Lafayette Newsstand: Today's Headlines

Lafayette Newsstand Archive August 1, 2004 - July 30, 2005 May 9, 2003 - July 30, 2004 February 1-28, 2003 January 1-31, 2003 December 1-31, 2002 November 1-30, 2002 October 1-31, 2002 September 1-30, 2002 August 1-31, 2002 June 1 - July 31, 2002 May 1-31, 2002 April 1-30, 2002 March 1-31, 2002 February 1-28, 2002 January 1-31, 2002 December 1-31, 2001 November 1-30, 2001 October 1-31, 2001 August 11 - September 30, 2001 April 1 - August 10, 2001 March 5 - March 31, 2001 Jan. 18 - March 4, 2001

Welcome to "Lafayette Newsstand," a daily listing with links to newspaper and electronic media stories from around the country on the Leopards.

While we'll try to have most stories to you early each morning, be sure to check back throughout the day as we add links at all hours when we find them.

We hope you enjoy the links to some of today's top stories below, and let us know via email if there are any other stories you think we should feature.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

TRACK & FIELD: Take Five with Lafayette javelin thrower Seamas McGuire
The Morning Call/ By Stephen Miller
I like geology because it's a very applicable physical science. You can see everything in motion. It kind of brings together the rest of the sciences. Anthropology, I didn't know anything about. I took a class, and the professor was great. I just fell in love with it. It just gripped me.

Monday, June 8, 2009

FOOTBALL: Football, fun and fundraising
The Express-Times/ By Nicholas Pizzino
FORKS TWP. | John Loose stood next to a grass field on Lafayette College's Metzgar Fields as high school football players from across the country took part in a one-day, non-contact camp. Loose, defensive coordinator for Lafayette's football team, is also director of the camp, which provides athletes with instruction from college coaches at all levels. On Sunday, a warm, late-spring day, Loose had more important things than football to worry about. With his back to the field, the coach welcomed visitors and volunteers with a gracious handshake and warm smile. As the father of a child stricken with pediatric brain cancer, Loose was grateful for their support and the continued success of this special event. Named in honor of Loose's daughter, Lauren's First and Goal Camp and Foundation is a charitable organization created to raise awareness and money for pediatric brain tumor research, local pediatric cancer services and the families affected.

Friday, April 17, 2009

FOOTBALL: Lafayette football enjoys a physical spring
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Preparations for Lafayette College's 2009 football season began last December when the coaches put together a ''lowlights'' film showing the plays that may have been the difference between a playoff berth and the reality: three losses in the final four games for a 7-4 finish. The most physical of coach Frank Tavani's 10 spring practice periods as Leopards' head coach will conclude with a 75- or 80-play game-conditions scrimmage at 7:30 tonight in Fisher Stadium.

Friday, March 27, 2009

FOOTBALL: Lafayette football team has questions to answer as spring practice begins
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
For four years, Lafayette played some of its best football in the final month of the regular season -- it won three in a row in 2007, four in a row in 2006 and three of the last four in 2005 and 2004. Last fall, the Leopards went in the other direction. A season of promise fell apart down the stretch when they lost three of the last four, including their first since 2003 to arch-rival Lehigh. The final record, a respectable 7-4, had a distinctly unfulfilled feel. That's the way it is when the bar has been set as high as coach Frank Tavani and company raised it while establishing Lafayette as a perennial favorite in the Patriot League. As Lafayette prepares for 2009 with its annual spring practices, which begins today, the lingering question is: Was 2008 an aberration or a harbinger of things to come?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

FOOTBALL: Lafayette releases 2009 football schedule; tough non-league games await
The Express-Times
For the first time since 2002, the Lafayette College football team will start its season on a bye week while the majority of Football Championship Subdivision programs begin their seasons. The Leopards will open Sept. 12 at Georgetown in a Patriot League encounter. Lafayette then faces five non-league opponents, starting with home games against Liberty (Sept. 19) and Penn (Sept. 26). Lafayette defeated then 14th-ranked Liberty 35-21 on Oct. 18 in the programs' first meeting. Liberty (10-2) went on to win its second straight Big South Conference title.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette releases football schedule
The Morning Call
The Lafayette football team is scheduled to play an 11-game slate that kicks off on Sept. 12 at Georgetown and concludes with the 145th playing of college football's most-played rivalry at Lehigh on Nov. 21. The schedule includes six Patriot League contests and five nonleague games with four of the Leopards' nonleague opponents boasting winning records in 2008. The Leopards will open spring football on Friday, March 27. The spring season will conclude with the annual Maroon and White game which will be played April 17 at 7:30 p.m. under the lights of Fisher Stadium.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: This dog stays cool Folsom's Tony Johnson (Lafayette Class of 2013) is the slow-beating heart of a team that is looking to win a NorCal championship
The Sacramento Bee/ By Joe Davidson
The place could be on fire and Tony Johnson would be the sane, soothing presence. Probably wouldn't even sweat, either. Johnson would be the one to usher everyone out of the building, flames nipping at his high tops but ice in his veins. The Folsom High School senior guard is the very definition of cool, even when chaos surrounds him. Johnson plays the game's most difficult position - point guard - and he has the 31-1 Bulldogs on a historic march through the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California Division I playoffs. He has been the best player on The Bee's best team this season, seemingly raising his own bar of "Can-you-believe this?" excellence by the week. Johnson was courted by a number of Division I college programs, but he accepted a scholarship from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., where he will study business and economics. (As an example of Johnson's wry humor, he said Wall was his econ teacher and "He's either really good at teaching it, or I just happened to fall in love with it.")

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lehigh kicks up its heels
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
BETHLEHEM | It was the culmination of a season's worth of blood, sweat and tears. For the first time in 12 years, Lehigh University's women's basketball team can lay claim to the Patriot League championship. Sharp-shooting guard Alex Ross poured in 21 points Wednesday night and the Mountain Hawks held off numerous Lafayette rallies to post a hard-fought 64-56 victory in the league title game before an electric crowd of 2,339 at Stabler Arena. Lehigh also defeated Lafayette 65-63 in overtime in the 1997 title game. Lehigh (26-6), the league's regular season champion, earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament when the pairings are announced Monday.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Adversity no problem for Lehigh women on way to Patriot League basketball crown
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
As if surviving as a prohibitive favorite against a nothing-to-lose underdog in a crucible of a winner-take-all Patriot League women's basketball championship game wasn't difficult enough, the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University had to do it on a night when not a whole lot of breaks were going their way. They couldn't make a free throw, didn't get their usual scoring contribution from point guard and Patriot League Player of the Year Erica Prosser and were staring down the barrel of an improbable, emotional comeback by archrival Lafayette that had the seventh-seeded Leopards coming down the court with the ball and a chance to take the lead with under three minutes to go in an arena where Lehigh hadn't lost a game all season. The Leopards did the right thing, tossing it into LaKeisha Wright in the paint and having her try to score from as close as possible. But the Hawks did the right thing, too, sending Haly Crites over to help Tricia Smith on a double-team that ultimately forced Wright to go wrong. Wright shuffled her feet, albeit after some apparent contact, in the pivot for a traveling violation that brought a 9-0 Leopards run to a screeching halt.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Ross lights Lehigh's path to Patriot League women's title
The Morning Call/ By Mandy Housenick
When the attention shifted to Lehigh's Alex Ross after the game, she couldn't put her head down fast enough. Taking a compliment clearly isn't her strong suit. Shooting 3-pointers is. Ross hit 7 of 12 shots from the field, including six from 3-point range for a game-high 21 points, helping Lehigh's women's basketball team beat Lafayette 64-56 in the Patriot League tournament championship game Wednesday night at Stabler Arena.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Seniors come up big for Lehigh women
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
Melissa Rich never got discouraged when she went from starting forward her sophomore and junior seasons at Lehigh to a backup role earlier this season. The former Parkland High star just believed that she'd eventually get her opportunity to deliver in the clutch for Lehigh. That chance came in the Patriot League tournament final against Lafayette on Wednesday night at Stabler Arena. And Rich used every bit of her 6-foot-2 frame to make room for herself to score 14 points with relative ease. Her dominance -- which led to her being named to the all-tournament team -- helped Lehigh control the paint, the boards and, ultimately, prevail over feisty Lafayette, 64-56 for the Hawks' first Patriot League title since 1997 and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lehigh, Lafayette in Patriot League women's final
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
It's Brown and White against Maroon and White. It's Bethlehem against Easton. For the first time since 1997, it's Lehigh against Lafayette for the Patriot League women's basketball tournament title at 6 tonight at Stabler Arena. It seemed like an unlikely showdown when the tournament started, especially considering seventh-seeded Lafayette (10-21) had lost its last 10 regular-season games. But here's David's little sister (Lafayette) set to take on Goliath's little sister (Lehigh), the top-seeded team, which owns the school's single-season record for wins (25) and is riding an eight-game winning streak. Tonight's winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette-Lehigh women's capsule
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
PATRIOT LEAGUE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: No. 1 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (25-6) vs. No. 7 Lafayette Leopards (10-21). When: 6 tonight, Stabler Arena. What's at stake: Winner advances to the NCAA Tournament. If Lehigh wins, it would likely avoid a first-round date with UConn or Maryland because of the Patriot League's No. 17 RPI rating. Lafayette, on the other hand, likely would face the Huskies or Terps in the first round.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College women's basketball team is surprise finalist in Patriot League tournament
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
When the Lafayette College women's basketball team finished the regular season on a 10-game losing streak, everybody left the Leopards for dead. Well, everybody except head coach Tammy Smith and the 15 players in maroon and white uniforms. "A lot of people were doubting us," said sophomore forward LaKeisha Wright, Lafayette's leading scorer at 11.2 points per game. "Our season didn't go as expected, but we believed in ourselves and we started to play with a lot of heart. That got us where we are now." With an unparalleled will to win and a never-ending drive to get to the top, Lafayette is very much alive. After grinding through the Patriot League postseason tournament with upset wins over American and Navy, Lafayette is one win away from the Big Dance. But first, the Leopards must overcome their biggest challenge yet -- rival Lehigh. The Leopards and Mountain Hawks meet 6 p.m., Wednesday, for the Patriot League championship at Stabler Arena. An automatic NCAA tournament bid awaits the winner.

Monday, March 9, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: One win away from the dance
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
BETHLEHEM | At a mere 5-foot-8 inches and slightly built, Lauren Jackson was not the most noticeable person on the floor Sunday afternoon. However, the energetic Lafayette College sophomore would make herself very visible before the day was over. Jackson erupted for a career-high 17 points and senior guard Jessica Spicer also scored 17 to lead the unheralded Leopards to a come-from-behind 62-55 victory over Navy in a Patriot League semifinal at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena. Seventh-seeded Lafayette (10-21), the Cinderella team of the tournament, plays top-seeded Lehigh for the league championship 6 p.m. Wednesday at Stabler Arena. The winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette women in Patriot League final
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
March is filled with Cinderella tales and Lafayette is writing its own in the Patriot League women's tournament. Loser of 10 in a row entering the postseason, seventh-seeded Lafayette turned the seemingly improbable into a reality with its second consecutive win, a 62-55 conquest over Navy in Sunday's semifinals at Stabler Arena. Dreams of a ''P.L.C.'' that Lafayette's players and coaches talked about before the season and reminded themselves about as the losses mounted, no longer seems farfetched as the Leopards (10-21) dance on to a championship date with Lehigh at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Stabler.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: All's Wright, Lafayette shocks American
The Morning Call/ By Mandy Housenick
Lafayette women's basketball coach Tammy Smith is always nattily attired and well-coiffed on game days. Nothing ever looks out of place. There's a first time for everything. And a flushed-faced Smith, whose normally curly hair had lost much of its style, couldn't have been happier about it. Her seventh-seeded Leopards stunned second-seeded American 58-56 on LaKeisha Wright's game-winning bucket in Saturday's Patriot League tournament opener at Stabler Arena.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Patriot League Women's Tournament
The Washington Post/ By Kathy Orton
Lehigh, which won its first regular season Patriot League title, would like to add its second tournament title. The Mountain Hawks' only other championship came in 1997, when Lehigh defeated Lafayette, 65-63, in overtime. That was also the last time the tournament final was played at Stabler Arena. The Mountaineers, who went undefeated at home this season, are enjoying one of their best seasons in school history.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Favorite Lehigh hosts Patriot League women's tourney at Stabler Arena
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
After going 6-8 for a sixth-place finish in league play in the 2007-08 season, Lafayette coach Tammy Smith had hoped her senior class would close out its career with an even better league record. But the Leopards enter the postseason riding a 10-game losing streak and perhaps on the verge of an exit in the quarterfinals for the eighth straight year. LaKeisha Wright, a 5-11 sophomore forward, averages 11.1 points per game and is the team's only double-figure scorer.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Season of struggles ends in blowout loss
The Express-Times/ By Harvey Valentine
WASHINGTON, D.C. | In Sunday's regular-season finale, Lafayette showed first-place American it could compete with the best team in the league. Wednesday night, in a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game, American showed Lafayette why the Eagles are the best team in the league, cruising to a 78-56 win at Bender Arena. This time there was little suspense and no second-half Lafayette comeback. The Eagles took control early and never trailed, shooting 58 percent from the field and outrebounding the Leopards 35-21. Meanwhile, the Leopards were able to get some good looks at the basket, but shot just 37 percent.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Eagles Rout Leopards, but Want More
The Washington Post/ By Steven Goff
American University had shot 62 percent and was ahead by 11 points at halftime of last night's Patriot League quarterfinal against Lafayette at Bender Arena, well on its way to an 11th consecutive victory. But from the perspective of Coach Jeff Jones and his players, the top-seeded Eagles were far from performing in the manner required to earn a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette and Lehigh facing a long road
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
The men's basketball teams at Lehigh and Lafayette both ended the regular season in a way coaches fret about and in a way players wish they could have back. Lehigh, considered a preseason Patriot League title contender, lost its final three games and lost six of its last eight games down the stretch. Lafayette, picked to finish last by the coaches and sports information directors, lost its last two games, both at home, and the Leopards are just 2-10 since Jan. 21. Lehigh (15-13, 5-9 Patriot) and Lafayette (8-21, 4-10) could both go one-and-done in the Patriot League tournament, which opens tonight with quarterfinal games at four different sites. Lehigh, the No. 5 seed, plays at No. 4 Army (10-18) at 7. The Cadets went 6-8 to tie their best-ever league record, which included an 82-75 triple-overtime win over Lehigh on Feb. 21. Lafayette, the No. 8 seed, lost 75-68 in overtime to top-seeded American on Saturday in Easton, and now plays the Eagles (21-7, 13-1 Patriot) in the nation's capital tonight at 7. If Lehigh and Lafayette pull off road upsets, then they'd meet Sunday at Lehigh's Stabler Arena in the semifinals. The improbable scenario could cause a scheduling conflict since Lehigh hosts the Patriot League women's tournament quarterfinals and semifinals this weekend.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Patriot League Men's Tournament
The Washington Post/ By Steven Goff
Everything, it seems, is in American's favor: a 10-game winning streak, the league's player of the year (Derrick Mercer) and second-leading scorer (Garrison Carr), the most experienced roster in the conference and home-court advantage throughout the tournament after winning 10 of 11 at Bender Arena in the regular season. But after scares in their final two games, including an overtime struggle at last-place Lafayette on Saturday, the Eagles will need to regain their focus and energy. They will also need to improve their league-worst free throw shooting (65.1 percent). Lafayette is first from the foul line (74.6 percent).

Sunday, March 1, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Willen elbows into lineup
Southeast Missourian/ By Kevin Winters Morriss
Ryan Willen, a biology major, is enjoying himself at Lafayette, which is located about 75 miles west of New York City. He said that while his classes are challenging and he doesn't have much spare time, he squeezes in some fun.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College takes first-place American University to overtime in men's basketball
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
EASTON | Even in defeat, the Lafayette College men's basketball team will head into the Patriot League tournament with a little momentum. The Leopards gave first place American University all it could handle Saturday afternoon before dropping a 75-68 overtime decision in the regular-season finale before a crowd of 2,463 at Kirby Sports Center. Lafayette (8-21, 4-10) falls into the eighth slot and will play the top-seeded Eagles (21-7, 13-1) in a tournament quarterfinal at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College loses to Army in Patriot League basketball game
The Express-Times/ By Corky Blake
EASTON | After his Lafayette Leopards were routed by Army 79-55 on Wednesday night, coach Fran O'Hanlon pretty much laid out the rest of his team's Patriot League season. "We're going to have to regroup to play American because we're going to probably play them twice (in a row)," O'Hanlon said. The Leopards close the regular season by playing host to American at 2 p.m. Saturday. Because they lost to Army, the Leopards most likely will play the defending champion and first-place Eagles in Washington, D.C., next Wednesday in the Patriot League quarterfinals. That's how big Wednesday's showdown at Kirby Sports Center proved to be. Army (9-18 overall, 5-8 league) now has a chance to move up into fourth place and secure a quarterfinal playoff game at home. Lafayette (8-20, 4-9) was in position to grasp the same reward but let it slip away when Army erased a 7-6 deficit with four of its easiest field goals of the game for a 14-7 edge. The Black Knights expanded their lead to 23-9 on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Julian Simmons (17 points) and were never threatened the rest of the way.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Inconsistent Lafayette men fall to Army
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
Lafayette has a young basketball team that has been on a seesaw ride all season. Four days after an emotional win over rival Lehigh, the Leopards missed a barrage of jumpers, layups and free throws against Army Wednesday night at Kirby Sports Center. The lethargic shooting -- not to mention numerous defensive lapses -- contributed heavily to Lafayette's 79-55 Patriot League loss that puts the Leopards in danger of finishing the regular season in last place. Lafayette (8-20, 4-9 Patriot League) dropped into a tie with Bucknell (7-21, 4-9) for eighth-place. The Leopards complete the regular season at home against defending league and tournament champion American at 2 p.m. Saturday. Which Leopards team will show up on Senior Day, the one that shot 44-percent and made all the big plays down the stretch in a 68-66 win over the Mountain Hawks last weekend?

Monday, February 23, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Brown basket lifts Lafayette
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
BETHLEHEM | Andrew Brown beat the press. And the Lafayette College men's basketball team finally beat Lehigh at Stabler Arena. Brown scored 26 points and converted a fast break layup with five seconds remaining Sunday to spark the Leopards to a 68-66 Patriot League victory before a raucous crowd of 2,187. It was Lafayette's first win on the court at Lehigh since 2002. The Leopards were granted a victory in 2005 due to Lehigh using an ineligible player.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Leopard men tame Mountain Hawks in wild one
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
March is not here yet. It just seemed like it Sunday afternoon as rivals Lehigh and Lafayette played a March Madness-like game at Stabler Arena. It featured a momentum shifts galore, fierce scrambles for loose balls, five ties, six lead changes, and spirited taunts back-and-forth between the fans. Lafayette prevailed 68-66, but how the Leopards won is perhaps what pained Lehigh even more than the physical play. After closing to within 65-63 after Zahir Carrington went 1-for-2 from the foul line with 11.6 seconds left, Lehigh scrambled around the court trying to find a Leopard to foul, but was unsuccessful. Lafayette senior guard Andrew Brown capped off a career-high 26-point performance with an uncontested layup for 67-63 lead with 5.2 seconds left.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: LAFAYETTE AT LEHIGH
The Express-Times/ By Corky Blake
-- Who: Lafayette Leopards at Lehigh Mountain Hawks.
-- What: Patriot League men's basketball.
-- When: Noon, today.
-- Where: Stabler Arena (5,600), Bethlehem.
-- Records: Lafayette, 7-19 overall, 3-8 league; Lehigh 15-10, 5-6.
-- Coaches: Lafayette, Fran O'Hanlon, 14th season, 193-207 overall, 17-13 vs. Lehigh; Lehigh, Brett Reed, second season, 29-25 overall, 2-1 vs. Lafayette.
-- Series history/last meeting: Lafayette leads the series, which began in 1902, by 136-73; Lehigh won 60-57 on Jan. 24 in Easton.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lehigh women outmuscle Lafayette, open up two-game league lead
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
It was a Lehigh and Lafayette women's basketball game that had more falls than a professional wrestling battle royal Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center. The roughhouse play better suited Lehigh, which relied on its height, bench and overall talent advantages to prevail 73-58 and build a two-game cushion for first place in the Patriot League with only two regular-season games remaining. The Mountain Hawks (21-6, 10-2) posted just the third 21-win season in school history, and established a school record for Patriot League wins. They host Bucknell on Wednesday and Holy Cross on Saturday at Stabler Arena, hoping to finish the season 7-0 at home in league games. American (18-9, 8-5) is in second place.

Friday, February 20, 2009

BASEBALL: College baseball season is ready to start
The Morning Call/ By Tom De Martini
The collegiate spring baseball season has gotten under way for a few local schools while others will soon begin with annual treks to warmer climates. Here's brief a look at each area school:

LAFAYETTE
The Leopards' road to Patriot League baseball success this season largely depends on their promising but somewhat inexperienced pitching staff.

''Our pitching staff will be young so it will be a critical area we need to develop, and the early part of our schedule will be crucial in getting our pitchers experience,'' said coach Joe Kinney, who returns for his 10th year. The Leopards, who start their season this weekend with games against Ohio and Davidson, look to improve on their 25-23 record (8-12 Patriot League).

Sunday, February 8, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Holy Cross men's basketball team deals Lafayette its sixth straight loss
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierror
EASTON | An 11-minute stretch without a field goal is not a good recipe for winning college basketball games. That was the dilemma the Lafayette men's team faced Saturday in dropping a 64-50 Patriot League decision to first-place Holy Cross before a crowd of 2,769 at Kirby Sports Center. Forward Andrew Keister led the Crusaders, who are 12-11 overall and 7-1 in the league. Holy Cross started the day tied with American atop the league standings. Keister had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lafayette, which lost its sixth straight game to fall to 6-17 and 2-6, hung with the Crusaders into the early stages of the second half. A 3-pointer by Jeff Kari gave the Leopards a 37-34 lead with 17:50 left in the game. The Leopards suddenly turned ice cold. Holy Cross embarked on a 21-5 run over the next 11 minutes to take a comfortable 55-42 lead. Andrew Brown finally ended Lafayette's field goal drought with a 3-pointer with 6:12 remaining.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette falters in 2nd half against Holy Cross
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
Lafayette experienced a 10-minute stretch in the second half of its Patriot League contest against Holy Cross where shots did not fall, where defensive stops were not made, and where a game that was tied just got away Saturday afternoon in Easton. The Leopards, who played without injured 6-foot-8 center Jared Mintz, missed 13 straight shots and went without a field goal for 10 minutes and Holy Cross capitalized en route to a 64-50 win at Kirby Sports Center. Holy Cross outscored Lafayette 18-7 during the stretch to build a 55-42 lead with 7:53 remaining. It was a run that demonstrated just why Holy Cross (12-11, 7-1) entered Saturday in a first-place tie with American and why Lafayette (6-17, 2-6) is in seventh place.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

FOOTBALL: Lafayette head football coach Frank Tavani says national signing day a success
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierror
The relatively small tally of 17 high school seniors signing football letters of intent on Wednesday to attend Lafayette College is by design, according to coach Frank Tavani. "We only graduated 15 seniors and two others are going to return for a fifth year of competition," he said. "We've been through two recruiting weekends at this point and anticipate more signings. We've noticed over the last four to five years that many talented players are still available after the signing day." Regardless of possible future signings, Tavani called Wednesday's haul a total success.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette adds balance -- and beef
The Morning Call/ By Keith Groller
The same quantity may not be there as in past years, but Lafayette football coach Frank Tavani believes he's got plenty of quality with the 17 players who were announced Wednesday as his recruits for the class of 2013. Tavani said he and his staff may not be finished and are working to add a few more student-athletes. But even if he doesn't add another player, he feels he has a well-rounded, talented crop of incoming freshmen who will contribute to a program that has become a shining light in the Patriot League. The Leopards are the only PL team to have a winning record in each of the last five regular seasons and have a solid nucleus returning from last year's 7-4 squad.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's basketball loses eighth-straight to American
The Express-Times/ By David Driver
WASHINGTON, D.C. | Michael Gruner of Lafayette, his team trailing by five points, hoisted a 3-point attempt from the top of the key with 6:24 left in the game. The ball barely hit the net, bringing the proverbial cries of "air ball" from the student section Saturday at a nearly-packed Bender Arena. Gruner could only force a smile as he headed back down court. There were plenty of frowns on the faces of the Leopards after the game as they lost 78-65 in a Patriot League contest.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Leopards beaten on the boards
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
EASTON | Tammy Smith has experienced the frustration against Army over and over during her coaching tenure at Lafayette College. The eighth year head coach watched helplessly from the sideline again as the Leopards let a second half lead slip away and ultimately dropped a 56-46 Patriot League women's basketball game to longtime nemesis Army at Kirby Sports Center. It was Lafayette's 17th straight loss to the Black Knights. Lafayette led 26-19 early in the second half before Army gradually seized momentum.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's basketball team drops 57-56 decision to Army
The Express-Times/ By Jeff Gold
WEST POINT, N.Y. | The official's arm went up, Jared Mintz's shot dropped in, and the Lafayette bench jumped up in anticipation as Mintz started walking to the free throw line. The Leopards thought the basket counted, that a foul shot was on its way, and that they would have control of the game. "Looked like an 'and 1' to me," Lafayette senior Andrew Brown said. Or not. The basket was waived off when Mintz was called for an offensive foul.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Army women 'bound past Lafayette
The Morning Call/ By Mandy Housenick
Getting outrebounded is one thing. Then there's what Army did to Lafayette on Wednesday. The Black Knights had 20 more boards than the Leopards, including 14 more on the offensive end in their 56-46 come-from-behind Patriot League victory at the Kirby Sports Center.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lehigh University men's basketball team edges Lafayette
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
EASTON | The basketball gods have not been kind to Lehigh University outside the friendly confines of Stabler Arena. All that frustration was put to rest on Saturday as Marquis Hall scored 18 points and Zahir Carrington made four free throws in the last 63 seconds to spark the Mountain Hawks' 60-57 Patriot League victory over Lafayette College at Kirby Sports Center. The win, which came with an enthusiastic crowd of 3,107 in the arena, ended a three game road losing streak for Lehigh, which had lost nine of its last 11 against Lafayette in Easton. The Mountain Hawks improved to 12-7 overall and 2-3 in the league.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Hawks make FTs, hold off Leopards
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
The final 10 seconds of a wild game between rivals Lehigh and Lafayette was decided by free throws Saturday in Easton. Lafayette's Jared Mintz missed his two foul shots, but Lehigh's Zahir Carrington converted his two attempts with 3.0 seconds left to lift the Mountain Hawks to an important 60-57 Patriot League road win at Kirby Sports Center.

Friday, January 23, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Tough travels for Leopards and Mountain Hawks
The Morning Call/ By Andre Williams
Lehigh and Lafayette are both winless on the road in Patriot League games and that does not bode well for Lehigh on Saturday afternoon, because that's when the Mountain Hawks will visit the Leopards at Kirby Sports Center. Lafayette is 2-0 at home and beat expected Patriot title-contender Navy 84-69 in Easton last Saturday. Six days later Lafayette (6-12, 2-2 Patriot League) is in a two-way tie for fourth place and Lehigh (11-7, 1-3) is in seventh place. The only team Lehigh has defeated is last-place Army.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Bucknell men defeat Lafayette for first Patriot League win
The Daily Item (Sunbury, Pa.)/ By William Bowman
LEWISBURG -- In Dave Paulsen's mind, Wednesday's Patriot League game with Lafayette was going to be a turning point for the Bucknell men. Following consecutive strong practices, which came on the heels of several players coming in for extra work on Sunday, things were either going to turn around or they were going to continue down the spiral the Bison have been caught in for the past month. Fortunately for Paulsen, his players and the Bucknell faithful, things turned around at Sojka Pavilion. Four Bison hit double figures and Bucknell rode a strong first half and clutch plays down the stretch to end an eight-game skid with a 71-61 victory over the Leopards. The win gives Paulsen his first Patriot League win, improving the Bison to 4-14 overall, 1-3 in the league. Lafayette fell to 6-12 overall, 2-2 in the league.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's basketball team upsets Navy 84-69
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
EASTON | Andrew Brown and the Lafayette College men's basketball team have a little fight in them after all. Left for dead after a recent eight game losing streak, the surging Leopards won their second straight on Saturday afternoon as Brown scored 21 points to spark an 84-69 Patriot League victory over Navy before 1,869 at Kirby Sports Center. Brown, the Leopards' only senior, made 8 of 16 shots from the floor (including three 3-pointers) and all four of his free throw attempts. The win over the Midshipmen (13-5, 2-1) comes on the heels of Wednesday's 69-62 victory over Colgate.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette uses near-perfect foul shooting to sink Navy
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
Lafayette drained the charge out of Navy in final three minutes with clutch shooting that included 8-for-8 perfection from the free throw line Saturday afternoon at Kirby Sports Center. Senior guard Andrew Brown closed out the Leopards' 84-69 win with two free throws with 33 seconds remaining. Those shots capped off a sizzling 27-for-30 foul-shooting clinic as Lafayette (6-11, 2-1) won its second straight after dropping its Patriot League opener on the road at Holy Cross. Picked to finish last in the Patriot League preseason poll, Lafayette is now tied with Navy (13-5, 2-1) for second place and a game behind American (14-4, 3-0) and Holy Cross (8-10, 3-0).

Thursday, January 15, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College clutch on free throw line in 69-62 Patriot League win over Colgate University
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
EASTON | In a game that featured 12 lead changes and 13 ties, a simple play like taking a charge or making a clutch free throw could turn out huge. Lafayette did just that, converting late-game free throws to defeat Colgate 69-62 at Kirby Sports Center for the Leopards' first Patriot League win. In the game's final four minutes, Lafayette (5-11, 1-1) was 12-of-14 from the free throw line.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Cold start dooms Lafayette women in Patriot League opener
The Morning Call/ By Mandy Housenick
Lafayette coach Tammy Smith has been working hard at trying not to attack her team at halftime when it's struggling. Saturday's 15-minute break was undoubtedly her biggest challenge yet. The Leopards had as many turnovers (12) as points in the first half, and although they mounted a comeback, Holy Cross hung on for a 60-45 victory in the schools' Patriot League opener at the Kirby Sports Center. The Crusaders' 1-3-1 defense had the Leopards baffled early on.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Coronado graduate balancing game, studies at Lafayette
Las Vegas Sun/ By Sean Ammerman
Coronado graduate Amanda Smith has had plenty of challenges to overcome during her junior year at Lafayette College. In her first year seeing significant court time with the women's basketball team, Smith has helped Lafayette face one of its toughest preseason schedules.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College falls short once again in the fabled Palestra
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
PHILADELPHIA | Until the Lafayette College Leopards could establish a workable rhythm in the second half, the best thing that could be said about their 84-70 nonleague loss to Penn on Tuesday was that very few people were around to witness the crime being perpetrated on the sport of basketball by both teams. Only a few hundred fans -- well short of the announced crowd of 2,158 -- showed up at the Palestra to watch as the host Quakers nearly squandered a 26-point lead before holding off the Leopards in a contest that, with the exception of a few brief stretches of brilliance by each team in the second half, should have been played at the YMCA.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn gets a win to build on
The Philadelphia Inquirer/ By Jeff McLane
When you've won just three games, a two-game winning streak looks pretty good. So Penn, after handling feisty Lafayette, 84-70, in front of a sparse crowd last night at the Palestra, will use the win as momentum as it finishes a difficult nonleague slate. And the Quakers (3-7) will use their stellar first-half defensive effort as something to build on as they prepare to play their Big Five opponents Temple, La Salle and St. Joseph's before opening Ivy League play on Jan. 30.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Palestra remains house of horrors for Lafayette
Philadelphia Daily News/ By Bernard Fernandez
Logic dictates that nothing should last forever. Every now and then it rains in Death Valley. The Red Sox finally ended the Curse of the Bambino. One year the swallows might not even come back to Capistrano. But the Lafayette College Leopards losing basketball games at the Palestra . . . now that's as close as it ever gets to forever in an ever-changing world. Oh, sure, history could be made someday on the University of Pennsylvania's home floor, but until further notice there are no signs of a crack developing in what has become the surest of sure things for the Quakers. With last night's 84-70 loss to Penn, Lafayette (4-10) is 0-for-forever in a building that opened for business in 1927 and is perhaps the most tradition-encrusted of shrines to college hoops. The Leopards are 0-29 at the Palestra, dating back to a 30-24 Penn victory on Feb. 20, 1918.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's basketball team plagued by slow starts in 67-62 loss to Mount St. Mary's
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
EASTON | Slow starts in both halves Friday put Lafayette in early deficits the Leopards were unable to overcome in their 67-62 loss to Mount St. Mary's at Kirby Sports Center. Lafayette was down 12-4 in the game's first six minutes and was held scoreless in the first 5:52 of the second half. "We got back in the first half and in the second half, we got off to another poor start," Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon said. "I don't know if we scored in the first six or seven minutes. It seemed like forever."

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Michael Gruner returns to Lafayette lineup, scores 15 points in basketball victory over Princeton
The Express-Times/ By Tom Hinkel
EASTON | Former Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson called it "40 minutes of hell." That's exactly the type of mentality Michael Gruner brought to Kirby Sports Center on Tuesday night. The junior guard scored a career-high 15 points and held Princeton star guard Doug Davis in check to spark the Lafayette College men's basketball team to a hard- fought 54-53 victory over the Tigers before a crowd of 1,574. Gruner, who missed six games with a thigh contusion, made 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range and 3 of 4 free throws. Just as importantly, he frustrated the freshman Davis (14.6 points per game) into a 2-for-10 shooting night for five points.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

FOOTBALL: Mike Palos hopes his athletic success rubs off on Bethlehem Catholic football program
The Express-Times/ By Bruce Buratti
BETHLEHEM | While playing at Bethlehem Catholic and later at Lafayette College, Mike Palos had a knack of finding a way to win in the athletic arena. Both he and Becahi are hoping he brings those qualities to the football sideline next fall. Palos, a 31-year-old city resident, was officially introduced as Bethlehem Catholic's football coach at a news conference Tuesday at the high school. He takes over for Tarik Haddad, who was not rehired after finishing 4-7 last season. Palos served as Haddad's offensive coordinator last fall. Prior to that, the former Becahi and Lafayette College star spent the 2007 season as an assistant at Catasauqua and was the quarterbacks coach at Bethlehem Catholic in 2005. He is a teacher at the Colonial Academy in Wind Gap, part of Intermediate Unit 20. This is his first head coaching position.

FOOTBALL: Becahi names Mike Palos as football coach
The Morning Call/ By Keith Groller
A job opening that created 45 applicants -- not to mention plenty of speculation, rumor and innuendo -- has been filled. Bethlehem Catholic made it official Tuesday that alumnus Mike Palos is its new head football coach. And the 31-year-old Palos, a multi-sport star who also played at Lafayette College, said it doesn't matter what's been said and rumored before. He's thrilled to have the job and eager to move forward with the Golden Hawks program.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College linebacker Andy Romans named to All-America team
The Express-Times/ By Corky Blake
Lafayette College senior linebacker Andy Romans honors the game of football by the way he plays. There's no neutral or reverse in his gearbox. On Wednesday, football honored Romans. He was named to the Associated Press Football Championship Subdivision All-America second team defense.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's basketball loses to Robert Morris
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
EASTON | In the span of five minutes, 12 seconds during the second half of Wednesday's 83-70 loss to Robert Morris, the Lafayette men's team played its best basketball all season. "We went on a great run," senior guard Andrew Brown said. "It's probably the best basketball we've played all year. Hopefully we can look at the film, see what we were doing right and build off of it." Down 53-36 with 18 minutes left, the Leopards went on a 15-4 run, closing to within six points. "The second half was more like Leopard basketball," coach Fran O'Hanlon said. "We shared the ball."

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Fordham routs Lafayette College men's basketball team 79-58 in the Bronx
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
NEW YORK | Monday's 79-58 loss to Fordham was a surprise for Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon. Not that O'Hanlon overlooked the winless Rams at Rose Hill Gym, but because the Leopards were practicing well lately and the young squad was steadily improving with each game.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Fordham beats Lafayette, 79-58, for first win
New York Daily News/ By Sean Brennan
Maybe the bitter cold night kept the fans away from Rose Hill Gym Monday night. Or maybe it was the general indifference felt for a Fordham team that stumbled from the starting gate with an 0-6 record, the worst start in the school's 106-year history. Monday night venerable old Rose Hill gym had the look and feel of an empty barn as just a few hundred diehards showed up for the Rams game with Lafayette. Even the student section, which usually makes Section 8 its home, was virtually empty. Too bad, because Monday night turned out to be the night Fordham fans have been waiting a long time to see. The Rams did it with defense, they did it with Chris Bethel turning in a dominating performance on both ends of the court and they did it with an energy and enthusiasm not seen from the Rams this season.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Z marks the spot for Leopards
The Morning Call/ By Mandy Housenick
An 0-4 start by the Lafayette women's basketball team was far from what coach Tammy Smith had hoped for, especially after her team put together more wins last season (14) than it had since the 1997-98 season (15). Guard Cristin Zavocki's performance mimicked that of her team's. The senior averaged just four points in her first four games after putting in 9.3 points a game a season ago. On Saturday afternoon against the University of Texas-Pan American, Zavocki hardly looked like the player she did earlier this month. The result was a Lafayette performance that Smith knew was bound to surface. The Leopards (1-4), paced by Zavocki's season- and game-high 15 points, hung on for a 57-51 win at the Kirby Sports Center.

Friday, November 21, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette and Lehigh football teams end season with 144th meeting
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
"It's the game we always talk about. You always take each opponent week by week, but in the back of your mind you're always thinking about Lafayette," Lehigh senior safety Brendan VanAckeren said. After having the Leopards on the backburner all season, it's time for the Mountain Hawks to focus solely on Saturday's 144th meeting against Lafayette. The nation's most-played college rivalry features two of the top defenses in the Patriot League. The Leopards are No. 1 in scoring defense (16.2 points per game) and shut down the run effectively, giving up 100.1 yards per game. The Mountain Hawks allow 21.6 points per game and 106.7 rushing yards per game. Both defenses revolve around their All-American linebackers, Lehigh coach Andy Coen said. Lehigh's Tim Diamond has 93 tackles, and Lafayette's Andy Romans, the reigning league defensive player of the year, has 87.

FOOTBALL: 'Pards have been unpredictable
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
It may not be totally fair, but neither is it incorrect to say that Lafayette's 2008 football season is defined as much by its losses as by its wins. The Leopards enter Saturday's 144th meeting with archenemy Lehigh with a 7-3 record. Not bad. Much of the crowd that will fill Fisher Stadium for this game knows very little about those first 10. In fact, some of them, even though they hold season tickets, will be making their first appearance at Fisher Stadium. Yes, they paid for five games to be assured of being at this one. As Lafayette turned the corner in 2002 and 2003, better players began to come; and now, the combination of a quality program and A+ facilities makes the recruiting process easier.

FOOTBALL: Lehigh would like to shine Saturday
The Morning Call/ By Keith Groller
One shining moment. It's the song CBS plays at the end of its NCAA men's basketball tournament coverage every spring, but it's also what the Lehigh football team has been waiting for throughout the 2008 season. The Mountain Hawks are 4-6, and still searching for that one signature victory that they can hang their collective hat on and say, ''Wow, we did it.'' They came close to that kind of win several times this season. They rallied back from a 24-10 deficit to get within three at Harvard, only to have a fumble inside the red zone in the last minute nix their shot.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College football players bracing themselves for success
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Brian Wycinowski never counted on having to relearn how to dress for practice as part of his transition from high school to Division I football at Lafayette College. Thanks to the Maroon Club's Friends of Lafayette Football, the junior guard did. Same for the rest of his teammates on the offensive line. They couldn't be happier for the experience, either, after each was provided at the start of this season with custom-fitted knee braces that, by all accounts, likely made a difference in turning a handful of potentially catastrophic injuries into minor ones in which little or no time was lost on the field.

FOOTBALL: Lehigh University safety Brendan Van Ackeren wants to end career with win over Lafayette College
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
This weekend -- especially Saturday -- could either be a lot of fun or a big disappointment for Lehigh University senior safety Brendan Van Ackeren. Not only do his Mountain Hawks face rival Lafayette College in the teams' 144th meeting on Saturday, but Van Ackeren's alma mater, Liberty High School, takes on archrival Freedom in the PIAA District 11 Class AAAA championship the same afternoon.

FOOTBALL: Lehigh duo no longer divided
The Morning Call/ By Keith Groller
Under different circumstances, Brendan VanAckeren and Quadir Carter would be at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium on Saturday, supporting their alma maters in what is probably the biggest high school football game in Bethlehem history. VanAckeren, a Liberty grad, and Carter, a Freedom product, would love to be at the District 11 4A final rooting on their former schools. Instead, they have something else to keep them busy Saturday -- a little event known as the Lehigh-Lafayette game. The two former rivals will be closing out their careers in the defensive secondary at Lehigh and on the local sports stage during the 144th edition of college football's most-played rivalry.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's basketball team tops Stony Brook
The Express-Times/ By Corky Blake
EASTON | Andrew Brown's been hitting clutch shots and handling the ball in crunch time since he stepped on Lafayette College's campus as a precocious freshman from Littleton, Colo. On Tuesday night, the senior point guard admitted to feeling a "little old" while leading the Leopards to an 80-71 victory over Stony Brook in the Kirby Sports Center home opener.

FOOTBALL: Leopards' leaders locked in
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
It easily can become little more than a popularity contest, but to Andy Romans and Joe Russo, being elected co-captains of Lafayette's football team was anything but ceremonial. And this week, the last of their careers on College Hill, brings with it a variety of challenges that put a person's leadership qualities into focus. If all Romans and Russo had to do was put on the uniform and play the game against 144-game rival Lehigh on Saturday, their impact would be big enough. Romans, a preseason All-American linebacker and a three-time Patriot League defensive player of the week this year, leads the Leopards with 87 tackles. He has recovered two fumbles and blocked a kick and returned it for a touchdown against Liberty. Russo, a versatile fullback who has started 32 of 33 games the last three seasons, is the team's highest-scoring non-kicker with three touchdowns rushing and three touchdown catches and has been a valuable blocker.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Brown paces Leopards
The Morning Call/ By Keith Groller
Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon usually likes to wait until January -- when Patriot League games begin -- to express what he likes and dislikes about his team and players. The Leopards improved to 2-0 with an 80-71 non-league win over Stony Brook in their home opener at Kirby Sports Center Tuesday night, and O'Hanlon indicated his team still had room to improve. It has been a pretty good beginning to the season for a Leopards team that was picked to finish last in the Patriot League in preseason voting by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

Monday, November 17, 2008

FOOTBALL: Leopards are looking ahead to Lehigh
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Lafayette's football team was back at the scene of the ''crime'' -- the 50-yard line of Fisher Stadium -- at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon, where the weekly State of the Leopards address from coach Frank Tavani focused on looking ahead, not behind. ''You'll have more sadness to come if you don't get out of your own sorrow,'' Tavani said a short time before meeting with the players. Their 2008 dreams were shattered when, after leading or being tied for 59 minutes, 54 seconds, the Leopards had a Patriot League victory snatched from them by Holy Cross 27-26.

FOOTBALL: Coen knows Hawks must beat Lafayette
The Morning Call/ By Keith Groller
No title, no playoff berth, not even a winning season will be on the line for Lehigh when it heads to College Hill on Saturday for its date with Lafayette in the 144th edition of college football's most-played rivalry. Yet, it's one of the most significant games the Mountain Hawks have played in awhile, maybe their most pivotal since the 2005 first-round NCAA playoff loss to James Madison. Why? Well, at 4-6, Lehigh is staring at potentially its worst record since 4-7 in 1997. The Mountain Hawks have lost four straight to Lafayette and haven't beaten the Leopards in Easton since 2000.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

FOOTBALL: Holy Cross breaks Lafayette's heart
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | All the Lafayette Leopards will remember from one of the all-time great football games ever played on their storied campus Saturday will be the half-dozen or so ways they should have wrapped up a victory before Holy Cross shocked them at the end. The Crusaders pulled out a 27-26 victory in a Patriot League game they never led until 6 seconds remained, when Matt Partain kicked an extra point to set the final score following a dramatic 37-yard touchdown pass from Dominic Randolph to former sophomore backup quarterback Rob Koster. The win set Holy Cross (7-3, 5-0) up with a chance to capture the league championship if it can win at Colgate, which also is undefeated in the league, next week. Lafayette (7-3, 3-2) will have to find a way to regroup for Lehigh. That won't be easy, considering all the sleep-depriving memories generated from this one. On the Crusaders' final touchdown drive alone, Randolph converted twice on fourth down, then found Koster streaking wide open in the end zone despite Lafayette employing a soft Cover 3.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette's bid for championship ends on Hail Mary
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
The forecasted thunder never came to Fisher Stadium Saturday afternoon, but a couple of lightning bolts by Dominic Randolph did. Set back by a sack and a holding penalty in the final minutes, Holy Cross' record-setting quarterback tossed up what no one wanted to call a Hail Mary pass - but really was because he never even saw the result. And when converted quarterback Rob Koster gathered it in on the other end, Lafayette's championship season came to a thud of a finish 27-26. Oh, the Leopards (7-3) still have lots to play for, but the 144th Lehigh game would have had even bigger implications if Holy Cross had not beaten Lafayette's cover-3 prevent defense with six seconds left.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette drops Wagner in Seahawks' season-opening basketball game
Staten Island (N.Y.) Advance/ By Cormac Gordon
It's going to take awhile for this new Wagner College group to get things together. That was evident in last night's season opener at Spiro Center, a 73-67 loss to Lafayette marked by 4-of-23 shooting from 3-point range by the Seahawks. Jamal Smith led Wagner with 17 points, and senior forward Llew Radford registered the first double-double of his career with 17 points and 13 rebounds. But Wagner shot just 37 percent from the floor, and guards Joey Mundweiler and Doug Elwell -- who are being counted on to pick up some of the slack following the graduation of starters Durell Vinson, James Ulrich and Mark Porter from last year's 23-8 team -- shot a combined 1 of 15 from the floor. The Leopards (1-0), whom Wagner defeated 74-70 on the road in last season's first game, were led by guard Andrew Brown's 22 points.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Lafayette women have higher expectations, tougher sked
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
Tammy Smith had been waiting for last season to come. She waited seven years for it. The Lafayette women's basketball team was 14-16 in 2007-08, its best record in her tenure. It was a R-E-L-I-E-F. The Leopards were just 27-143 in Smith's first six seasons, finishing in last place in the Patriot League five times.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Senior Brown will need to lead young Leopards
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
One senior is better than none. Fortunately for Lafayette, its one senior is fourth-year starting guard Andrew Brown, who is one of the best players in the Patriot League. Brown led the Leopards in scoring last season at 15.9 points per game and he'll have a bunch of baby-faced freshmen and unproven sophomores looking for him to lead the offensive attack again. No problem. Brown is ready to handle the responsibility that comes with being named to the league's preseason first team, and the added pressure that comes with trying to prove that the league's coaches and sports information directors who picked Lafayette to finish in last place are wrong.

Friday, November 14, 2008

FOOTBALL: High-flying Holy Cross a test for Lafayette defense
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Fans returning to Fisher Stadium after a five-week absence by the Lafayette College Leopards could be in for some extreme football on Saturday. Patriot League rival Holy Cross, which according to Lafayette coach Frank Tavani "scores by the minute," will be in town, and a Lafayette scoring defense ranked fourth in the nation might not be enough to shut the Crusaders down. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. The high-powered offense of Holy Cross (6-3, 4-0) is fueled mostly by its passing game, led by quarterback Dominic Randolph, the league's reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Randolph leads the nation this year with an average of 344 passing yards per game. He is 296-for-444 with twice as many touchdowns (28) as interceptions (14). The Leopards (7-2, 3-1) likely will need to be as good offensively as they normally are defensively in order to control the ball and the clock.

FOOTBALL: A conversation with Lafayette College cornerback Carlos Lowe
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
I had a chance to interview Lafayette College junior cornerback Carlos Lowe at the team's weekly press conference/luncheon on campus this week. Lowe, a business and economics major, is fourth on the team in tackles and also has a pair of interceptions this season. He and the rest of the secondary figure to be under all kinds of pressure this Saturday against the high-powered passing attack of Holy Cross, which features the top-ranked offense in the Patriot League.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette's White wants another shot
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
In football, the penalty for a false start is 5 yards. At the wrong time, it can be a drive killer. Lafayette running back Maurice White's college career has been pushed back by not one, but two physical false starts. A high ankle sprain in the fourth game ended his 2007 season. White doggedly endured the rehab and came back stronger than ever for 2008. The second setback, crueler than the first because his senior season was off to such a good start, came on Oct. 11 at Columbia. A dislocated toe. And, very possibly, the end of another season. But White is too tough for that. So, as Lafayette approaches its biggest games of the season, he wants back in.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

FOOTBALL: Randolph is paying dividends for Holy Cross
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Dominic Randolph was a backup quarterback at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. He started only two games in his high school career and was eventually moved to wide receiver. While St. Xavier starter Robby Schoenhoft earned a scholarship to Ohio State, Randolph, with virtually no QB credentials, went shopping at a football camp at Harvard. And, while he was in the New England area, he made a one-day visit at Holy Cross. He wanted to be a quarterback again.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

BASKETBALL: Lafayette College men's and women's basketball teams ready for season openers
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Andrew Brown's many Type-A personality traits should serve him well this season as the only senior on a Lafayette College men's basketball team loaded with inexperience. He's definitely embraced his role as co-captain along with junior guard Jeff Kari and doesn't mind being the only senior left on the team of the group of five who entered Lafayette together in 2005. Tammy Smith's toleration of some occasional pranks by her fun-loving Lafayette women's squad will do the same for her as she begins her eighth season on College Hill. Smith actually led off her speech at Monday night's Tip-Off Dinner with a story about how some of her players tried to scare some of their teammates who were dog-sitting at Smith's house while Smith attended a World Series game in Philadelphia last month. The pranksters succeeded by covering their faces with masks and banging on the doors. The young women inside had no clue it was just their teammates goofing around until after they called both Smith and the police and everyone was able to laugh about it later -- except for some tense moments at the start of their next practice, when they weren't sure how Smith was going to work them.

BASKETBALL: Leopards facing tough openers
The Morning Call/ By Andre D. Williams
So much for playing easy non-league basketball games. The Lafayette College men's and women's basketball teams are not doing that. The men, despite losing three senior starters to graduation, will host defending Atlantic 10 tournament champion Temple on Nov. 21 at Kirby Sports Center. The women, who went 14-16 last season for their best record since going 15-13 in the 1997-98 season, open against Middle Tennessee on Saturday in the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Leopard women better be ready to run the court.

Monday, November 10, 2008

FOOTBALL: Healthier Leopards have must-win game
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
DeAndre Morrow is full-go. Maurice White is stepping up his rehab. And Tyrell Coon, as evidenced by his performance on Saturday, isn't about to give way for anyone. Frank Tavani will welcome as many healthy Lafayette tailbacks as possible to Fisher Stadium on Saturday, when his 7-2 Leopards undoubtedly hope to use their running game to keep Dominic Randolph off the field and stay in the chase for a postseason playoff bid. ''When we can get our running game going and mix it in with some other things, we can be pretty tough, too,'' Tavani said Sunday as he looked ahead briefly to Lafayette's 1 p.m. Saturday date with Holy Cross and record-setting quarterback Randolph.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette never really threatened in runaway victory over Bucknell
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
LEWISBURG, Pa. | Total control of the line of scrimmage led to eventual control of the scoreboard Saturday by Lafayette College. The Leopards finished off the last of five straight road games in style by punishing Patriot League rival Bucknell, 38-21, in a game that would have been more lopsided if not for a couple of defensive burps and a 100-yard kickoff return by A.J. Kizekai after Lafayette's first touchdown. Lafayette piled up 474 yards of offense while limiting the Bison to 222 in running their record to 7-2 overall, 3-1 in the league. Playing without starting quarterback Rob Curley, who was sitting out another week with a concussion, the Leopards still were able to run and throw with remarkable efficiency. This was mostly due to career performances by junior tailback Tyrell Coon and senior tight end Michael Conte. Coon carried 30 times for 169 yards and a touchdown. Conte caught four passes, including a touchdown, for 118 yards. Both have missed multiple games this season due to injuries. Fittingly, Conte gave credit to an offensive line that featured left tackle Ryan Hart-Predmore playing through a torn medial collateral ligament.

FOOTBALL: Road-weary Lafayette heads home after win over Bucknell
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
If the Lafayette football coaches gave a Comeback Player of the Year Award, they would have a lot of worthy nominees this year. A couple of the walking wounded stated their cases emphatically Saturday as the Leopards kept alive their postseason hopes with a 38-21 Patriot League victory over Bucknell. Running back Tyrell Coon and tight end Michael Conte had career games. Linebacker Andy Romans had the kind of performance people have come to expect of him the last couple of years. Add to that the veteran-like play of quarterback Marc Quilling, making his first college start in place of injured Rob Curley and you have a successful ending to what coach Frank Tavani called ''five very, very long weeks on the road'' by winning for the seventh time in nine weeks and setting the stage for an even bigger homecoming this weekend.

Friday, November 7, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette football puts tough Colgate loss behind it and focuses on Bucknell
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Shaking off last week's 21-13 loss at Colgate figures to be quite a bit more difficult for the Lafayette College football team than recovering from its only other setback of the season -- a 27-13 thumping at the hands of Harvard in early October. Colgate is a Patriot League rival that hasn't lost a league game, which means the Leopards now will need some help if they are to climb back to the top of the league standings this season and return to the FCS playoffs. On top of that, they left Hamilton, N.Y. last Saturday knowing they gave away a game they had a chance to secure earlier. Nevertheless, putting all that behind them is what the Leopards will have to do in order to come back strong this Saturday at Bucknell for the last of five straight road games.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette and Bucknell QBs still hobbiling
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
On the film of Bucknell's Patriot League game against Holy Cross last weekend, Bison quarterback Marcello Trigg could be seen on the sidelines, leaning on crutches, a brace on one knee. Film of Lafayette's game against Colgate may have shown Leopard quarterback Rob Curley on the sidelines, too, even though his injury was not as easy to spot. Given the apparent uncertain status of the two starters, it was interesting to hear coaches Tim Landis of Bucknell and Frank Tavani of Lafayette talk about it on Tuesday. Maybe it was fitting that, on Election Day, they sounded like a couple of politicians.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

FOOTBALL: Sports Flashback
TownTalkNews.com (Delaware Country, Pa.)/ By Rich Pagano
This football season marks the 60th anniversary of a controversial decision that knocked Lafayette College out of the running to play in the Sun Bowl Football Classic against Texas Mines, now known as Texas-El Paso. The game was to be played in El Paso, Texas, on New Year's Day 1949.Lafayette had been invited to play in the football classic, but on November 23, 1948, word filtered out that the faculty had voted not to send the Leopard team. According to an article by Charles H. Martin, a University of Texas-El Paso history professor, "nearly 1,500 concerned young men marched to the nearby home of the school's president, Ralph C. Hutchinson, to demand an explanation."

Monday, November 3, 2008

FOOTBALL: No margin of error for Leopards
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
As Frank Tavani talked with a reporter shortly after noon Sunday, his Lafayette players were watching film of Saturday's 21-13 loss to Colgate. ''I want 'em to be upset, and by the time they finishing seeing that, they'll be like me Â... really upset,'' Tavani said. But on the flip side, Tavani added, ''We have the 24-hour rule, so by 4 p.m., we spit that one out and it's all Bucknell.'' A trip to Lewisburg on Saturday will mark the start of the most important stretch of Lafayette's season. The Leopards had a three-game winning streak halted at Colgate; but more importantly, they are 3-1 in the Patriot League. They have no margin for error the rest of the way - games at home against Holy Cross and Lehigh follow the one at Bucknell.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College football can't stop the run in second half, loses at Colgate 21-13
The Express-Times/ By Michael Loré
HAMILTON, N.Y. | With Jordan Scott, the Patriot League's all-time leading rusher slowly returning from a high ankle sprain injury suffered three weeks ago, Lafayette's most difficult assignment was containing his backup, Nate Eachus. The Leopards limited the freshman in the first half, however, the second half was a different story, as Eachus scored two touchdowns, helping Colgate come from behind and beat Lafayette 21-13 at Andy Kerr Stadium. Eachus was held to 44 yards on nine carries in the game's first 30 minutes. In Colgate's go-ahead scoring drive with less than 13 minutes remaining in the game, Eachus had 13 carries for 58 yards and scored on a 1-yard run, giving Colgate the 21-13 lead and eventual victory.

MEN'S SOCCER: Lafayette shuts out Navy for fifth straight win
The Morning Call
The Lafayette men's soccer team used three goals from three different players to record a 3-0 shutout of LafayettePatriot League opponent Navy on Saturday afternoon. B.J. Glenn, Steve Ference and Shane Pruitt provided the offense for the Leopards, who have now won five straight games. Lafayette, which improves to 8-5-3 on the season and 3-1-2 in league play, recorded its sixth shutout of the season and held the Mids (4-10-3, 0-5-1) to 11 shots in the game. Goalie Philip Nelson finished with three saves to record his second shutout of the year. The Leopard offense, which was quiet for the first half, exploded for three second-half goals in a 20-minute span to put Navy away. Lafayette wasted no time in putting the pressure on Navy's defense, as Pruitt registered the match's first shot just a minute into the game. The Midshipmen out-shot Lafayette in the first half, 8-5, and took four corners to the Leopards none, but Nelson came up with two saves to keep the Midshipmen off the scoreboard.

FOOTBALL: Colgate runs away from Lafayette
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
The game, the way Nate Eachus saw it, was pretty simple. Give Greg Sullivan ''a soft pocket'' for the football and let him do his thing. For two quarters Saturday, it looked like Lafayette was inside the head of Sullivan, Colgate's quarterback. He was pressing and very little was going right. The Raiders had just 43 rushing yards on 17 attempts and Sullivan completed only two of nine passes - one of them to the Leopards. And still, Lafayette led by only 10 points. Then, given life when Lafayette fumbled after having a first down on the Colgate 5 in the third quarter, Sullivan either gave the ball to Eachus or pulled it back and made a play himself as the Raiders literally ran the proud Leopards defense into the ground in a 21-13 victory. The loss left Lafayette in a win-or-else situation the rest of the Patriot League season.

Friday, October 31, 2008

FOOTBALL: Battered Leopards face another huge Patriot League test
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | On the one hand, Lafayette College football coach Frank Tavani does not buy into the notion that this Saturday's game at Colgate will decide the Patriot League title. On the other, he suspects it. "As I've told our football team," Tavani said, "in normal circumstances the championship usually goes through Hamilton, N.Y., and this year is no different." Tavani knows if his Leopards (6-1, 2-0) can't hand the Raiders (6-2, 2-0) their first league loss (1:06 p.m., RCN-4), he won't be able to expect anyone else to do it, either. They'll almost certainly have to do it at less than full strength, particularly at linebacker, where they could be missing the heart and soul of their defense in outside linebacker Andy Romans. Romans, the team's leading tackler, has hip and ankle injuries and finished last week's 48-13 win at Fordham in street clothes.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

FOOTBALL: Saturday could be a rush to judgment
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
On Tuesday, Dick Biddle was a master of hyperbole one minute and a master of understatement the next. The Colgate University football coach didn't mind laying it on thick as he talked about his upcoming opponent, Lafayette.

Monday, October 27, 2008

FOOTBALL: Romans questionable for Colgate game
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
It's almost inconceivable to talk about a Lafayette football game without mentioning the defense, yet Saturday's 48-13 victory over Fordham had so many offensive story lines that the defense could easily be shoved into the background. Things might have gone differently, though, if not for a couple of stands by assistant coach John Loose's troops.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

BASEBALL: Tampa Bay Rays' Maddon shows value of Lafayette education
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Tampa Bay rays manager Joe Maddon might come from a small town (Hazleton), but he uses big words that would make Peter Gabriel proud. Maddon's splendid sense of humor was on display again a couple of hours ago, when the former Lafayette College football and baseball player talked about how grateful he was to be at Citizens Bank Park for a possible rain delay against the Phillies in this World Series instead of, say, Boston's cramped Fenway Park clubhouse. "This kind of facility ameliorates that situation a bit and permits you to get through the moment," he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette pounds out 322 yards on the ground en route to a 48-13 victory over Fordham in Patriot League competition
The Express-Times/ By Michael Lore
BRONX, N.Y. | It's unfortunate when a starter goes down like Lafayette junior tailback Tyrell Coon did after the first play of the game against Fordham at Jack Coffey Field on Saturday afternoon. But, with the injury, freshman Jerome Rudolph -- not even listed on the two-deep depth chart -- was given the chance to shine on the rainy afternoon. Rudolph had 140 yards rushing and three total touchdowns to lead the No. 24-ranked Leopards past Fordham 48-13.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette's ground attack grinds up Fordham, 48-13
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Fordham's legendary Seven Blocks of Granite would have loved this one. The Lafayette offensive line, challenged to give the defense a rest at the start of the fourth quarter Saturday, responded by clearing the way for a 10-minute, 45-second, 16-play drive that would have rubbed the Fordham defense's faces in the mud, except that Jack Coffey Field is now covered with FieldTurf. ''Ninety yards, no throws; that's my kind of football, baby,'' coach Frank Tavani said after his Leopards dismantled the Rams and romped to a 48-13 Patriot League victory that put Lafayette's road-swing winning streak at three games and sent the defending league champ to its third loss in as many Patriot starts. Why make such a big deal out of the final touchdown in a 35-point victory? Well, maybe because of the rap the Leopard offense has gotten the past month. In the last eight quarters before today, Lafayette scored only three points on offense. The final drive Saturday produced its second TD of the second half. The drought was ended -- emphatically. And Tavani was bathing in the glow.

Friday, October 24, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette returns to Patriot League action after huge win over Liberty
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Climbing their way back into the national football rankings was no easy task for the Lafayette College Leopards, who are No. 24 in the latest Football Championship Subdivision poll by The Sports Network. Staying there could prove to be tougher. Coming off what coach Frank Tavani called "as good a win (35-21 at Liberty) as I've been involved in in my 23 years here," the 5-1 Leopards will hope to bring the same kind of energy to the Bronx this Saturday, when they clash with Patriot League rival Fordham. Tavani made it clear this week that he is not fooled by Fordham's 3-3 record.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

BASEBALL: Lafayette teammate Hal Kamine remembers Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon as smart, tough player
The Express-Times/ By Corky Blake
Hal Kamine broke into Lafayette College's starting lineup as a freshman second baseman when future Los Angeles Dodgers' draft choice Art Fischetti dislocated his shoulder after the Leopards came north from their spring training trip. As part of the Leopards' infield, Kamine knew where to look for leadership and direction -- catcher Joe Maddon. Maddon signed a free agent contract with the California Angels after his junior year at Lafayette in 1975. Thirty-one years in the Angels organization as a player, scout and coach prepped him to be hired as manager of the struggling Tampa Bay Rays in 2006. Tonight, the pride of Hazleton, Pa., will be introduced in Tropicana Field as the manager of the American League champions for Game 1 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kamine, who lives in Hunterdon County, is a devout New York Yankees fan. When the Yankees were eliminated from contention, he transferred allegiances to his former teammate's club. Maddon came to Lafayette as a football and baseball standout. He was a quarterback on the football team and a pitcher/shortstop for Norm Gigon's baseball squad. Though he led the Leopards' freshmen to a win over Lehigh, Maddon gave up football to concentrate on baseball and chase his dream of becoming a big league player.

FOOTBALL: Leopards get spots in national polls
The Morning Call
Lafayette football team's upset of then-No. 14 Liberty earned the Leopards their first spot in two national polls. Lafayette is ranked No. 24 by The Sports Network and No. 26 in the FCS Coaches Poll. Lafayette was the top team outside of the FCS's top 25 in terms of votes received (35). The Leopards (5-1, 1-0 Patriot) have been ranked in the top 25 in five straight years (2004-08). The Leopards snapped Liberty's 11-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, with a 35-21 victory on the Flames' home turf.

BASEBALL: Still the same ol' Joe
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Norm Gigon is not one of those former professional athletes you see hanging around the locker room years after they've moved on. He just doesn't see the point to it. And in the past 30 years, since Art Fischetti decided it was time to put aside his sports dream and move on to the real work-a-day world, he never turned back, either. So, don't look for Gigon or Fischetti at either Citizens Bank Park or Tropicana Field over the next week or so. But if they really wanted to attend the World Series between the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, both would have an open door to the Rays' locker room. Gigon, a former big leaguer who coached Lafayette College baseball from 1968-82, and Fischetti, co-captain of the 1975 Lafayette team and one of a bunch of Leopards drafted by a major league club in that era, have close ties to a major player in the World Series: Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. A bio on Maddon listed on the Tampa Bay Online Web site, includes this line: ''Biggest baseball influence: Norm Gigon, former Lafayette College coach.'' And Maddon's ongoing devotion to Lafayette is evidenced by a quote he gave for a story in the college's Alumni News a couple of years ago. ''In my bio in the Angels' media guide, it says that I attended Lafayette University,'' Maddon said then. ''Could you please tell our media relations department in Anaheim to change it to Lafayette College, because people are going to associate it with Lehigh University and that is something I do not want to happen.''

FOOTBALL: Fordham could be a spoiler for Lafayette
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Fordham may be the team Patriot League football coaches would least like to face these days. If history is an indicator, the defending champion Rams, despite what coach Tom Masella, speaking on a conference call on Tuesday, said is ''the same group of kids,'' have already eliminated themselves from a chance to repeat by losing to Colgate and Lehigh. No team with two losses has ever won or tied for the league championship. Fordham was voted the preseason favorite, and the Rams could make it tough for the rest of the contenders in what looks like a wide-open race. Lafayette, riding high after stunning nationally ranked Liberty to move to 5-1 for the season and into the top 25 in The Sports Network's weekly FCS poll, will have to avoid a letdown when it goes to Jack Coffey Field in Bronx, N.Y. Saturday to meet the Rams.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College football team cracks The Sports Network FCS Top 25
The Express-Times
The Lafayette College football team jumped into The Sports Network's FCS Top 25 after dealing No. 14 Liberty University its first loss 35-21 on Saturday in Lynchburg, Va. Frank Tavani's 5-1 Leopards check in at No. 24 after being unranked all season.

Monday, October 20, 2008

FOOTBALL: Leopards get jolt from electric crowd
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
After getting a quick first down on its first possession of Saturday's game, the Lafayette offense sputtered. A 5-yard penalty and then, after a 10-yard completion, a run for no yards and an incomplete pass. Rob Curley and Co. headed for the sidelines as Davis Rodriguez, the Leopards' regular kicker, came in to punt. The low, driving kick fluttered badly -- and then took crazy bounces on the FieldTurf at Liberty University's Williams Stadium. For some strange reason, veteran returner Dominic Bolden tried to field it. He muffed it, and Lafayette's Tim Watson fell on the loose ball.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette football stuns 14th-ranked Liberty as Romans delivered key blocked punt
The Express-Times/ By Chris Lang
LYNCHBURG, Va. | For all that Andy Romans had accomplished in his Lafayette College career, he had never blocked a kick. Until Saturday. Romans stormed untouched through the Liberty University line on a punt early in the third quarter, blocked Matt Bevins' punt, scooped the ball at the Flames' 15 and ran in for a back-breaking touchdown. Romans' block gave the Leopards enough cushion to survive a late Liberty rally and escape with a 35-21 victory, a win that snapped the nation's longest FCS win streak.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette sends Liberty down in flames, 35-21
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Lafayette was not supposed to be able to play ''Anything you can do, I can do better'' on Saturday. Not against this undefeated team and not in front of a raucous crowd that was the second largest in the history of Williams Stadium. But the Leopards' offense and special teams, under fire from their coaches all week, answered with statement games. And the defense? Well, it was what the defense has been all season -- merely spectacular when the game was on the line. From capitalizing on a Liberty University blunder on the first series to pulling off a successful fake punt in the closing two minutes to keep the ball away from the potentially explosive Flames, the Leopards had what coach Frank Tavani called ''as good an away game as I've been involved in as head coach'' and upset the No. 14-ranked Flames 35-21 to move to 5-1 for the season.

FOOTBALL: Flames left at a loss after first defeat
The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.)/ By Chris Lang
Some Liberty players rushed off the field. Others trudged along, their heads hung low. But one look at Flames center Mike Godsil told the entire story. He stared straight ahead as he walked into the tunnel that leads to LU's football opera-tions center, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions. Anger. Frustration. Cold determination. The Flames were left to ponder a strange feeling Saturday, one they hadn't felt in more than a year. Defeat. Lafayette, a perennial Patriot League contender, played sharp and focused and took advantage of a disastrous game by Liberty's special teams to beat the Flames, 35-21, and end two 11-game Liberty win streaks. The Flames last loss was a 35-34 defeat at Toledo last Oct. 6, and they hadn't lost a home game since Oct. 21, 2006, when Gardner-Webb erased a 17-point halftime deficit and beat LU 27-24.

FOOTBALL: Fumble on kick return turns tide against Flames
The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.)/ By Chris Lang
Liberty coach Danny Rocco called it a "poor, poor decision," the play in the first quarter that changed the entire tone of the Flames' game with Lafayette on Saturday. Liberty forced the Leopards to punt on their first series, and Lafayette coach Frank Tavani elected to use place kicker Davis Rodriguez rather than punter Tom Kondash. With the Leopards punting into the wind, Tavani wanted Rodriguez to boot a low, soccer-style kick that would negate a big return. Dominic Bolden waved his hands at the ground, signaling his teammates to stay away from the ball. It bounded forward on the turf and took another tricky bounce toward the sideline. Bolden tried to field the kick but muffed it. Lafayette recovered the fumble and, seven plays later, scored a touchdown.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette prepares for Big South power Liberty University
The Express-Times/ By Barry Miller
The Lafayette's football team knows it needs to get its offense going, especially this week against Liberty University. Lafayette junior defensive lineman Allan Whitesall. During his weekly press conference, coach Frank Tavani admitted little mistakes keep adding up and short-circuiting the Leopards, who've scored only 13 points in each of the last two games. Defensive lineman Allan Whitesell, who contributed a blocked field goal, recorded a sack and had two tackles for losses in the victory last week over Columbia, said it will take contributions from the defense, offense and special teams in order to beat undefeated Liberty. Listen to Whitesell's commentary below on traveling to Lynchburg, Virginia to take on the Flames.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette subs filled the order, taking out Lions
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
One athlete's injury is another's opportunity. Ask Lafayette College's DeAndré Morrow and Alan Whitesell. Morrow was pressed into action at tailback last Saturday when starter Maurice White and backup Tyrell Coon were both injured earlier in the game against Columbia. Whitesell, a 6-6 junior defensive end, got the first start of his career, but only because starter Luke Schade was unable to play. Lafayette coach Frank Tavani has said repeatedly that in the course of a season, a team can be sure that some measure of its success will depend on the readiness of guys who would otherwise spend most of their time watching. Morrow and Whitesell are perfect examples of that theory.

Monday, October 13, 2008

FOOTBALL: Tavani unhappy with 'Pards' spotty offense
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
The Lafayette football team is five weeks into the season, and coach Frank Tavani should be pretty satisfied. The Leopards are, after all, 4-1. But, the admitted perfectionist is far from satisfied - particularly with the offense. ''I can't believe I'm still talking about the same things after all this time,'' Tavani said Sunday. ''We are so much better offensively, but we are not progressing and getting better to my expectations.'' While the defense, according to Tavani ''doesn't bat an eye lash'', the inconsistency of the offense continues to baffle him. Lafayette did just enough again Saturday at Wien Stadium in New York City to defeat winless Columbia 13-3. The offense had 301 total yards - 151 rushing and 150 passing. While it did have an 80-yard drive for a touchdown in the second quarter and chewed up 6 minutes, 58 seconds of the fourth quarter en route to a field goal, it was what the offense did - or didn't do - the rest of the day that concerned the ninth-year coach.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

FOOTBALL: Third-string tailback sparks Lafayette to 13-3 football victory over Columbia
The Express-Times
NEW YORK | Last Monday, DeAndre' Morrow walked into coach Frank Tavani's office in the Bourger Field House and asked about a possible position change. "DeAndre' was our third tailback," Tavani said after his Lafayette College Leopards improved to 4-1 with a 13-3 win over Columbia on Saturday. "He thought maybe he could switch to cornerback and help the team out more. I told him I'd think it over for a day and let him know." Ultimately, Tavani thought better of the position change -- and that's probably a good thing. Starter Maurice White suffered a dislocated toe in the first quarter and Morrow took advantage of his extended playing time. The speedy junior from Hilton Head, S.C., rushed for a game-high 82 yards, and Morrow's 7-yard burst in the second quarter accounted for the game's only touchdown and put Lafayette ahead 10-0. Morrow carried 14 times.

FOOTBALL: Morrow, Lafayette bring more sorrow to Columbia
The Morning Call
NEW YORK - DeAndre Morrow is supposed to be the "zoom" in Lafayette's "boom-zoom-Coon" running back tandem that also includes Maurice White ("boom") and Tyrell Coon. But Saturday, Morrow put his 5-9, 180-pound into power mode on a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and on a big third-down play in the fourth to help Lafayette beat Columbia 13-3 at Wien Stadium. Morrow was thrust into the lead role when White went out with an apparent toe injury and Coon also was injured. If this was what he has been waiting for -- the playing time, that is -- then Morrow made a statement as he enabled the Leopards to win for the fourth time in five games and hand Columbia its fourth consecutive loss.

Friday, October 10, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College football team travels to Columbia to start a five-game road trip
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Realistically, the Lafayette College football team could not have anticipated a perfect season. The Leopards, no matter how well they played, knew they were in for a few harsh obstacles from the start. On the other hand, the force with which they were smacked in the mouth by Harvard last Saturday in a 27-13 loss was a bit unexpected, leaving them to pick up the pieces and move on to this Saturday's non-league game at Columbia. On Tuesday, defensive end Jason Mills suggested the team may have been too excited at the start before settling down to play a much better second half.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

FOOTBALL: White works to earn his spots
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Raymond Williams was the blue chip running back at Cleveland Benedictine High School in 2003. He led the team to a state championship, was named Ohio's Mr. Football and received a full athletic scholarship from West Virginia. From there, it was all downhill. He lost the scholarship when he was charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery in 2004. He pleaded guilty and was spared a prison term. The University of Toledo gave him a second chance, but he violated his probation last year and was sent to prison. He's out now and playing football at Division II Shaw University in Charlotte, N.C. Maurice White was the other running back on that Benedictine state championship team.

Monday, October 6, 2008

FOOTBALL: Tavani eyes stronger finish
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Lafayette has a disturbing trend taking hold of its football team. It's called the second half. For the second straight game, the Leopards failed to score a point in the final 30 minutes. They escaped against Penn on Sept. 27 on the strength of an impressive first half; but on Saturday, when they needed to rally from behind against Harvard, they came away empty again. ''What is disheartening is that since we've been here, we've been pretty much of a second-half team,'' coach Frank Tavani said Sunday. ''It would be easier if I could totally credit Harvard, which played its best game of the season. But I can't do that.'' Actually, problems were deeper than one half. How bad was it? Tavani said that for the first time in his 23 years on College Hill -- this is his ninth as head coach -- a Lafayette team failed to achieve a single goal on either offense or defense. None. Nada. Not one. As in 0-for-20. So, you can bet that when Lafayette heads for Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in New York City on Saturday to meet a Columbia University team that has not won in three starts -- but, according to Tavani, could easily be 3-0 -- things will be different.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

FOOTBALL: Mistake-prone Lafayette Leopards lose to Harvard in football
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Considering how many of the battles the Lafayette College Leopards lost along the line of scrimmage were complicated by all the mental mistakes they made against Harvard in Saturday's nonleague football game, it's amazing they were able to hang in contention until late in the fourth quarter. But all of their scrambling and solid defensive adjustments in the second half served to do was delay the inevitable as Harvard wound up walking out of Fisher Stadium with a 27-13 victory that was mostly achieved with 24 first-half points. Lafayette, which entered the game with the nation's top-ranked scoring defense in the Football Championship Subdivision, gave up three touchdowns and a field goal on Harvard's first four possessions, mostly by allowing the Crimson to convert six times on seven third-down attempts before intermission. Harvard senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti, who barely completed half his passes (15-for-28) for just over 200 yards (231) nevertheless proved to be the most lethal offensive weapon on the field. Time and again, he would either sidestep a blitz to complete a crucial third-down pass or make a run for it when the pocket collapsed.

FOOTBALL: Pizzotti, Harvard hand Lafayette first loss
The Boston Globe/ By Elliott Denman
EASTON, Pa. - Does Chris Pizzotti have a pro future? "Absolutely, no doubt about it," said Harvard coach Tim Murphy after his senior quarterback shredded the Lafayette secondary for 231 yards and a 67-yard touchdown toss to Chris Lorditch in a 27-13 dismantling yesterday of the previously unbeaten Leopards. Pizzotti, a 6-foot-5-inch, 225-pounder out of Reading (Mass.) High, climbed into 10th place on the Ivy League's all-time passing yardage list even though he wasn't close to having a career day. He'd thrown for more than 300 yards in his last three starts, but settled for 15 completions in 28 attempts in this one. For Harvard (2-1), the 2007 Ivy League kingpin, it was a happy turnaround after the tough-luck 24-22 loss to Brown a week ago and a boost to expectations of another run at the Ivy crown. But it was a devastating loss for Lafayette (3-1), after the Patriot League representative whipped its first three foes by a combined 76-29. It was Harvard's eighth consecutive victory over Lafayette.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette out to end Harvard win streak
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Frank Tavani said Tuesday that, ''my feeling is, if you can beat Harvard during the season, you deserve a piece of the Ivy League title.'' He has said pretty much the same thing about the University of Pennsylvania. No wonder. In the past 11 years, Harvard and Penn have won four Ivy championships apiece. Lafayette has had its hands full with both through the years. Coming into this season, Penn had a whopping 61-19-4 advantage over the Leopards; Lafayette had only one victory in the previous seven meetings. Harvard has a 10-2 lead in the series with Lafayette and has won seven in a row. Last week, the Leopards gave Tavani his second straight win over the Quakers 24-17. Tavani has never beaten coach Tim Murphy's Crimson. Lafayette, which is riding a seven-game winning streak over two seasons (3-0 this year), will try to change that at 1 p.m. Saturday in Fisher Stadium.

Friday, October 3, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College football team will try to improve to 4-0 against always tough Harvard
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Seven straight losses to Harvard since the 2000 season and a failure to get to 4-0 every season since 1988 are the two main historical trends Lafayette College's football team will be looking to halt when it hosts the Crimson on Saturday. But history hasn't been the Leopards' focus this season, only the present. That's a trend they're likely not to break. Coach Frank Tavani is fairly confident of that much coming off a 24-17 win over Penn the week before.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette College's Eric McGovern talks football and finances
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Eric McGovern, a junior free safety from Harrisburg, was at Lafayette College's weekly news conference today, and I had a chance to interview the economics and business major about everything from the team's defense to the country's bailout crisis.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette out to end Harvard win streak
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Frank Tavani said Tuesday that, ''my feeling is, if you can beat Harvard during the season, you deserve a piece of the Ivy League title.'' He has said pretty much the same thing about the University of Pennsylvania. No wonder. In the past 11 years, Harvard and Penn have won four Ivy championships apiece. Lafayette has had its hands full with both through the years. Coming into this season, Penn had a whopping 61-19-4 advantage over the Leopards; Lafayette had only one victory in the previous seven meetings. Harvard has a 10-2 lead in the series with Lafayette and has won seven in a row. Last week, the Leopards gave Tavani his second straight win over the Quakers 24-17. Tavani has never beaten coach Tim Murphy's Crimson. Lafayette, which is riding a seven-game winning streak over two seasons (3-0 this year), will try to change that at 1 p.m. Saturday in Fisher Stadium.

Monday, September 29, 2008

FOOTBALL: Leopards licking their wounds
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
A couple of weeks ago, Frank Tavani said his Lafayette football team really didn't need a bye week so early in the season. But after having to purchase more than the usual amount of Easton Baking Co. doughnuts Sunday to feed his players who were being attended to in the training and therapy room, Tavani admitted he wouldn't mind not having to play again on Saturday.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette comes out on top in physical football fight against Penn
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | All concerns about possible rust after a week off for the Lafayette College Leopards were wiped out after their first offensive and defensive series. The same could not be said about how they would react to injuries suffered by so many of their key players as Saturday night's nonleague game against the University of Pennsylvania wore on. Not until 45 seconds remained could the Leopards finally see their way to the finish line of a brutally-physical 24-17 win that came at the expense of game-ending injuries or worse sustained by center Michael Wojcik, tailback Tyrell Coon, safety Eric McGovern and linebacker Neil Goldsmith. Even quarterback Rob Curley came out of the game briefly in the third quarter after his throwing hand went numb from a shot to his funny bone. Still, Lafayette (3-0) played its most complete game of this young season against what easily was its finest opponent and made so many things look easy, sometimes ridiculously so, before the bodies started falling.

FOOTBALL: Lafayette beats Penn
The Philadelphia Inquirer/ By Andrew Todres
EASTON, Pa. - Despite a valiant comeback and 17-point rally late in the game, Penn could not make up a big halftime deficit at Lafayette and lost by 24-17. The Leopards (3-0) were in total control throughout the first half, as two long touchdown strikes from quarterback Rob Curley to receiver Shaun Adair helped build a 24-0 lead.

FOOTBALL: Leopards' first half good enough
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Domination is the leading team's quarterback taking a knee on three consecutive plays to affect a peaceful end. Not the end of the game, mind you; just the first half. Desperation is the losing team's coach calling a timeout with two seconds left in the half to force either a punt or a fourth-down play deep in the leading team's territory. Lafayette quarterback Rob Curley drifted from the line of scrimmage, then dropped to one knee again. When the teams left Fisher Field, it looked like Penn players were ready to wave the white flag of surrender. Leopards by 24 points. But during the 20-minute intermission, Quakers coach Al Bagnoli somehow managed to put a charge back into his club.

Friday, September 26, 2008

FOOTBALL: Quakers offer stiff test
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Two relatively easy matchups before an off week may not be the ideal way to start a season, which is why the past two weeks have been a little different for the Lafayette College Leopards than previous down periods. Because the Leopards (2-0) will step up a bit in class from their previous two opponents when they host the University of Pennsylvania (1-0) Saturday at Fisher Stadium (6:07 p.m., RCN-4), coach Frank Tavani worked them quite a bit harder than he normally does with a bye week that comes later in the season. Penn comes in after extending Villanova, which is ranked 19th in the Sports Network's FCS national poll, to overtime, where it dropped a 20-14 decision at home. Lafayette hasn't played since handing Georgetown a 24-6 defeat on Sept. 13.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

FOOTBALL: Interview with Lafayette College's Neil Goldsmith
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
I spoke yesterday with sophomore Neil Goldsmith, a starting outside linebacker for the Lafayette College football team. Goldsmith obviously is a special talent to have been able to crack the starting lineup as a sophomore, particularly after missing all of last season as a medical redshirt following knee surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament that was torn for the second time last summer. Goldsmith talked about that and about the prospect of playing this Saturday evening against his older brother, Drew, a starting defensive tackle for the University of Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

FOOTBALL: Leopards' Goldsmith paying dividends
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Neil Goldsmith has two dates written on his arm in permanent marker: 9-27-06 and 9-28-07. Most athletes wouldn't care to celebrate the anniversary of a season-ending knee injury -- and certainly not two knee injuries, almost exactly a year apart. But Goldsmith, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound sophomore linebacker for Lafayette's undefeated Leopards, said Tuesday he wrote the dates on his arm following the Georgetown game ''to remind me what I had to go through. That was rough, but now that I'm here, I'm glad I went through it.'' The Lafayette coaches are glad, too.

Monday, September 15, 2008

FOOTBALL: Bye week won't mean additional rest for Lafayette
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Football teams often welcome an in-season bye week. A time to heal. A time to take a breath. A time to prepare for what lies ahead, but at a more leisurely pace. For Lafayette, which won its second game of 2008 on Saturday night 24-6 over Georgetown, the bye week begins now. But coach Frank Tavani doesn't necessarily welcome it; and he says the pace for his Leopards will be anything but leisurely.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

FOOTBALL: Leopards lean on defense
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | One big catch-and-run by the Hoyas of Georgetown University not only helped spoil a shutout bid by their Lafayette football counterparts, but turned what should have been a comfortable Leopards victory into a tense affair heading down the stretch. In the end, though, the host Leopards were able to exhale after holding on for a solid 24-6 Patriot League triumph in front of 10,134 fans at Fisher Stadium. This was a 17-6 game after Georgetown scored its only touchdown with 9:46 to play. But a botched extra point and a Lafayette defense that allowed no more first downs the rest of the way made it impossible for the Hoyas (1-1, 0-1) to get any closer. Much like the week before in a 28-6 romp at Marist, Lafayette (2-0, 1-0) leaned heavily on its defense. Wide receivers Shaun Adair (five catches, 74 yards) and Tim Watson (four catches, 79 yards) also played huge roles, particularly on the game-opening series that put Lafayette up for good.

FOOTBALL: Leopards not sharp in PL debut
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Frank Tavani said Rob Curley is a voracious film watcher. Well, the Lafayette quarterback will have plenty to watch today - and he may not like all of it. The quarterback did some good things Saturday night in directing Lafayette to a 24-6 Patriot League victory over Georgetown. But he probably didn't do enough to produce the same kind of result against some of the league teams that loom ahead. Curley scored a pair of touchdowns on quarterback sneaks - but he also was sacked four times. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 175 yards and was not intercepted, but there were times when he failed to make the best decisions. He knows it. He said as much after the game. And when he looks at that game film, as he is sure to do, he will probably be his own worst critic.

Friday, September 12, 2008

FOOTBALL: Careful not to look ahead
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Realistically, the most difficult aspect Lafayette faces in preparing for its Patriot League and home football opener against Georgetown is to keep from peeking ahead to some more difficult opponents down the road. The Leopards may not be expected to dismantle the Hoyas on Saturday night at Fisher Stadium (6:07 p.m., Lafayette Sports Network) the way they took apart Marist last Saturday night in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but they should be able to head into their off week with momentum gained from a second straight decisive victory. Overconfidence shouldn't be a problem, to hear senior linebacker Andy Romans tell it. With raindrops and perspiration still pouring off his head moments after the win over Marist, Romans proclaimed the team not satisfied.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

FOOTBALL: Kelly's not alone in his thoughts
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Kevin Kelly is in only his third season as head football coach at Georgetown. But if you're thinking that makes him relatively inexperienced, think again. Kelly epitomizes the journeyman concept. Southern Connecticut State, Bowdoin, Northeastern, Dartmouth, Tulane, Syracuse, Marshall and Navy are all on his resume. Georgetown is Kelly's first opportunity to put his own stamp on a program; and, up until now, it is still very much a work in progress. The Hoyas were 3-19 in Kelly's first two years.

FOOTBALL: Take 5 with Rob Curley
The Morning Call/ By Stephen Miller
Curley was named Lafayette's starting quarterback for 2008 after starting the final four games of the 2007 season. He was MVP of last year's Lafayette-Lehigh game, completing 15 of 25 passes for 257 yards and throwing the winning touchdown pass with 2:53 to play.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

FOOTBALL: A conversation with Ryan Hart-Predmore of Lafayette College
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
I spoke with Ryan Hart-Predmore, the starting left tackle for the Lafayette College football team, this afternoon. We covered a variety of issues, starting with the adjustments he had to make after being asked to slide over from the guard spot to what is considered the most important position along a line that is entrusted to protect a right-handed quarterback. Hart-Predmore, an honors student, also talked about how beneficial it was for him to hang with most of his teammates on campus this past summer and the approach the team must take in order to get to the tougher opponents on its schedule without any slip-ups against the Marists and the Georgetowns of the world.

Monday, September 8, 2008

FOOTBALL: Sideline tip helps Leopards' White to a TD
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Sometimes, the guys on the sidelines have the best view. At least, that's what happened for Lafayette tailback Maurice White during Saturday night's 28-6 win over Marist at Tenney Stadium in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Lafayette spent a good part of the game neutralizing the effects of a driving rainstorm with a punishing inside ground game. It made perfect sense for the Marist defense to make adjustments.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

FOOTBALL: Smash-mouth style pays off for Leopards
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. | A driving easterly rainstorm delivered by Tropical storm Hanna had the football squirting loose all over the field Saturday night at Marist College's Tenney Stadium. Unfortunately for the home team, all the loose footballs turned out not to matter to the Red Foxes' opponent, Lafayette, which overcame two lost fumbles and a pair of botched punts to escape with a 28-6 victory in its nonleague season opener. Despite dominating play throughout on their way to compiling a 430-95 advantage in total yards, the Leopards were not able to relax until well into the fourth quarter, which began with junior tailback Maurice White breaking off a 28-yard touchdown run and Davis Rodriguez adding the extra point for a 21-6 advantage.

FOOTBALL: White, Leopards smash Red Foxes
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
A gusty wind helped the football go through the air like a butterfly at times Saturday night, but Ron Curley completed five of his six pass attempts in the first quarter - one for a touchdown. The same ball squirted like a greased pig out of the hands of runners, receivers and visitors' kick returners alike; but Curley picked up one of his own fumbles and ran it in for a 27-yard touchdown. A small group of Lafayette faithful eschewed the weatherman's predictions of monsoon-like rains and came to Tenney Stadium anyway - and all for the privilege of sitting in a ''grandstand'' that consisted of three 50-by-70-yard slabs of concrete block, separated by a couple of rows of natural grass. They deserved more for their perseverance. So, Maurice White gave it to them.

Friday, September 5, 2008

FOOTBALL: Defense has a winning formula
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
EASTON | Forget the one-game-at-a-time approach. Lafayette's defensive players have been trained to break that down further, according to junior middle linebacker Mark Leggiero. "We know that we have talent on defense and we know that we can be great," he said. "But if we don't play together as a team, that's never going to happen. And our coaches ... tell us all the time that we've got to focus on the next snap. We can't look toward the future. You can't think about anything but the next snap." That will come 6 p.m. Saturday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where the Leopards will open their season with a nonleague game at Marist. For Leggiero, who grew up on Long Island and made an official visit to Marist before choosing Lafayette, this game will feature a little more juice than most others. Extra friends and family and some former associates are expected to be in the stands for this one.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

FOOTBALL: Leopards looking to 'Boom, Zoom, Coon' way past foes
The Morning Call/ By Paul Reinhard
Rob Curley was in the shower Tuesday morning when it came to him. ''Boom, Zoom and Coon. I think this is the best offense we've had in a while,'' Curley, Lafayette's starting quarterback, said Tuesday. ''I mean talent-wise Â... in terms of balance Â... speed - and speed is big. I thought, 'You know what? We have Boom, Zoom and Coon. That sounds pretty good.''' Boom, Zoom and Coon is Curley's description of the three talented junior running backs who are expected to play major roles in the offensive scheme this season for Lafayette, which opens its campaign against Marist at 6 p.m. Saturday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. During a 2007 season in which Lafayette used six players at tailback because of a rash of injuries, Maurice White (Boom), D'Andre Morrow (Zoom) and Tyrell Coon (the obvious) combined for just more than 800 yards rushing.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette's top-ranked defense could be even better this season
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Two digital ''countdown'' clocks have been added to the decor in Lafayette's plush Bourger Varsity Football House locker room. It is impossible for the players to miss them. One clock ticks down the days, hours and minutes to the start of the Leopards' next game -- in this case, the Sept. 6 opener at Marist. It is a good reminder that success is measured one game at a time. The other clock is diametrically opposed to the one-at-a-time theory, but it speaks volumes about the one game that will be remembered long after all the others are forgotten. The ''Beat Lehigh'' clock offers the same days-hours-minutes status regarding the 144th meeting in college football's most-played rivalry. None of the players on the 2008 roster -- not even the seniors -- were around for the 2-9 and 2-8 seasons that opened the Frank Tavani era on College Hill. Instead, today's Leopards can admire replicas of the Patriot League championship trophies of 2004, 2005 and 2006 that also are strategically placed in the locker room. Lafayette is coming off a 7-4 season that included a 4-2 mark in the league; and in preseason balloting, the Leopards were picked to finish fourth in 2008 -- behind defending champion Fordham, Holy Cross and Colgate and a slot ahead of Lehigh.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

FOOTBALL: Lafayette senior linebacker measures up in every way
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Too small, too short and too slow, Andy Romans has heard it all over the years. But instead of letting those labels bring him down, he's used them as motivation to turn himself into one of the elite linebackers in the Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) and one of the best ever at Lafayette College.

FOOTBALL: Leopards talented enough to contend
The Express-Times/ By Nick Fierro
Frank Tavani loves his Lafayette Leopards' starting spot. It's probably the best position to be in for the cross country race that is the chase for the Patriot League football crown. After winning or sharing the league title three years in a row, the coach and his players dropped back into the pack in 2007, tying three others for second place behind champion Fordham. Their regression, coupled with the emergence of Fordham and Holy Cross and always-tough Colgate, led to the Leopards being picked this preseason to finish fourth. But Tavani and everyone else in what has evolved into a tremendously competitive league knows the difference between first and fourth or even between first and sixth can be infinitesimal.

Friday, August 15, 2008