Boxscore

CANTON, N.Y. -- Susquehanna University's senior split end J.J. Moran (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville) caught a game-high five passes for a game-high 82 yards to help lead visiting Susquehanna to a 21-7 win over St. Lawrence University in a Liberty League football game at Leckonby Stadium on Oct. 31.

Moran leads Susquehanna (6-2, 4-1 Liberty) with 35 catches and 471 receiving yards this year. Though he didn't score against St. Lawrence (2-6, 1-4 Liberty), teammate and sophomore split end Mike Ritter (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) caught a game-high two touchdown passes as part of a three-catch, 34-yard day. Ritter leads SU with four TD receptions this year.

SU's senior split end Keith Howell (North Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) added two catches against the Saints for 42 yards, while teammate and senior running back Dave Paveletz (Warrior Run, Pa./Hanover Area) made a seven-yard catch.

Paveletz continued an amazing season for the Crusaders. He rushed 28 times for a game-high 144 yards against St. Lawrence to push his season total to a league-leading 1,195 yards. Paveletz ended up just eight yards shy the school single-season rushing record last season when he ran for 1,314 yards. Matt Wichlinski '00 ran for 1,322 in 1997. Paveletz is already Susquehanna's all-time leading rusher with 4,512 yards after this game.

Sophomore running back Greg Tellish (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) spelled Paveletz with five carries for nine yards against St. Lawrence, including a four-yard TD run behind a starting offensive line of senior left tackle Drew Champney (Victor, N.Y./Victor), junior left guard Will Tasker (Culpepper County, Va./Culpepper County), junior center Ryan Schumann (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven), junior right guard Paul Russick (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) and junior right tackle James Rogers (Harker Heights, Texas/Harker Heights).

Feeding the Susquehanna receivers was sophomore quarterback Rich Palazzi (Newfoundland, Pa./Wallenpaupack), who completed a game-high 12 of 21 passes for a game-high 167 yards, including the two Ritter TD.

Palazzi threw no interceptions, but his Saints counterpart fared much worse. Junior JP Kearney (Laflin, Pa./James M. Coughlin) completed just three of 17 passes for 24 yards and four picks, two of which ended up in the hands of freshman defensive back Jalon Scott (Albany, N.Y./Albany HS).

Scott, despite nursing a hand injury, has made a Liberty-leading six interceptions this season. This was his third two-interception game this year.

Kearney did manage a 14-yard TD pass to junior tight end Tim Robinson (Voorheesville, N.Y./Clayton A. Bouton). Teammate and senior utility player Mike Wayne (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) caught a 12-yard pass.

Kearney also ran eight times for 44 yards as part of a balanced St. Lawrence rushing attack. Senior tailback Connor Hackett (Bronxville, N.Y./Bronxville) rushed 16 times for a team-high 58 yards. Senior fullback Eric Jones (Watertown, N.Y./Watertown) rushed nine times for 55 yards. Sophomore tailback Ramon Mignott (Bridgeport, Conn./Bridgeport Central) got 45 yards on 11 carries. Finally, sophomore fullback Marcus Washington (Pahokee, Fla./Pahokee) ran five times for 18 yards.

Freshman defensive lineman Ken Schetroma (Elysburg, Pa./Southern Columbia Area) led the Crusaders with 10 tackles (four solo). Teammate and senior defensive end Pete Johnsen (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) made seven tackles, including a game-high six solo stops. Johnsen tied for the game-high with two tackles for a loss, including his league-leading eighth-and-a-half sack.

SU's junior linebacker Ryan Eck (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) and senior defensive back Tony McIntosh (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) both made seven tackles (four solo). Eck made his first career interception on a pass that bounced off of McIntosh. McIntosh also broke up a pass in this game.

Scott made seven tackles (three solo) and broke up a pass to go with his two interceptions. Senior linebacker Erich Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) notched six stops (three solo) and was credited with blocking a punt. Sophomore linebacker Mitch Phillips (Millersburg, Pa./Millersburg) made six tackles (one solo) and returned an interception 21 yards. Junior defensive back Braden Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) recorded five stops (four solo), including a tackle for a loss. Sophomore defensive end Trevor Terpening (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) recorded SU's other sack as part of a four-tackle day (three solo).

St. Lawrence's senior defensive tackle Gerard Bryant (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) made a game-high 15 tackles, including a team-high four solo stops and the Saints' only sack. He made two tackles for a loss, including a forced fumble.

Teammate and junior linebacker Ryan Fedo (Warwick, R.I./Warwick Veterans Memorial) made 11 stops (two solo) and broke up a pass. Senior safety Luke Lewis (Oxford, N.Y./Oxford Academy) notched eight tackles (three solo), including 1.5 for a loss. Sophomore cornerback Trevor Saunders (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) made eight stops (two solo), and junior defensive end Nate Howard [Durham, N.C./St. Thomas Aquinas (N.H.)] made eight tackles as well (one solo).

Neither team could do much in the first quarter, as fierce wind and rain blanketed the field.

Phillips' interception came on the Saints' first possession. Majors got a piece of a low St. Lawrence punt in the first quarter as well.

SU finally broke through in the second quarter when Tellish's TD capped a seven-play, 61-yard drive. Junior punter/placekicker Bobby Eppleman (Chester Springs, Pa./Great Valley) converted the extra-point attempt for a 7-0 lead with 10 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first half.

Eppleman then booted the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, followed by Scott's first interception on the next St. Lawrence possession.

The Crusaders took over on the Saints 27, and six plays later, Palazzi hit Ritter for a six-yard TD on third-and-goal. Eppleman made another point-after for a 14-0 lead with 6:55 left until halftime.

St. Lawrence got back in the game on the following possession by staging a 12-play, 66-yard drive that ended with Robinson's TD from Kearney on fourth-and-seven and a PAT from freshman placekicker/punter Chris Dris (New Port Richey, Fla./Clearwater Central) that halved the score at 14-7 heading into halftime.

The Crusaders forced a punt to start the second half and then seemed poise to increase their lead on the following possession, but a bad snap-and-hold on Eppleman's would-be 29-yard field-goal try ended that chance.

The Saints lined up for a punt at the end of their next drive but instead directed a snap to Washington, who appeared to have plenty of running room ahead of him. However, Phillips made an important open-field tackle on the play, stopping Washington short of a first down.

That play proved to be especially pivotal, as SU increased its lead to 21-7 on the next possession.

On fourth-and-seven from the St. Lawrence 22, Palazzi threw up a pass in the end zone that somehow reached the hands of Ritter, who went down on the play to make the catch. Eppleman's PAT marked the game's final point and pushed the lead to 21-7 with 1:49 to play in the third.

St. Lawrence then put together another long drive, this one spanning 12 plays from the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, only to have it end on Scott's second interception and a 19-yard return.

The Crusaders then punted on their next possession, and the Saints came back deep into Susquehanna territory again. But Eck intercepted Kearney to end that threat.

SU then ate up 4:43 of clock on its next drive before punting, leaving the Saints with little time left.

St. Lawrence tried a few long passes to try to get back within one score but eventually turned the ball over on downs, allowing the Crusaders to finish the game in victory formation.

Susquehanna has complete control over its postseason possibilities. The Crusaders trail the first-place Liberty team--Union College--by one game but will play at Union in the regular-season finale.

The league champion receives an automatic invitation to the NCAA Division III championships.

Next Game: Saturday, Nov. 7, vs. WPI (Liberty League game - Senior Day - Homecoming), 1 p.m.