Watch postgame comments by coach Jim Monos
Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Lebanon Valley rolled out to a 41-14 halftime lead, then held off a late Gettysburg charge to win, 47-42, in the season opener at Musselman Stadium.
The Dutchmen (1-0) scored on their first six possessions of the first half after
Ben Guiles returned the opening kick-off 95 yards for a touchdown, but the Bullets (0-1) scored four touchdowns in the second half in an epic comeback attempt before LVC recovered a late onside kick attempt.
Charlie Parker became LVC's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns, scoring his 24th in the second quarter to break the 20 year-old record held by
Ken Wilson '90.
LVC won in Gettysburg for the first time since 1979, and won consecutive season openers for the first time since 1969. The Dutchmen beat Gettysburg in their 2007 debut, 19-13.
"We're extremely happy that we won," said Head Coach
Jim Monos. "But how we did it was disappointing. I felt like we could have put it away, but we didn't."
The Bullets put up big offensive numbers, including 565 yards of total offense and 375 passing yards from quarterback Matt Flynn, but it wasn't enough to add up to a comeback. LVC managed 393 yards of offense.
"We didn't give up big plays, we made them go chunk to chunk and eat up the clock, and that helped us," Monos said. "We have a chance to be a good football team, but as I said to [the team], we're not there yet."
Parker turned in his 13th career 100-yard game, rushing for 129 yards and two scores.
Joe Brennan caught five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
The LVC offense kept the pressure right up after Guiles' opening score as Fick found Brennan on his first pass of the day for a 70-yard touchdown, and the rushing combination of Parker,
Bryan Lynch, and
Blair Ransom worked a 71-yard drive capped by Ransom's one-yard push to go up 21-0 late in the first.
Gettysburg got on the board early in the second quarter on Jamel Mutunga's four-yard run, but Parker scored his record-setting touchdown from two yards out tfour minutes later to go up 28-7.
The Bullets answered back with Matt Flynn's lob to A.J. Perrotti to cut the lead in half late in the second quarter, but
Colt Zarilla, in his first series at quarterback, finished off a long drive with a nine-yard run on fourth-and-four.
With Gettysburg looking for a quick score with a minute left in the half,
Jur'ey Fowlkes picked off Flynn deep in Gettysburg territory, setting up Fick's touchdown strike to Brennan with 11.5 seconds left.
Gettysburg opened the second half with Anthony DeSalvo's short run to the end zone, and LVC scored again with Parker's eight-yard draw to open the fourth quarter. But the Bullets made it interesting with John Pesce's 10-yard catch to make it 47-35, and suddenly LVC's seemingly safe lead was in danger.
The Dutchmen recovered the ensuing onside kick, but went out after four plays, and Gettysburg stayed alive with Flynn's scamper on fourth-and-10 with under four minutes to play. The Bullets drove deep into LVC territory, and got within a touchdown when Flynn went over the top to Mutunga with 1:48 left.
But Brennan got his hands on the onside kick at midfield, and Fick was able to kneel out the game and escape with the victory.
Game Notes
The two teams participated in a pre-game handshake as part of the American Football Coaches' Association's Respect Weekend initiative ... LVC's 47 points were the most since they beat Albright, 55-33, in the 2006 season finale ... Both teams converted every one of their red zone chances, with LVC going 5-for-5 and Gettysburg 6-for-6 ... Guiles' touchdown return was the first on a kick-off since Pete Henning's 100-yard haul in 2000 ... LVC did not punt until the 9:19 mark of the third quarter ... Zarilla worked a series at quarterback in the second quarter, driving LVC downfield and scoring on a nine-yard keeper ... He also saw time in the fourth quarter, and bombed a 55-yard punt to pin Gettysburg inside their own 10 ... Jerome Duncan recovered a fumbled kick-off return with less than 10 seconds left in the first half, but Matt Nawracaj missed an ambitious 42-yard field goal try as time expired ... Senior WR Sean Donovan started his first game since 2007 after missing last season due to injury, catching three passes for 22 yards ... LG Brendon Myer, TE Brendan Riley, NT Nick Bowne, DE Cory Homer, and CB Matt Lillis all made their first career starts ... Gettysburg QB Matt Flynn became his team's all-time leading passer with his 387th completion in the second quarter ... LVC's 47 points were by far the most ever scored against Gettysburg in 37 meetings, besting a 27-point output in 2005.
Big Offensive Performer...
WR
Joe Brennan was there for every big catch, including an early 70-yard sprint for a touchdown, part of his five-catch, 114-yard afternoon. He also grabbed the game-sealing onside kick with 1:40 left.
Big Defensive Performer...
LB
Will Keylor had 13 tackles, including one for a loss, and picked up a fumble in addition to two pass break-ups.
The Big Play...
Ben Guiles returned the opening kick-off 95 yards to the house, setting the tone for the entire game.
It Was Over When...
Joe Brennan recovered Gettysburg's onside kick attempt at midfield with 1:40 left in the game.
