Photo By Christian Vetrone, Photography Editor
By Logan Moyer, Assistant Sports Editor
It turns out that River Hawks, often known for their ability to fly, can also run very well.
Susquehanna (6-0 overall, 2-0 Landmark) ran for 380 yards in its record-breaking 69-0 win over Keystone (1-5, 0-2) on a rainy Saturday afternoon in a Landmark Conference matchup. The team is currently ranked as the #11 team in the nation by D3football.com.
“Especially on a rough weather day, we were able to really dominate up front,” said Susquehanna coach Tom Perkovich. “Everyone involved did a nice job. The o-line was moving people off the ball pretty good.”
The team found the end zone seven times on the ground. Josh Ehrlich and D.K. Wyche each found the endzone twice while Bobby Croyle, Kyle Howes and Tommy Grabowski all ran for one TD. Grabowski, now the team’s leading rusher, ran for a game-high 144 yards.
“(Grabowski’s) been really rock solid for us,” Perkovich said. “I’m really happy with his growth and attention to detail. He and the o-line are really starting to get in sync a little bit. He’s seeing things well.”
The running game has been a vital part of the River Hawks success all season long. They’ve ran for at least 150 yards in every game this season, including over 200 in last week’s 50-21 win over Catholic in the Landmark Conference opener. In large part due to the running game, the River Hawks also lead the nation in time of possession (221 minutes).
“We’ve always talked about (how) the ability to run the football really opens up the offense,” Perkovich said. “It’s a huge positive to winning football games.”
SU also stopped the run incredibly well. They limited the Giants to just a single yard on the ground en route to their first shutout of the season. They forced four turnovers, including two interceptions by sophomore Josh Lesesne.
“We’ve had some dominant performances under (Defensive Coordinator) Coach Ruley, and that was one of the most dominant,” Perkovich said. “I don’t think I’ve been part of many of those, it’s an unbelievable stat.”
Susquehanna won its 19th consecutive regular season contest in the victory, setting a new program record. It was the second largest win in program history (against intercollegiate opponents), second only to a 95-0 win over St. Francis in 1919.
Next up for the River Hawks is another road matchup at Juniata (1-4, 0-1) Saturday in the annual Goal Post Trophy Game. SU leads the all-time series against Juniata 45-34-3, including a seven-game unbeaten run since 2015. The week after, SU will return home to dual Wilkes on homecoming weekend.