Strong fourth quarter, Sturges carry Gettysburg to 38-14 win over McDaniel
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Tom Sturges notched his second 200-yard rushing day of the season, carrying the ball 38 times for 210 yards to eclipse 4,000 for his career and lead Gettysburg to a 38-14 win over McDaniel in Centennial Conference (CC) football action on Saturday.
For the second time in as many weeks, the Green Terror (1-8, 1-6 CC) allowed a running back to gain 200 yards on the ground in a season in which the defense has allowed 1,888 yards rushing, including a season high 379 to the Bullets (6-3, 5-2 CC) in a loss which will secure McDaniel’s worst finish since 1989.
Tom Wenrich (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) threw for 176 yards, completing 18 of 41 passes for the Green Terror while Matt Flynn completed just 8 of 23 passes for 107 yards in a day when Gettysburg outgained its visitors, 486-269.
After the two teams exchanged 80-plus yard scoring drives in the first quarter, capped by short runs, Jason Taylor returned the first of two Wenrich interceptions 22 yards for a 14-7 lead with 13:09 remaining in the opening half.
Neither mustered much of a offensive threat throughout the remainder of the half but Josh Huson converted a 24-yard field with 20 seconds remaining to make it a 10-point game at halftime.
A 13-play, 74-yard drive to open the second half, capped by Eric Zwilsky’s (Knoxville, Md./Brunswick) 11th touchdown of the year – this one from six yards out – pulled the Green Terror within, 17-14.
Two missed Huson field goals sandwiching a McDaniel fumble derailed three straight drives before punts on three consecutive possessions gave Gettysburg the ball at its own 19.
A 22-yard Charles Curcio run and a 38-yard Flynn-to-Curcio strike keyed a drive that reestablished the Bullets’ 10-point advantage.
Gettysburg added a 12-play, 77-yard drive, once again capped by Curcio on an eight-yard run, to push the lead to 31-14 with 2:22 to play.
On the Green Terror’s final possession, Harold Barton knocked the ball loose and Sean Buirne picked it up, returning it 51 yards to set the final margin with 4.9 seconds showing.
Ryan Mellinger (Ocala, Fla./Forest) led the McDaniel defense with 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, while Bryan Letourneau (Damascus, Md./Damascus) added 12.
Tim Widdoes and Barton notched 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, for the Bullets.
The Green Terror concludes the season at home against Johns Hopkins on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.
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