LANCASTER, Pa. – Mike Lublanecki (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) carried 23 times for a career-high 151 yards and two touchdowns to lead Gettysburg over Franklin & Marshall 24-16 in Centennial Conference (CC) football action on Saturday.

Lublanecki broke scoring runs of 39 and 59 yards in the second quarter to help the Bullets (4-6, 1-5 CC) pick up their first conference win of the season and snap a nine-game winless streak against the Diplomats (1-9, 0-6 CC) in Lancaster.  Before Saturday, Gettysburg's last win at Sponaugle-Williamson Field was a 28-18 decision in 1982.

Keith Adams (Hanover, PA/New Oxford) keyed the Bullets' defensive effort, recovering a fumble in the end zone for a first-quarter touchdown and recording an interception late in the second quarter that led to Lublanecki's second touchdown run.

The Bullets led 24-3 late in the third quarter, but didn't seal the victory until stopping Franklin & Marshall's potential game-tying drive on downs with 1:17 remaining.

Matt Wagaman caught six passes for 115 yards and one touchdown for Franklin & Marshall, which finished the season with its ninth straight loss.  Quarterback Dave Makson finished 8 of 17 for 127 yards and the touchdown toss to Wagaman, which pulled the Diplomats within 24-16 with 3:41 left.

Each team was forced to punt on its first three possessions before the Bullet defense cashed in the game's first turnover for seven points.

On second-and-10 from the F&M 20, freshman quarterback Scott Stephen fumbled and the ball was batted backward into the Diplomat end zone, where Adams gained control to give Gettysburg a 7-0 lead with 47 seconds left in the first quarter.

Steve Linebaugh pulled Franklin & Marshall within 7-3 early in the second quarter with a 42-yard line drive field goal, the Diplomats' first points in four games.

Then Lublanecki took over.

The freshman halfback, hampered by an ankle injury for most of the season's second half, capped the Bullets' next possession with a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 14-3 with 7:10 left before halftime.  The touchdown was Lublanecki's sixth of the season, but first since scoring against Johns Hopkins on Sept. 29.

Three plays after Adams intercepted a Stephen pass to set the Bullets up at their own 36 with 1:36 left in the half, Lublanecki ripped off a 59-yard run to give Gettysburg a 21-3 edge at halftime.

Sam Shipley's (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) 24-yard field goal capped the Bullets' clock-devouring 20-play, 68-yard drive at the start of the second half to make it 24-3.  The march, which featured four consecutive third-down conversions and a 10-yard Lublanecki run on fourth-and-3 at the Diplomat 19, burned the first 11 minutes, 4 seconds of the third quarter.

Franklin & Marshall pulled within 24-9 when Chad Strothers found the end zone on a four-yard run to cap a 13-play, 63-yard drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters.

Gettysburg turned the ball over on its next two possessions and the Diplomats took advantage when Makson hit Wagaman on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 3:41 remaining to cut the deficit to 24-16.

After the Bullets went 3-and-out on their next drive, F&M marched from its own 10 to the Gettysburg 48 before Chris Hrynczyszyn (Bensalem, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic) ended the comeback by sacking Makson on fourth-and-10.

Following his career day, Lublanecki finished his debut season as the Bullets' leader in carries (119), rushing yards (676) and touchdowns (7).

Fellow newcomer Kyle Sylstra (Oxford, NY/Oxford Acad.) put up solid numbers in his first collegiate start at fullback, carrying 15 times for 55 yards while catching three passes for 14 yards.

Gettysburg linebacker Ryan Moore (Glenolden, PA/Interboro) finished with 11 tackles on the afternoon to complete his superlative collegiate career with 430 tackles, a CC record.  Adams added seven tackles to go with his touchdown and interception while James Harrell (Waldorf, MD/Westlake) led all players with a career-high 17 tackles.

Andy Rehring paced F&M with 13 tackles while Justin McDonnell added three stops and an interception.

The Bullets' 4-6 record in 2001 was the program's best since an identical 4-6 finish in 1997.  Gettysburg also posted a winning record (3-2) on the road for the first time since 1997.