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Gitlitz leads Presidents into tough stretch of the season
jtuscano@observer-reporter.com
Washington & Jefferson's football team emerged from the soft belly of its schedule last week and had a closer-than-wanted 28-12 victory over Thiel.
Still, that victory kept the Presidents undefeated and moved them to No. 8 in the latest NCAA Division III poll.
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The Presidents went 1-3 in those four road games but better things are expected this time around, especially since the defense has been playing so well.
Linebacker David Gitlitz had 14 tackles against Thiel and his 27-yard return of an interception in the fourth quarter set up W&J's final touchdown.
"He's at his natural position," said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. "He's turned into one of our leaders."
Gitlitz, a 6-3, 245-pound junior, spent last season as an outside linebacker but was moved inside this year. His 14 tackles gives him 57 for the season, tops in the PAC and 33rd in Division III. Those numbers would be significantly higher but Gitlitz, along with nearly all his other defensive teammates, did not play much in blowout wins over Hanover, Oberlin and St. Vincent.
"We knew that Thiel would play us tough," said Sirianni. "It's developed into a good rivalry. Those will always be close football games."
That's what head coach Jeff Hand hopes to do at Westminster, establish a strong rivalry with W&J. The third-year coach is transplanted from Waynesburg and knows all about the Presidents.
Hand has used a rotation of Kevin Franz and Brett Myers at quarterback. The two have combined for 1,106 yards and seven touchdowns. They have also combined for seven interceptions. But the running game, led by Nick McKolosky's 426 yards, averages just 2.7 yards per play.
"They play much better at home," Sirianni said. "They are a much better football team than in the past. Jeff is doing the same things he did at Waynesburg and you can see they are getting better."
Waynesburg at Bethany
Waynesburg is looking for its best start in 41 years and there is no secret to how it can be accomplished: hand the ball to tailback Robert Heller, then unleash a strong defense.
Heller, a freshman running back from Ringgold, leads all NCAA running backs by averaging 208 yards rushing per game. Heller has rushed for 1,040 yards in five games and is on pace for 2,080 yards.
Senior defensive end Mike Czerwien is having an outstanding season, leading Division III defenders with a 1.9 sacks per game. He has 10 this season and 42 in his career. The latter statistic and his 222 career tackles are school records.
Czerwien and the rest of Waynesburg's defense will take aim at Bethany senior quarterback Milt Joyner, who has passed for 875 yards and rushed for 131. A four-man running attack has produced 1,187 yards.
Cal at Lock Haven
On paper, the game looks one-sided.
California University comes in with a 6-0 mark, the best start since an 8-0 record in the 1958 season. The Vulcans hold first place in the PSAC West, thanks to a 38-12 victory over Indiana last week. And for the first time in school history, they are ranked No. 1 in the regional football poll.
Lock Haven is winless at 0-6 and 0-1 in the conference. The Bald Eagles are coming off a 70-19 pounding at the hands of Edinboro and have scored just 64 points this season.
Cal, meanwhile, has scored 264 points and is averaging 222 yards rushing. Tailback Brandon Lombardy needs 253 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. The Vulcans' running game, which struggled early against Indiana last week, has produced 1,333 yards and averages 222 yards per game.
The defense was simply superb, returning two interceptions for touchdowns and producing a third that set up another.
The Vulcans are giving up less than a touchdown per game and have outscored opponents, 123-12, in the middle two quarters this season.
