Box Score
(Carlisle, Pa) – The Dickinson football team took control in the second half, overtaking rival Franklin & Marshall to claim possession of the coveted Conestoga Wagon Trophy with a 27-14 victory at Biddle Field.
Junior Cedric Madden (Norristown, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) ran for 158 yards and caught four passes for another 94, scoring three touchdowns on the afternoon.
The Diplomats struck first, capitalizing on a Dickinson turnover at midfield. Scott LaValva broke for a 39 yard run and Zachary Bradley capped the drive with a four yard pass to Taalib Gerald to take a 7-0 lead with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter.
The teams traded punts before the Devils started to move the ball into Diplomat territory. Senior quarterback Cole Ahnell (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) connected with Madden for passes of 17 and 35 yards to the six yard line.
The defense held, forcing a field-goal as senior Adam Kaminski (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) split the uprights from 20 yards out to make the score, 7-3, with 10:59 to play in the first half.
F&M closed out the half with a 12-play, 53 yard drive as Bradley hit Paul McGann with a five yard touchdown pass, with just 2:09 remaining.
Ahnell put together a pair of strong runs, covering 41 yards on two plays. The Devils capitalized on a Diplomat penalty that moved the ball to the F&M 12 yard line. Dickinson was knocking on the door from the one yard line, but fumbled into the hands of F&M's Steve Elf to end the half.
The Red Devils would rebound and dominate the third quarter, right from their first offensive series. The defense held on the opening possession and forced a punt. Cody Hubbs hit a beauty, pinning Dickinson on its own one yard line.
An offside penalty moved the ball out to the six, giving the Devils a slight bit of breathing room. On the next play, Madden broke free for a school record, 94-yard touchdown run, sprinting down the left sideline and into the end zone to make the score, 14-10.
Madden would come up big on the next drive, after the Devils forced another punt. He caught a pass from Ahnell and went 40 yards for his second touchdown of the day, putting Dickinson on top, 17-14, with 6:49 remaining in the third quarter.
The defense forced a three-and-out, and Hubbs punted to the Dickinson 18 yard line. Fullback Chris Soulas (Far Hills, N.J./Delbarton) tried to imitate Madden, breaking free down the left sideline for a 66 yard score. He almost made it to pay-dirt but Brendan Daly brought him down at the F&M 16 yard line.
The Diplomat kept things interesting, holding the Devils to a field-goal. Kaminski was true with a 19 yard chip shot to give Dickinson a 20-14 advantage with 3:22 to go in the third.
The teams traded punts as the game went into the final quarter. F&M moved the ball to the Dickinson 18, looking to regain the lead. They went for it on 4th and two, but senior captain Walker Moriarty (Snowmass Village, Colo./Aspen) came up with a big stop to force a turnover on downs.
Following another punt, F&M again moved the ball into Devil territory, coming to a 4th and four to go. This time senior captain Connor Thompson (Jenkintown, Pa./Father Judge) did the honors, sacking Bradley for a four-yard loss.
Dickinson moved the ball to the F&M 20 behind a 25 yard run from Madden and some strong running from junior Anders Overhaug (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth). The Devils tried to add some insurance points with a 39-yard field-goal but the kick was just wide right, keeping the score, 20-14, with just 2:36 remaining in the game.
The Red Devil defense would hold one last time. Junior Mark Manganaro (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) came up with a big pass break-up on third down. The Diplomats had to go for it for on fourth down for the third straight possession, but the Devils held once more, taking over with 1:47 on the clock.
Trying to run out the clock, the Devils found themselves facing fourth down with an extra 18 seconds left to run out. The call was a toss to Madden, who found room on the left side of the line and dove into the end zone after a 27 yard run. That made the score, 27-14, with just 10 seconds remaining in the game.
Bradley completed a 17 yard pass to McGann before senior Mitch Helmandollar (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) intercepted a pass on the final play to close out the game and bring the Wagon back to Carlisle.
The Red Devil offensive line turned in an outstanding performance on the day as Dickinson rushed for 354 yards on the afternoon. Ahnell completed 7-of-13 passes for 134 yards and ran for an additional 67 on the day.
Madden averaged 9.3 yards per carry, covering 158 yards on the ground and making four catches for 94 yards to go with three touchdowns. Soulas finished with 84 yards rushing while Overhaug chipped in with 46 yards on six carries.
Junior Jake Myers (Middletown, Del./St. Andrews) led the defensive charge with nine tackles, making eight solo stops and adding a sack. Pat Schlecker (Wilmington, Del./Wilmington Friends) made eight tackles while Pat Irwin (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) and Thompson each finished with seven stops.
Bradley completed 24-of-38 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns in his second start under center. McGann caught nine passes for 108 yards while Jordan Zachery had nine receptions for 107 yards. Ryan Young led the defense with a game-high 10 tackles.
F&M falls to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the Centennial Conference. The Red Devils improve to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference. The Red Devils have a bye week before hosting Johns Hopkins University on Friday night, October 17th at 7:00 pm.
