The Shippensburg University football team had an impressive win to end the season against Seton Hill University this past Saturday. The final score was 30–21.
The win was led by big plays and the return of quarterback Ryan Zapoticky.
Zapoticky threw for three touchdowns, all of which went to senior receivers Brady Forney, Erik Kerns and Jordan Harro.
The SU offense got off to a slow start, going three-and-out on the first series of the game.
After an interception by Jordan Harper on the ensuing series, Zapoticky found Forney on a 40-yard touchdown pass, putting SU up, 7–0.
After two more drives in the first quarter, Cole Chiappialle burst through a gaping hole for a 92-yard score.
The Seton Hill Griffins answered with a three-play, 87-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard pass to Ty George for a touchdown.
SU returned to the well one more time on the next drive, coming up with another big play. This time, it was Zapoticky to Erik Kerns for a 54-yard touchdown pass.
After a few drives of good defense by both teams, SU found itself in a fourth-and-two situation. On the ensuing play, Zapoticky threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Harro, putting SU up 27–7. Shippensburg did not trail in the game all day.
The next drive went 10-plays for 87-yards and ended with a touchdown for Seton Hill.
SU then answered with a scoring drive of its own, adding three more points on a Billy Deane field goal. Those were the last points scored by the Red Raiders.
The second half was a defensive battle by both teams. Other than a three-play, 88-yard touchdown drive by Seton Hill, there were no more scoring plays in the game. The third quarter ended with only three first downs by either team.
The Griffins had an opportunity to score twice, but they were stopped before the big play could happen. Senior linebackers Allen Holman and Kevin Goldsmith made some great plays down the stretch. Dakota Thompson and Richard Nase both had critical sacks that helped get SU the ball back with 5:22 left on the clock.
The Griffin’s offense never returned to the field after 5:22 mark because of the Red Raider’s impressive run game. They carried the ball and iced the game with three first downs to lock up a 7–4 record for SU’s 2016 season.
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