Feedback
Send comments

About us
Our staff

User survey
About you

Send scores
Use our form

Weekly honors
Nominate players

Pravata to step down at Kings Point | Open Dates (6/3)
Playoff changes, 2002 schedule tidbits | What have we learned?

Williamsport Online photo Lycoming might need to replace every key offensive performer, but they do bring back return man Ricky Lannetti, who scored two touchdowns in 2001.

We've received 2002 previews from 36 programs, representing 20 conferences. Lycoming loses a lot on offense, but has, shall we say, some extra motivation from a perceived snub by the NCAA playoff committee. And what will Wittenberg bring to the table for its NCAC title defense?

And who's got the early line on the WIAC and FFC? We've gotten half of the WIAC schools reporting and three from the FFC.

Plus don't forget the 2002 schedules, by region: North, South, East, West. We'll announce our preseason All-America team July 15 and our preseason Top 25 on July 29.

Matlak returning to Allegheny
Former standout fullback Mark Matlak is returning to Allegheny to take over the head coaching position at his alma mater.

The 1977 offensive player of the year in the Presidents Athletic Conference, Matlak coached at Allegheny for four years before starting an 18-year stint at Division I-AA New Hampshire, where he coached defensive ends before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 1989 and associate head coach in 1999. Matlak, who graduated from Allegheny in 1978, was the second-leading rusher in school history at the time.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me,” Matlak said. “And I am humbled by it. I’m extremely excited to return to Allegheny. It’s a great place to work and it’s a great place to go to school. I am just thrilled to be back in the Gator football program.”

He replaces Blair Hrovat, who resigned after it was revealed that he had not earned a college degree, as he claimed. Allegheny went 5-5 in 2001.

Apparently the Johnnies' Beautiful Day Drill will now carry the danger of rug burn.

This summer St. John's and Mount Union are tearing out their grass and replacing it with artificial turf.

Mount Union, which has played eight home games each of the last three seasons, is installing AstroPlay, which was also recently installed at OAC rival Capital and is going in at Elmhurst. They're also doubling the size of a cramped press box. St. John's is putting in SprinTurf, which is also used or is being installed at Western Connecticut and Cortland State.

Mount Union Stadium will also add 156 seats in the grandstand where the press box was.

Both programs should benefit from their new surfaces, although an aesthetic loss will likely be felt at both storied venues.

"As a monk friend of mine wondered," said Sports Illustrated writer Austin Murphy, who wrote the book The Sweet Season regarding an autumn at St. John's, "does this mean they're going to have to come up with plastic gnats?"

St. John's head coach John Gagliardi said, "we were reluctant to go with artificial turf right away, but they've made such advances that it's not like it once was." The $700,000 cost of the project was covered by the stadium's namesake, Bill Clemens.

Photo at left by Tom Dahlin
St. John's and Mount Union's fields in their last home games of 2001, with St. John's at left, vs. UW-Stevens Point, and Mount Union, at right, vs. St. John's.

Photo by Pat Cummings, D3football.com Mount Union running back Chuck Moore ran for a Stagg Bowl-record 273 yards and was named Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row.

Mount Union took a 30-13 lead into the fourth quarter and held off a furious Bridgewater rally to win Stagg Bowl XXIX 30-27 in front of a Salem-record 7,992 fans.

Chuck Moore ran for a Stagg Bowl-record 273 yards and three touchdowns, including a 95-yarder with 5:50 left in the third quarter that would prove to be the Purple Raiders' final points of the night. Box score

Bridgewater rallied, riding last week's hero, Brian Ratliff, who caught a 59-yard touchdown pass with 13:09 left in the game, then Jason Lutz hit Ratliff on consecutive passes for 39 yards before Marcus Richardson caught a 43-yard pass to the 3-yard line at the 2:01 mark. Lutz then pushed it over with 1:55 left. But Bridgewater failed to cover the onside kick, and Mount Union ran out the clock.