Box Score

WESTMINSTER, Md. – Teron Powell scored three second-quarter touchdowns and Joe Kendorski rushed for 176 yards to lead Western Maryland past Gettysburg 45-27 in the Centennial Conference (CC) football opener for both teams on Saturday.

Quarterback Jamie Harris accounted for four touchdowns and 193 yards of total offense to help the Green Terror (2-1, 1-0 CC) open defense of their three consecutive conference titles with a victory.

Gettysburg quarterback Dennis Flaherty (Oreland, PA/Bishop McDevitt) continued to put up big numbers in the season's opening weeks, completing 20 of 39 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown.  Flaherty's 276-yard passing total was the second-best of his career, trailing only the 323 passing yards he amassed against Hampden-Sydney last Saturday.

Bryan Pojanowski (Rockaway Twp., NJ/Morris Knolls) led the Bullets (0-3, 0-1 CC) in receiving for the third straight game, hauling in six passes for 95 yards and one score.  Zack Smith (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) carried 12 times for a team-high 67 yards and one touchdown despite missing the first half with an injury.

Defensively for Gettysburg, Ryan Moore (Glenolden, PA/Interboro) made a team-best 13 tackles and also returned an interception for a touchdown.  Keith Adams (Hanover, PA/New Oxford) collected a career-high 12 tackles for the Bullets, including six solo stops.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Western Maryland found the end zone on three straight possessions in the second quarter to take command.

Kendorski broke a 36-yard run to the Gettysburg 20 on the next-to-last play of the first quarter to key the Green Terror's eight-play, 59-yard scoring drive.  Powell ran for the final five yards to give Western Maryland a 7-0 lead with 13:13 left in the first half.

Gettysburg managed only nine yards on its next possession and the Green Terror started on their own 41 following a 38-yard punt from Tom DeBacco (Blairstown, NJ/Pope John XXIII).

Kendorski opened the subsequent drive with a 12-yard run into Gettysburg territory and Harris hit Matt Jackson on a 10-yard pass to move the Green Terror to the Bullet 37.  Three plays later, Harris found Powell down the right sideline for a 32-yard touchdown strike and a 14-0 Western Maryland lead.

The Green Terror defense put the Bullets 3-and-out on Gettysburg's next possession, then marched 56 yards on eight plays, capped by a five-yard Harris-to-Powell pass to give the home squad a 21-0 lead heading into halftime.

Gettysburg scored its first points against Western Maryland since the 1998 season when Moore picked off a Harris pass and returned it 41 yards to pull the Bullets within 21-7 at the 13:09 mark of the third quarter.

Western Maryland answered with an eight-play, 71-yard scoring drive, capped by Harris' four-yard touchdown run to restore its three-touchdown advantage with 10:00 left in the third quarter.

Flaherty connected with Pojanowski on a 45-yard touchdown pass on Gettysburg's next possession to make it 28-13, but the Bullets would get no closer on the afternoon.

Brett Sandrock kicked a 22-yard field goal and Jason Wingeart returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown to stretch the Green Terror lead to 38-13 before the end of the third quarter.

Smith and Alex Nicholas (Far Hills, NJ/Bernards) each found the end zone on short runs in the fourth quarter to round out the Gettysburg scoring.  Flaherty set up Nicholas' touchdown with a 66-yard pass to Jeff Boyd (Northfield, NJ/Mainland Reg.) down to the Western Maryland 4.

After throwing for a career-high 1,368 yards in 1999, Flaherty has already compiled 794 passing yards in Gettysburg's first three games this season.  Pojanowski has 18 receptions for 262 yards in 2000, surpassing his previous career-best totals (13 catches, 255 yards) from last season.

Jay Toscano (Seaville, NJ/Ocean City) carried six times for seven yards and caught two passes in his first collegiate start for the Bullets.  Pat Currier (Walkersville, MD/Walkersville) matched career highs for the second straight week with six solo and nine total tackles.

The Western Maryland defense allowed 323 total yards, but sacked Flaherty five times among its 13 tackles for loss.  The Green Terror also recorded eight pass breakups and blocked a punt.

Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday, September 23 at home against Swarthmore College.  Game time is 1 p.m.
 
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