints (0-10).

Tomaino paced the Hawks with seven tackles and three pass deflections. Junior Brian Matthews had six tackles nd one tackle for a loss. Senior Tommy Knapp had 2.5 sacks and raised his school-record total to 26.5.

BIG FIRST HALF LIFTS RPI OVER SLU

November 9-The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team compiled 450 yards, including 377 through the air, in the first half alone on their way to a 49-7 victory over St. Lawrence University at '86 Field in Troy, N.Y. In two quarters of action, Rensselaer junior quarterback Dan Cole completed 16 of 20 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns while senior wide receiver Evan Cochran had four catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Flynn Cochran, Evan's younger brother, had a touchdown run, a touchdown pass and a touchdown reception before halftime.

The win by Rensselaer improves their record to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) and sets up a showdown with league foe Hobart College (7-1; 3-0 UCAA) that will decide the league championship. In addition, the winner of that game will likely receive a bid in the 28-team NCAA Tournament. The Saints (0-9; 0-4 UCAA) will conclude their season next Saturday afternoon at Hartwick College at 1pm.

The Engineers scored three times in the first quarter to take a 21-0 lead after the opening stanza. The first strike came from Flynn Cochran, who capped a four-play, 69-yard drive with a one-yard plunge just 1:17 into the first quarter. Evan Cochran then put Rensselaer ahead by two touchdowns when he caught a short pass from Cole and turned it into a 40-yard touchdown reception at the 10:05 mark. The drive began with an interception by junior Mike Defilippi his fourth in the last two games on RPI's own five-yard line. The touchdown pass by Cole equaled the school record for TD passes in a single season (21). It didn't take long for the Albany, N.Y., native to break the mark as he hit Danny Stephens from 20-yards out to give the Engineers a three-touchdown leadwith 3:01 left in the quarter. Cole broke the mark originally set by Matt Robbens during the 1999 season.

Rensselaer pushed its lead to 28-0 early in the second quarter with an eight-play, 76-yard scoring drive, culminated by a five-yard completion from Flynn Cochran to Evan Cochran. For Evan, the scoring reception was his 12th of the season, tying him for the school single-season record. Second quarter touchdown passes from Cole to senior Ryan McGough (9 yards) and Flynn Cochran (6 yards) gave the homestanding Engineers a 42-0 lead late in the second quarter.

RPI scored its seventh touchdown of the afternoon midway through the third quarter when sophomore Jimmy Motzkin connected with freshman wide receiver Anthony Couture on a 49-yard touchdown pass. Matt Verenini's seventh point-after-touchdown kick put the home team ahead, 49-0. The Saints broke the shutout bid when they drove 80 yards on 11 plays, culminated by a 31-yard touchdown pass from sophomore JonathanBlumhagen to Tim Gavin with three minutes left in the third quarter.

The Engineers finished the day outgaining the Saints, 586-318, including 455-181 through the air. Eight different players combined for 131 rushing yards while nine players caught at least one pass. Defensively, freshman linebacker Armin Warner had a game-high ten tackles, including ten solos and one sack. He also forced a fumble.

Joe Bertino, who had nine tackles, including four solos and one for a loss, led St. Lawrence, which has now lost 11 straight games to RPI. Junior running back Derek Buckingham paced the Saints offensively, rushing for a 67 yards and catching three passes for 16 yards. Blumhagen finished the afternoon with 17 completions in 35 attempts for 172 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

BULLETS RUSHING ATTACK DOES IN SAINTS IN 49-21 LOSS

(November 2, 2002)—Gettysburg rushed for 428 rushing yards and 513 total yards as they defeated St. Lawrence University in Division III football action at Mussellman Stadium in Gettysburg, Pa., despite fumbling nine times and losing three of those fumbles.

The Bullets had a pair of 100-yard rushers in Mike Schwalb, who had 139 yards on 18 carries, and quarterback Joe Gossweiler who had 117 yards on 18 carries and also scored two touchdowns.

The game was 21-7 at the end of the half, but the Bullets exploded for four second half touchdowns to put the game out of reach, 49-21.

Also scoring two touchdowns for Gettysburg was Jesse Jeffers who had 70 yards rushing on nine carries.

St. Lawrence managed 92 rushing yards and had another impressive game through the air with 280 yardspassing. Jon Blumhagen started the game for the Saints, completing 17-of-34 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Tom Anderson came in in the second half and went 4-for-9, getting 44 yards while throwing one interception.

Derek Buckingham had 74 rushing yards on 19 carries for the Saints while Gary Gaines hauled in seven receptions for 79 yards.

Defensively, the Bullets had eight sacks, four by Beck Daniel and also forced three fumbles and two interceptions. Gettysburg’s Peter Johnson had a game high 11 tackles and had an interception, returning it 33 yards. Jesse Hoffman had 10 stops for the Saints and a fumble recovery.

St. Lawrence had a chance to score on their first possession, but Derek Buckingham fumbled the ball at the one and Gettysburg recovered it in the endzone for a touchback. Gettysburg scored first, capping off a six-play, 24-yard drive with a one-yard run by Mike Schwalb and 2:20 left in the first quarter. The point-after try by John Edgar missed, giving the Bullets a 6-0 lead. St. Lawrence responded just 36 seconds into the second quarter, scoring on a four-yard run by Howard Alexander to take a 7-6 lead after Nick Little’s point-after kick.

After trading punts, Gettysburg quarterback Joe Gossweiler hit A.J. Sutsko deep down the middle for a 73-yard touchdown pass. The Bullets converted on the two-point conversion to take a 14-7 lead.

Schwalb extended the lead with his second TD of the game, this one a 12-yard reception as Gossweiler slipped a tackle and hit his target on the right sideline. Gossweiler scored twice in the third quarter on a 20-yard run and a seven-yard run to make it 35-7.

Gary Gaines pulled the Saints closer catching a five-yard fade from Blumhagen in the middle of the third and then Derek Buckingham scored early in the fourth to cut the lead to 35-21. However, Jeffers answered with two rushing TD’s to put the game out of reach, 49-21.

The Saints face Rensselaer on the road next Saturday, November 9, with kick-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

SAINTS OH-SO-CLOSE AGAINST NORWICH

(October 26, 2002)—The St. Lawrence University football had the ball on the Norwich seven-yard line with 35 seconds left in regulation and a chance to tie, but the Cadets defense held strong for the 35-27 win in Division III football action at Leckonby Stadium on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 27 was the most points St. Lawrence has scored since a 28-38 loss to Hartwick on November 13, 1999. The loss extends the Saints (0-7) losing streak to 19 consecutive games.

Saint sophomore quarterback Jon Blumhagen (below, right) set a school-record for attempts with 49 and tied the school-record for completions with 26. He finished the game with 283 yards passing and three touchdowns. Eric Zerrahn hauled in nine passes for 114 yards while Derek Buckingham (above, left) ran for 105 yards on 29 carries, the first 100-yard game of his career.

However, Eddie Sulton’El had an equally impressive game for Norwich (3-4), rushing 31 times for 207 yards and a touchdown. Norwich quarterback Ben Clark completed 12 of 22 passes for 252 yards and three scores while throwing one interception.

St. Lawrence led the game 21-7 at the half, but Norwich put up 14 points in the third and fourth quarters to take the win. Norwich scored first when CJ Daley took a screen pass from Clark and rambled 87 yards down the left sideline to give the Cadets the 7-0 lead just 2:49 into the game.

St. Lawrence came back to score the next 21 points and take a 21-7 lead. Zerrahn had a 51-yard pass reception on a fly pattern from Blumhagen. Patrick Reagan then scored his first career touchdown on a 15-yard reception. Howard Alexander then scored on a two-yard scamper with 4:03 left in the half.

Norwich started the comeback when Moe Bennett scored from one-yard out on the Cadets first drive of the third quarter. St. Lawrence answered with a 12-play, 60-yard drive that took up 4:51 capped off by Gary Gaines 22-yard TD grab. Nick Little’s PAT try was blocked, giving the Saints a 27-14 lead.

Norwich came back with three unanswered touchdowns, a 17-yard pass from Clark to Tom Kennedy late in the third followed by a Clark pass to brother Josh Clark just eight seconds into the fourth quarter to give Norwich the 28-27 lead. Sulton’El looked like he put the game out-of-reach when he scored on an eight-yard run with 1:47 left.

The Saints threatened as Stephan Triendl gave them solid field position at their own 36 with a 21-yard return on the ensuing kick. Blumhagen then completed four passes to move the Saints 57 yards to the seven, where his fourth-and-goal pass attempt sailed just out of the back of the end zone.

St. Lawrence hits the road for their last three games, starting at Gettysburg on Saturday, November 2, for a 1:00 p.m. game. The Saints last win was against the Bullets, 14-6, in the 2000 season.

KINGS POINT RUSHING ATTACK PUTS AWAY SAINTS

October 19, 2002—King’s Point junior tailback David McNeal rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns as the Mariners shutout host St. Lawrence, 24-0, in Division III football action at Leckonby Stadium. The Mariners (5-2) had 318 rushing yards on 53 carries as a team while their defense held the Saints (0-6) to 181 total yards. The loss marks the Saints 18th consecutive and it was the first time they were shutout this season.

McNeal surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in third quarter after a 15 rush over left tackle. He later capped the 12-play, 72-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run, opening up the scoring with 9:19 left in the third quarter. McNeal tacked on his second score of the day with a one-yard TD with 1:03 left in the third to make it 14-0.

In the fourth, Mariner quarterback Dan Circelli hooked up with Peter Belford for a six-yard TD pass. Erik Hedval added a 26-yard field goal with 1:14 left in regulation to close the scoring at 24-0.

St. Lawrence had 57 rushing yards on 30 carries and completed 16-of-32 pass attempts for 124 yards. Bret Hughes had his best game of the season, catching seven passes for 59 yards. Tom Anderson completed 16-of-31 passes for 124 yards.

Circelli finished the game with 40 yards, a touchdown and an interception as he hit on six-of-14 passes. The Mariners had eight different runners carry the ball. Andrew Ghiglia has 36 yards on two carries and Jason Hardwick had 25 yards on six carries. Belford finished with four receptions for 19 yards, including his six-yard TD grab.

Saint strong safety Jesse Hoffman led all tacklers with 13 tackles, including 11 solo. Will Horn had eight tackles and two tackles for loss. Matt Fuhrman and Josh Hansen led the Mariners with 10 tackles each.

St. Lawrence will host Norwich in their final home game of the season next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Senior day activities will precede the kick-off at Leckonby Stadium.