By Rachael Cataldo
Asst. sports editor
The Susquehanna football team retained the Stagg Hat trophy with a 38–7 win against Lycoming College in the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 1 in Williamsport.
This is the first time Susquehanna (1–0) has kept possession of the trophy since 1994–1995 when the River Hawks beat the Warriors (0–1) in back-to-back meetings.
Junior linebacker Cole Dixon led the River Hawk defense with nine tackles, including seven solo stops, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“It means a lot to keep the Stagg Hat here in Selinsgrove because this game has been a rivalry forever throughout school history,” Dixon said.
Sophomore kicker Rory D’Alesandro opened the scoring for Susquehanna with a 30- yard field goal during the second quarter. Junior running back Aaron Speight ran for 18 yards to score and junior tight end Anthony McCoy followed with a 14-yard touchdown catch.
After Dixon’s interception, junior running back Torey Brown capped the short scoring drive with a two-yard run on the turnover. The River Hawks gained a strong 24–0 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
Lycoming scored their lone touchdown late in the second quarter on a 17-yard pass.
The Susquehanna defense limited Lycoming to just 106 yards in the second half including a negative 16 yards in the fourth quarter.
After a River Hawk turnover late in the third quarter, the Warriors were set up to score, driving all the way to the Susquehanna two-yard line. Dixon made a tackle on a third and goal play that resulted in a fumble. He picked up the fumble and ran for 21 yards to stop the threat.
McCoy caught his second touchdown pass of the day for 25 yards from freshman quarterback Michael Ruisch.
The River Hawks sealed their victory with only one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Sophomore running back Da’Avian Ellington ran for 61 yards to make the final score 38-7.
Ruisch finished 13-30 with 143 passing yards and two scores on the day and added 37 yards on the ground. Speight led the offense with 85 rushing yards while junior Mikah Chrisitan led the receivers with 52 yards and five catches.
McCoy finished with four receptions for 44 yards, including a pair of touchdowns.
“We came out calm and focused,” Speight said. “We trusted our coaches and just executed how they drew it up. As long as we continue to do that, we can’t go wrong.”
Three River Hawks were named Athletes of the Week for their performances against Lycoming at the weekly Susquehanna Football Quarterback Club luncheon on Monday, Sept. 3.
One was D’Alesandro who earned the special team’s player of the week by hitting all five extra point attempts and going perfect on the day