Box Score

 Sturges, a sophomore who led the Bullets with 416 rushing yards in 2004, finished with 32 carries and scored on runs of 35 and 15 as Gettysburg (1-0) defeated the Flying Dutchmen (0-1) on opening day for the fourth time in five seasons. The win also punctuated the return of head coach Barry Streeter to the Bullet sideline after taking a leave of absence in 2004.

 Shawn Hollingsworth (Chester, PA/Wilmington Friends [DE]) and Dusty Green (Idaville, PA/Bermudian Springs) rushed for their first collegiate touchdowns in the win while Nathan Smith (Hanover, PA/Cooperstown Central [NY]) found the end zone on an 86-yard kickoff return.

 Sophomore Hunter McMillan (Middletown, DE/Wilmington Friends) completed 14 of 18 passes for 168 yards in his first collegiate start, calmly guiding Gettysburg on scoring drives of 82 and 63 yards in the decisive second half.

 Despite the loss, Lebanon Valley quarterback Dan Kelly enjoyed a banner offensive day, accounting for 284 of his team’s 462 total yards. The junior threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns, and added 104 yards rushing.

 Ryan Brennan carried 20 times for 129 yards and one touchdown to lead the Flying Dutchmen’s ground attack while Adam Brossman caught a pair of touchdown passes.
 In contrast to LVC’s 7-3 victory in last season’s opener, Saturday’s contest featured plenty of fireworks on offense and special teams.

 The two squads traded touchdowns until a failed Bullet extra point attempt opened the door for the Dutchmen’s first lead of the day. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kelly completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brossman and Eldin Brodlic connected on the point-after to make it 27-26 with 14:55 remaining.

 Unfazed, the hosts marched 63 yards on their ensuing drive, needing only six plays to take the lead for good.

 On the second play of the drive, McMillan found Jerry Jones (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) for a 30-yard catch-and-carry to the LVC 33. Three plays later, McMillan hit Green for 15 yards on a third-and-8, setting Gettysburg up on the Dutchmen 15.

 Sturges sliced to the end zone on the next play and Green restored the Bullets’ seven-point advantage with a sweep around the right end for a two-point conversion and a 34-27 lead.

 Lebanon Valley mounted a 16-play drive in an attempt to tie the game, converting four third-down opportunities before Kelly’s fumble on fourth-and-4 from the Gettysburg 7 ended his team’s offensive day. With Sturges carrying seven more times, the Bullets ran the final 4:41 off the clock to seal the victory.

 Sturges finished his team’s first drive of the day with a 35-yard touchdown run for a quick 6-0 lead.

 Brennan scored on a 36-yard dash to knot the game at 6, but Smith answered with an 86-yard touchdown jaunt on the ensuing kickoff, his third collegiate kickoff return to finish in the end zone.

 Kelly connected with Andre Payton on a 14-yard shovel pass to tie the game at 13-13 after only one quarter of action.

 Green capped an eight-play, 47-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run, but Kelly returned the favor by finishing an eight-play, 69-yard march with a nine-yard scoring toss to Brossman.

 Gettysburg drove 82 yards on eight plays to take a 26-20 lead late in the third quarter. The versatile Hollingsworth hauled in a 19-yard pass to the LVC 4, then carried into the end zone on the following play.

 Defensively, Harold Barton (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) led the Bullets with a career-high 16 tackles, including 12 solo stops and one tackle for loss. Dan Petersen (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) chipped in with nine tackles, including the squad’s first sack of the season.

 Sturges’ 206 rushing yards were the most by a Bullet in one game since Paul Smith carried for 335 yards against St. Lawrence during the 1999 season.

 Russell DeStefano paced the Dutchmen with nine tackles while Brian Drew added eight and his first collegiate sack. Kyle Johansen returned the game’s lone interception 18 yards to halt a first-quarter drive.

 Gettysburg returns to action on Saturday at Hampden-Sydney. Game time is 1 p.m.