Football

NCAA DIVISION III PLAYOFFS - QUARTERFINALS
Rowan University 56, Delaware Valley 7

GLASSBORO, NJ - The most successful football season in Delaware Valley College history came to an end on Saturday as the Aggies dropped a 56-7 decision at the top seed in the East Region, Rowan University, in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals.

Delaware Valley ended its season with a 12-1 record, the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship, the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA playoffs, and come-from-behind postseason victories against Shenandoah and St. John Fisher to reach the Elite Eight. Six of the 12 victories were fourth-quarter comebacks.

It was the first loss for the Aggies since week nine of last season - a span that covered a school-record 14 games. And the team loses just 11 seniors to graduation, giving optimism for more success in the future.

Rowan (10-2), which is in the postseason for the 11th time (five runner-up finishes), will travel to Linfield (Oregon) next Saturday in one semifinal match-up, while Mount Union will host Mary Hardin-Baylor in the other bracket. The national championship, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, will be played on Saturday, December 18 at Salem Stadium in Salem, VA.

Rowan quarterback Mike Orihel completed 21 of 33 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns, including four scores in the first half as the Profs notched the game's first 42 points.

It took Orhiel and the Profs just 62 seconds to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Orhiel hit Sakeen Wright for a 53-yard reception down the left sideline to the Aggie 9 on the first play of the game. Three plays later, the two hooked up again from three yards out for the touchdown. Wright finished the day with 11 receptions for 131 yards and two scores.

After Delaware Valley went three-and-out, Rowan drove down to the Aggie 13, but Orihel had a pass intercepted by Kevin Bliss at the 1 and the junior cornerback returned it 29 yards. However, the Aggies could not muster any offense and the teams traded punts for the next five minutes.

Late in the first quarter, Ulysses Encarnacion found the end zone from seven yards for a 14-0 advantage. The Profs blew the game wide open in the second quarter with touchdown passes to Brandon Medine (19 yards), Wright (15 yards) and Phil Silva (30 yards). Encarnacion then recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown and a 42-0 lead with 1:24 to go before intermission.

Delaware Valley scored its lone points of the game with 1:01 remaining in the third quarter as Steve Cook capped a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. The big play on the drive was a 19-yard catch by David Carmon on a fourth-and-13 that put the ball at the Rowan 14.

Rowan ended the scoring with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Orihel hit Silva for a 12-yard score one minute into the quarter, and Medine found the end zone from eight yards out with 1:23 remaining.

Delaware Valley's high-powered offense was limited to just 280 yards on the afternoon. Adam Knoblauch completed just 15 of 38 passes for 118 yards and was picked off on two occasions. The junior finished the year with single-season school records of 242 completions, 449 attempts and 3,235 yards and will enter his senior campaign with school-records in all three categories (594 completions, 1166 attempts, 7,977 yards) as well as touchdowns (72).

Carmon, a sophomore, hauled in three passes for 30 yards to complete his record-breaking season totals of 78 catches and 1,159 yards. Lenzie Davis made a team-high four receptions for 38 yards in the contest.

Cook rushed for 88 yards on 18 attempts and the junior ended his campaigns with school records of 295 carries, 1,470 yards and 14 touchdowns. Cook's career total of 2,256 yards leaves him just 368 yards behind the all-time record.

Defensively, Kyle Mancuso and A.J. Neal had nine and eight tackles to pace the Aggies. Senior linebacker Andrew Erby made five solo stops and the 2004 MAC Defensive Player of the Year ended his career as Delaware Valley's all-time leader with 367 stops.