Eyvar Robles and Jake Vasko vs. Northwood
Bryce Dolak

Football Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Football Game Preview: Golden Knights Begin PSAC Crossover Action at 2-0 East Stroudsburg

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS at EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 14, 2024 | 6:05 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: Gregory-Douds Field at Eiler-Martin Stadium l East Stroudsburg, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
GAME NOTES
 
THE GANNON-EAST STROUDSBURG SERIES
East Stroudsburg leads 3-2

Last Meeting: Nov. 13, 2021 – Gannon 13, East Stroudsburg 10 | RECAP
Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) kicked the game-winning 27-yard field goal with 8:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. Nick White then preserved the victory when he blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt with just under three minutes remaining. Melvin Blanks led Gannon with 176 yards rushing on 34 carries.
 
RECORDS
Gannon: 0-1; 0-0 in PSAC West
East Stroudsburg: 2-0; 0-0 in PSAC East
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon hits the highways for the first time in 2024 while playing the first of three PSAC crossover games. The Golden Knights make the long journey across the state to eastern Pennsylvania to play at East Stroudsburg. Kickoff at Gregory-Douds Field at Eiler-Martin Stadium is set for 6:05 p.m.
 
Gannon opened the season on Thursday, September 5 with a 28-14 loss to Northwood. It leaves the Golden Knights with a three-game losing streak dating back to last year when the Golden Knights finished at 5-6.
 
East Stroudsburg plays its home opener on Saturday after playing a pair of games on the road. The Warriors played in Week 0 at Edinboro and came away with a 24-12 win. Last week they posted a 41-6 win at Pace to improve to 2-0.
 
This the start of crossover action in the PSAC, with the next two weeks of the season and the final regular season game featuring games between the Eastern and Western division.
 
The Golden Knights drew a demanding slate of games against the PSAC East. Following this week's game at East Stroudsburg Gannon hosts Kutztown on Saturday, September 21. The Golden Bears are the reigning PSAC champions and finished at 12-3, advancing to the Division II semifinals.
 
Gannon was picked fourth in the PSAC West in the preseason poll while East Stroudsburg is third in the Eastern Division poll, their highest since 2015. The Warriors were 9-3 a year ago, earning a berth in the NCAA Playoffs.

Rosters:  Gannon  East Stroudsburg
Schedules:   Gannon  East Stroudsburg
Statistics:   Gannon  East Stroudsburg
Head Coaches:  Gannon's Erik Raeburn   ESU's Jimmy Terwilliger

Golden Knights to Watch
OL Riley Noble (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) -- the redshirt senior was one of three Golden Knights along the offensive line to earn All-PSAC West accolades a year ago. Noble started all 11 games at right tackle and has 34 career starts. He was a second team All-PSAC West honoree.

QB Jayden Whitaker (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) -- Whitaker stepped in at quarterback as a true freshman late in the 2023 season and led the Golden Knights to back-to-back last-second wins against Mercyhurst and Indiana (Pa.). He saw his first action in game number eight at Mercyhurst and led the Golden Knights to a last-second 31-28 win. A week later in his first career start he directed a nine-play, 37-yard drive culminated by a 51-yard field goal by Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) as time expired for a 16-15 win at Indiana (Pa.). Unfortunately, Whitaker suffered a season-ending injury against California (Pa.) the next week. He ended the season completing 32-of-61 passes for 419 yards with 3 TDs and 3 INTs, adding 56 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Whitaker picked up where he left off prior to the injury in the opener vs. Northwood. He completed 18-of-32 passes for 289 yards, all career highs, with 2 TDs and an interception. He added 20 yards rushing for 309 yards in total offense. He ranks first in the PSAC and 16th in Division II in passing yards per game.

WR Donell "Tank" Mason – the junior enjoyed the biggest night of his career against Northwood. He hauled in eight passes for a career-best 181 yards. That's the fourth-highest single-game total and bettered his 164-yard showing against Clarion last year. Included in his eight catches was a 61-yard touchdown for Gannon's first score of the year. Mason was the 2022 PSAC West Freshman of the Year. In two seasons plus one game Mason has 74 receptions, good for 16th all-time, for 1,127 yards. That moves him into 13th place in career receiving yards. He currently ranks second in Division II in receiving yards per game and tied for 12th in receptions per game.

LBs Trey Baker (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) and Hayden McDonald (Tigard, Ore./Tigard) – the two redshirt seniors lead the Gannon defense. McDonald led the Golden Knights with a career-high 17 tackles. It was the redshirt senior's third game with 10-or-more tackles. A year ago McDonald started all 11 games and totaled 61 tackles and 10.5 TFL. Fellow redshirt senior Trey Baker (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) finished as the second-leading tackler a year ago with 65 stops, including 8.5 TFL. He now has 25 career starts and 185 career tackles after making 10 stops vs. Northwood.
 
PK/P Bryson Costa (Windber, Pa./Windber Area) -- Gannon enjoyed a strong kicking game a year ago with Eric Scarpino (Waterford, Pa./Fort LeBoeuf) a consensus All-American at placekicker and Donovan Warren (Santa Cruz, Cal./Santa Cruz County Office of Education) enjoying a strong season as the punter. Freshman Bryson Costa (Windber, Pa./Windber Area) stepped in to handle both chores in the opener and was very impressive. He converted both of his extra point attempts while averaging 50.3 yards on seven punts. That's the second-highest average ever and his 352 yards punting is the sixth-highest single-game total. He had five punts of 50-or-more yards including a long of 58 yards.  The 50.3 yards average currently sits atop Division II.

Scouting East Stroudsburg: Former ESU record-setting quarterback and 2005 Harlan Hill Award winner  Jimmy Terwilliger has revitalized the fortunes of the Warriors. In his fifth full season at the helm Terwilliger's Warriors improved from four wins to a 9-3 finish and a berth in the NCAA Playoffs a year ago. ESU was picked to finish third in the PSAC East and is off to a 2-0 start. The Warrior won at Edinboro 24-12 before winning on the road again this past Saturday, 41-6 at Pace. Redshirt junior Sean McTaggart has taken over as quarterback after sharing the job a year ago. He has completed 27-of-46 passes for 345 yards with 4 TDs and an INT. A year ago ESU ranked third in the PSAC in rushing behind the tandem of Tyriq Kewis and Tahir Mills. They combined for 1,306 yards rushing with 14 TDs, with Lewis, a second-team All-PSAC East selection, accounting for 824 yards and nine TDs. They are at it again this year, with Mills showing 196 yards on 26 carries, a 7.5 yard average, and Lewis at 166 yards on 21 carries, a 7.9 yard average. East Stroudsburg ranks among the top defensive teams in the PSAC. The Warriors are particularly stingy against the run allowing just 51.0 ypg. That is good for second in the PSAC and 16th in Division II. Opponents are averaging just 2.0 yards per carry.

Next for the Golden Knights:  Sat., Sept. 21 vs. Kutztown, 12 noon

 
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Players Mentioned

Eric Scarpino

#94 Eric Scarpino

PK
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Mechanical Engineering
Donovan Warren

#99 Donovan Warren

P
6' 1"
Junior
Trey Baker

#50 Trey Baker

LB
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Hayden McDonald

#4 Hayden McDonald

LB
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Riley Noble

#56 Riley Noble

OL
6' 5"
Redshirt Senior
Accounting
Jayden Whitaker

#9 Jayden Whitaker

QB
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
Bryson Costa

#33 Bryson Costa

PK
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Eric Scarpino

#94 Eric Scarpino

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Mechanical Engineering
PK
Donovan Warren

#99 Donovan Warren

6' 1"
Junior
P
Trey Baker

#50 Trey Baker

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
LB
Hayden McDonald

#4 Hayden McDonald

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
LB
Riley Noble

#56 Riley Noble

6' 5"
Redshirt Senior
Accounting
OL
Jayden Whitaker

#9 Jayden Whitaker

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
QB
Bryson Costa

#33 Bryson Costa

6' 0"
Freshman
PK