Shippensburg football earned its first win of the season and moved to 1-0 in conference play on Saturday, defeating the Huskies 10-7 in the second half. SU moves to 1-3 on the year.

The Raider defense held Bloomsburg to their lowest point total of the season, earning three takeaways in the second half to control the momentum after taking the lead at the start of the half.

SU started the game on offense, reaching the redzone on their first possession. They could not score though, as redshirt freshman Derek Witmer missed a 34-yard field goal try wide. The teams then traded punts on the next four possessions.

After a punt from sophomore Wilson Ingerski was downed at the one-yard line, Bloomsburg put together the most impressive drive of the game, going 99 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Shippensburg responded nicely, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Riley Gunnels leading a 12-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal, making it 7-3. It was the first points of Witmer’s collegiate career.

Bloomsburg got the ball back with 4:53 left, but missed a 30-yard field goal attempt with 28 seconds left, leaving the game at 7-3 at halftime.

The Raiders began the second half on an aggressive note, opting to do a surprise onside kick coming out of the locker room. It was successful, with freshman Grady Snyder recovering the ball in his collegiate debut to give SU great field position.

The offense used the field position to their advantage, with Gunnels throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore Jaevon Parker, giving SU a 10-7 lead.

After a couple more traded punts, Bloomsburg began putting a drive together, but it ended abruptly thanks to senior DJ Jackson snagging an interception to give SU the ball near midfield. It was the first interception for the SU defense this season.

Jackson spoke postgame about getting the first interception, saying: “We had a little bet in the DB room, who was going to be the first to get an interception… those turnovers really make a difference.”

Still down three with 4:30 remaining, the Huskies looked to begin a go-ahead drive. It went nowhere though, as the Raider’s pass rush caused Bloomsburg quarterback KJ Riley to make an ill-advised throw. It was intercepted by sophomore Alex Sauve, putting SU in the redzone.

Bloomsburg forced a turnover on downs, getting the ball back with 2:29 left. SU’s defense continued to shine, as another strong pass rush helped redshirt sophomore Gabe Benjamin secure a diving interception, sealing the victory for the Raiders.

Benjamin spoke on the secondary’s mindset postgame, saying: “Our mindset was to focus on the keys, and if you focus on the keys, the ball’s going to come to us. We had everything planned out today, a big key was communication.”

Both teams ended the game with 269 yards of offense. SU had over 35 minutes of possession, going 6/16 on the third down, holding the Huskies to 4/9. The Raiders committed zero turnovers.

Gunnels finished the day 24/33 passing, throwing for 169 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt junior Josiah Leonard had his best rushing performance of the season, going for 97 yards on 27 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Ty Neal led the team with a career-high seven catches, going for 59 yards.

Leonard spoke on how nice it was to get in the win column, saying: “It feels good… our coach has been preaching that the east starts today, all our goals are still in front of us… so getting a win in the east right now just feels really good.”

The SU defense was led by Sauve and senior Ely Ghameshlougy with eight tackles each. Redshirt sophomore Nate Myers was close behind at seven, putting him at 43 tackles on the year, tied for first in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Sophomore Peyton Stadler also earned the first solo sack of his college career.

SU football will return to action next Saturday with a trip to Kutztown. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, and the game can be watched on the PSAC Digital Network.

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