DelVal Football Goes Down in the Second Round

University of Mount Union advanced to the quarterfinals for the 19th straight year with a 31-3 victory Saturday over No. 18 Delaware Valley College in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
 
The Aggies' 2010 run ended with a 9-3 overall record, their third straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship and their second consecutive NCAA postseason berth.

Delaware Valley opened the playoffs with a 23-12 home victory over Salisbury University last Saturday, giving the squad at least one win in all four of its trips to the NCAAs. They then battled the 10-time Division III champions (151-5 overall record since 2000) in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
 
"We admire a team that plays tough and hard…they earned our respect today," Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres, who is 301-22-3 in his coaching career, said of the Aggies.
 
Mark Hatty completed 21 of 38 passes for 212 yards and became just the seventh player in program history to go over the 3,000-yard mark (3,010) in a career. Nearly all of Hatty's yardage came in his senior season as his 2,585 yards placed him third on the yearly chart.
 
It was also the final game for senior tailback Matt Cook, a four-time all-conference honoree and the 2010 MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He was limited for the second straight week due to an injury he re-aggravated in the regular-season finale and managed just 18 yards on seven carries. Cook ended his career as the holder of nearly every all-time rushing and scoring record including yards (4,432), touchdowns (50) and points (300).
 
Senior wideout Dan Heiland grabbed five passes for 52 yards to up his final numbers to 143 catches and 1,958 yards – fifth all-time in both categories. Classmate Joe Gionfriddo added three receptions for 30 yards.
 
Defensively, Rob Eagles and John Robinson had 12 and 10 tackles respectively to pace Delaware Valley. James, a junior linebacker, finished with nine tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
 
Senior All-American linebacker and two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Gesswein notched eight tackles to cap one of the top defensive careers in school history. He is the Aggies' all-time leader in sacks with 39 and placed third in tackles with 326.
 
For Mount Union, Murray carried the ball 19 times for 181 yards and the two scores. Shorts caught 10 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown and also added 81 yards and a score on seven rushes. Seaman completed 14 of 19 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. Lambert Budzisnski led the defensive charge with eight tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.
 
The Purple Raiders will host Alfred University in next Saturday's quarterfinals. Alfred went on the road and posted a 34-20 victory over Cortland State.