EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The East Stroudsburg football team broke open a close game with 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points and earned a hard-fought 23-10 victory over Gannon Saturday evening. The contest, which was mostly played in a downpour, was the Golden Knights' first against a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponent since a 20-18 victory at Slippery Rock on September 13, 2003.

Gannon had a chance to tie the contest at 13, but a 28-yard field goal attempt as time expired at the end of the third quarter sailed left. The miss seemed to give East Stroudsburg a little momentum as the Warriors drove 80 yards on eight plays during the ensuing possession. Jeff Giglio's 33-yard touchdown catch from Tim Roken capped the drive and pushed the home squad in front, 20-10, with 10:31 remaining.

Gannon went three-and-out on its next possession and was forced to punt from its own two-yard line, resulting in great field position for East Stroudsburg. The Warriors took over at the Gannon 33-yard line, moved the ball 20 yards, and settled for a 30-yard field goal from Greg Knauss with 6:15 to play. The field goal gave ESU some breathing room at 23-10.

The Golden Knights were unable to score on its final two possessions, before East Stroudsburg ran out the clock.

The contest was nip-and-tuck for the first three quarters. Trailing 7-0, Gannon tied the contest on the first play of the second quarter. Bob Bartley (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) hit Matt Davis (Cheswick, Pa./Shaler) from eight yards out for the tying score.

East Stroudsburg regained the lead on David Castillo's 64-yard interception return with 12:05 to play in the half and went to halftime with a 13-7 advantage.

Jeremy Ditzler's (Erie, Pa./Iroquois) 27-yard field goal capped Gannon's first drive of the second half and brought the Golden Knights within 13-10.

Jon Richardson (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) led all rushers with 138 yards on 25 carries, marking his second consecutive 100-yard game to open the season. Bartley accounted for 13 of Gannon's 15 passes, going 7-of-13 for 121 yards and one touchdown through the air.

Freshman Brig Van Etten (Novelty, Ohio/West Geauga) headlined the Gannon receiving group with 50 yards on two catches, including a long 39-yard reception and key diving catch on a fourth-down play.

East Stroudsburg was led by Roken, who completed 11-of-20 passes for 171 yards and two scores. Joe Partridge rushed for 83 yards on 20 carries while Jeff Giglio added 88 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.

Defensively, Kevin Minor (South Euclid, Ohio/Shaw) was superb, topping Gannon's charts with nine tackles and two tackles for a loss. Matthew Neal-Mink (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) and David Postwaite (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) added six stops each.

Matt Freed and Fred Rice both reached double digits in tackles for East Stroudsburg, making 15 and 11 tackles, respectively.

The game was basically a statistical dead heat. East Stroudsburg held slight advantages in first downs (17-16), passing yards (171-121), and total yards (312-268).

Gannon dropped to 1-1 with Saturday's loss. East Stroudsburg, who defeated then-No. 25 Virginia Union last week, moved to 2-0. The Golden Knights continue their season-opening four-game road swing Saturday, September 13 at Cheyney. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

A complete box score from Saturday's Gannon-East Stroudsburg football game can be found at http://www.gannon.edu/sports/men/football/STATS.HTM/GAME02.HTM.