Mules stop the Bullets and cruise to a 42-21 victory
Tim Murray
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Sports
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Muhlenberg got off to a quick start as the defense forced a three-and-out and senior Brandon Doyle returned the Gettysburg punt to the Bullets' 24 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, senior running back John DeLuca found the endzone on a 24-yard scamper. With only 1:25 off the clock, the Mules were already up 7-0, a lead they would never relinquish. Both defenses held strong most of the half, until senior quarterback Eric Santagato hit senior running back Erik Snyder on a 19-yard touchdown pass. DeLuca would find the endzone again just before the end of the half to give the Mules a 21-0 lead as they headed into the locker rooms.
Gettysburg made some halftime adjustments to try to stop DeLuca, who ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Fortunately, that opened up the field for Santagato and his receivers. As the third quarter was coming to a close, Santagato found senior wide receiver Edward DeRisi on a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Mules a 28-7 lead after three quarters. After the Bullets cut the lead to 28-14, Santagato connected with junior wide receiver Phil Cresta for two touchdown passes of thirty-three and thirty-five yards respectively, to give the Mules a 42-21 victory. With the win the Mules have now won fourteen straight regular season games, which ranks second best in Centennial Conference history.
Santagato finished the day with 275 passing yards and four touchdowns. Cresta had eight catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, which earned him Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. DeRisi had a career high five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. The defense played great as well. Junior defensive end Frank Emmett had seven tackles, including two for loss of yards, and senior linebacker Matt Rathbun had an interception for the second straight game.
The Mules, who are currently ranked fifth in the nation, head down to Baltimore, MD to take on Johns Hopkins (3-0) at 1 pm on Sat. "We knew Hopkins was going to be one of the better teams in the Conference this year," said senior safety Dave Mazzola. Led by junior running back Andrew Kase, 111.3 yards per game, the Blue Jays will be the Mules' toughest game to date. "He's one of the best running backs in the Conference and because of him, they are the team to beat this year," stated Mazzola.