Box Score
Football
Widener 57, Lebanon Valley 33
CHESTER, Pa. - Five turnovers doomed Lebanon Valley against the Middle Atlantic Conference's top offense as Widener took advantage to win 57-33 on Saturday.
The Dutchmen (5-2, 3-2 MAC) couldn't contain a huge second quarter by the Pride (7-1, 5-1 MAC), who scored three touchdowns in the final 3:09 of the first half, including an 83-yard pick-six by Laquan Robinson with 21 seconds remaining to make it 36-13.
Colt Zarilla threw for 261 yards on 25-of-43 passing with two touchdowns, but also was picked off three times.
Tim Picerno racked up a career-best 12 catches for 106 yards, and
Ben Guiles had 108 yards rushing with a touchdown.
"They are a really good football team," said head coach
Jim Monos. "I still believe we're a good football team, but we didn't perform... I thought as we went along we moved the football, but we made too many mistakes early in the game on turnovers that cost us drives."
Widener's Chris Haupt was an efficient 15-of-26 for 243 yards and four touchdowns, with Cedrick Clayton catching a pair for 91 yards. In addition to his interception return for a touchdown, Robinson broke LVC's back to end the third quarter with an 88-yard kickoff return.
The teams ended the first quarter knotted at 6-6 after Carmen Imbalzano caught a seven-yard pass from Chris Haupt and Guiles finished an 11-play drive with a four-yard lunge. The Pride broke it open in the second quarter starting with a 22-yard Anthony Clayon catch followed by James McFadden's 30-yard field goal before
Joey Miller hauled in a 38-yard catch from Zarilla to cut the Widener lead to 16-13.
Turnovers began to hurt LVC, and the Pride took advantage with 21 straight points to end the quarter. After Cedrick Clayton scored from two yards out and Widener forced an LVC punt, the Pride hit a big play when Haupt found Anthony Davis 33 yards for a score. LVC got the ball back with 1:15 to play, but Robinson jumped a pass at his own 17 and took it all the way to the house to go up 36-13.
LVC answered back with a pick of their own to start the third quarter as
Dave Hallinan got his second of the year, and that led to a 15-yard
Matt Mankiewicz touchdown. Two drives later, Widener needed just four plays for Terrant Morrison to run it in, and LVC answered with a
Blair Ransom rumble at the tail-end of the quarter to get within striking distance at 43-27.
But as quickly as the opportunity for a fourth-quarter comeback arose, Widener shut the door. Robinson took the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, putting the Pride up 50-27 and all but ending LVC's hopes.
Cedric Clayton added a fourth-quarter touchdown for Widener and
Kenny King earned his first career rushing touchdown for the Dutchmen after an
Andrew Burkholder punt block.
LVC returns home next week to host Lycoming on Take A Kid To the Game Day.
Game Notes
Ben Guiles racked up his 16th 100-yard rushing game ... He now has 3,447 career yards, 260 short of the LVC all-time record ... He ended up with 206 all-purpose yards, making two long kick returns for 92 yards ... Picerno's 12 catches were just two off the school single-game record ... Mankiewicz had a career-high 83 yards on six catches with his touchdown ... Darryl Sweeper also caught a pair of balls for 37 yards ... Miller's touchdown was his only reception of the game ... Widener scored 50+ points for the fourth straight game ... It was the first since LVC allowed 50 or more points since 2004, in a 55-14 loss to Delaware Valley ... Other than turnovers, most offensive statistics were even or in LVC's favor: Widener held a 505-480 total offense advantage, but LVC had more passing yardage (322 to 278) and first downs (28-23), and both teams were 4-for-4 in the red zone ... Cory Homer led the defense with 12 tackles, and Clay Chaney added nine ... LVC failed to record a sack for the fourth straight game.
