ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon football team produced a ton of fireworks for a sun-drenched full house Saturday afternoon during the 2013 home opener. The Golden Knights generated 469 yards of total offense, 41 points and six touchdowns. But it wasn't enough as No. 23 West Chester escaped Gannon University Field with a 56-41 shootout victory.
The two teams combined to produce 1,081 yards of total offense, including 694 through the air. The production offset 23 penalties between the two programs that resulted in 208 yards. The 97 combined points fell just two shy of the school record set during a 51-48 Gannon victory against Slippery Rock on October 17, 2009.
Individually,
Liam Nadler (Leipsic, Ohio/Leipsic Local) broke a school record with five passing touchdowns to go along with his 34-of-55 chart. Nadler's 34 completions were one shy of the school record he set at Slippery Rock last season. His 371 passing yards represented the fourth-highest single-game total in school history.
Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont) was nearly unstoppable on special teams. The junior averaged 42.4 yards on five kickoff returns, breaking a school record with 212 yards. The performance surpassed the old mark of 203 set by Kevin Scott against Findlay on October 22, 2005. Caliste's 248 all-purpose yards equaled the sixth-highest total in school history.
Saturday's home opener appeared to be a runaway early on. West Chester, ranked 23rd in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25, roared out to a 21-0 lead in the first 10 minutes.
Gannon regrouped and pulled within a point on two different occasions during the second quarter. The Golden Knights answered West Chester's opening 21 points with 20 of their own. Nadler connected on a seven-yard touchdown pass to
Jesstin Hamm (Harwood, Md./DeMatha Catholic) and a 11-yard aerial score to
Quad Law (Donora, Pa./Ringgold), before
Mike Zanders' (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell) returned his first career interception 26 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-20 with 6:21 left in the first half.
Following a West Chester touchdown, Nadler hooked up with Law again. This time it was a 69-yard strike to pull Gannon within 28-27 at the 1:42 mark. But the Golden Rams responded by marching 67 yards on nine plays in 1:19 for another score. A Sean McCartney 20-yard touchdown pass to Erick Brundidge sent the visitors to the intermission with a 35-27 advantage.
West Chester produced two touchdowns during the third quarter to increase its lead to 49-27. Gannon then sandwiched another West Chester score between a pair of
Abraham Ocasio (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter to account for the final 56-41 score.
Law set career-highs in receptions (10), receiving yards (132) and receiving touchdowns (2). Hamm (7), Ocasio (6) and
Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) (6) all recorded six receptions or more. On the ground, Jones churned out 91 yards on 19 carries for a 4.8 average.
Harlon Hill candidate Rondell White and McCartney provided one of the best one-two punches in the country for West Chester. White's game resume included 245 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, seven receptions, 87 receiving yards and 338 all-purpose yards. Meanwhile, McCartney finished 23-of-35 for 305 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Defensively, Zanders tied for the team lead in tackles for the second consecutive week after posting 10 stops last week at Lake Erie. The freshman recorded 11 tackles, including seven solo stops.
Luke Rankie (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) matched Zanders with a career-high 11 takedowns.
Tim Petro (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) and
Matt Astorino (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) followed with seven tackles each.
Several Golden Knights continued their flights up Gannon's all-time record charts. Caliste jumped into Gannon's all-time top five in all-purpose yards with 248, giving him 3,130 career yards. Nadler recorded his sixth career 300-yard passing game, moving within one of Darmel Whitfield's school record.
Gannon saw its record even at 1-1 while West Chester remained undefeated at 2-0. The Golden Knights return to action Saturday, September 21 against Slippery Rock at Gannon University Field. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division opener is slated for 12 noon.
