Wildcat Pride: MBFranchise's Big East CAS Dynasty

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Had some computer issues, sorry for the delay. Now, back to the dynasty!

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Mech Wins on Road but Loses Shaw for 6 Weeks

Mech (2-0) 3 14 14 10 41


SDSU (0-1) 0 3 7 7 17

Senior wide receiver Andrew Utley shields the defender on the first of his two touchdown receptions.

Mechanicsburg defense dominated early as 6-4 big play receiver Andrew Utley was too big for the San Diego State corners to handle. Utley caught two first half touchdowns on the way to Mechanicsburg building a 31-10 lead at the end of the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, starting quarterback Lawrence Shaw dumped off a screen pass before being drilled by an Aztec linebacker. The jarring hit broke Shaw’s collarbone, sidelining him for the next six weeks. The Mechanicsburg defense played well throughout the game, only giving up 3 points to San Diego State in the first half.

Junior quarterback Lawrence Shaw will be watching from the sidelines as he waits for his broken collarbone to heal.

Key Stat: 6. Starting quarterback Lawrence Shaw broke his collarbone and will miss six weeks. In his absence, Jermaine Dougherty will assume the quarterback position.

Game Ball: Markell Bryan. 14 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Bryan was simply the best player on the field.

Junior Markell Bryan leads the team and is second in the nation with 25 total tackles through two games.

Coach’s Quote: “You stay classy, San Diego. I'm Ron Burgundy?”

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Turnovers Sink Dougherty’s Starting Debut

Mech (2-1) 0 7 7 7 21


Aub (3-0) 7 6 7 3 23

Auburn’s only offensive touchdown came on a leaping catch from their running back in the flat.

Mechanicsburg junior quarterback Jermaine Dougherty had his first starting opportunity at Auburn, and his nerves showed. Twice Dougherty fumbled while running the option, directly resulting in 14 of Auburn’s 23 points. The Wildcats’ road woes do not bode well for the next month and a half until regular starter Lawrence Shaw returns from injury. The much-anticipated Big East versus SEC game remained close until the end, when Dougherty fired up an interception that effectively ended Mechanicsburg’s comeback attempt.

Jermaine Dougherty looked shaky running the option, as Auburn intercepted two of his pitches and returned both for touchdowns.

Key Stat: 3. Jermaine Dougherty had 3 turnovers, two fumbles off the option and an interception.

Game Ball: Joe Stone. Defensive tackle had 8 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. The Wildcat defense played well enough to win, but turnovers eventually proved too much to overcome.

Joe Stone looks for another tackle for loss as the Wildcats shut down the Auburn ground attack.

Coach’s Quote: “Son of a bee-sting!”

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Dougherty’s 3 INTs Finish Wildcats


Battle for the Keystone State Rivalry Game

# 8 PSU (2-1) 7 6 7 6 26


Mech (2-2) 3 14 0 3 20

Tight End Thomas Strickland drags a Penn State linebacker into the end zone for the Wildcats first touchdown of the day.

Mechanicsburg has now lost back to back games after falling to Penn State. Quarterback Jermaine Dougherty once again struggled, passing for 233 yards and 2 TD’s but also issuing 3 costly interceptions. The Penn State offense did just enough to outscore a struggling Wildcat offensive unit. The turnovers proved too much to overcome, and the Wildcats now sit at .500 as they enter Big East conference play.

Penn State running back Stephfon Green racked up over 100 rushing yards. Here he is being chased by Markell Bryan.

Key Stat: 4. In addition to his three interceptions, Jermaine Dougherty also fumbled the ball, combining for four turnovers himself.

Game Ball: Andrew Utley. 5 catches for 101 yards, including a 53-yard juggling catch for TD still was not enough for Mechanicsburg to overcome its poor quarterback play.

Andrew Utley did all he could to keep the Wildcats close, including…

…this juggling, 53-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Coach’s Quote: “Knights of Columbus,that hurt!”

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Wildcats Win MountainCat Trophy Game

Mech (3-2) (1-0) 7 14 10 0 31


WVU (3-1) (0-1) 7 0 0 6 13

Senior A-Back Marcus Townsend celebrates a touchdown run as West Virginia’s Mountaineer Mascot realizes he will have to stay home for next year’s game.

What a difference a year makes. After being torched by the West Virginia rushing attack in general and Noel Devine in particular last season, the Mechanicsburg defense rose to the occasion in Morgantown. The Wildcat defense was clearly the difference in the Fight for the MountainCat rivalry. WVU only scored one offensive TD (the other was on a returned Jermaine Dougherty option pitch), and the Mechanicsburg defense equaled that with an interception returned for touchdown. Fans across Pennsylvania rejoice as West Virginians realize the Mountaineer will be sitting next to them next season, watching the game on television.

The Wildcat defense kept the Mountaineer rushing attack under wraps all game. Here Kris Bostic eyes up Eugene Smith on the option.

Key Stat: -25. WVU QB Eugene Smith rushed 10 times for –25 yards. WVU had 9 rushing yards as a team.

Game Ball: James Kent. The cornerback totaled 6 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 interception returned for a TD to end the first half.

Cornerback James Kent provided one of the big plays of the game, intercepting a WVU pass and returning it for a touchdown on the last play of the first half.

Coach’s Quote: “Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. Cannonball!”

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Wildcats Survive 27-24 Over Huskies

UConn (2-2) (0-1) 7 10 0 7 24


Mech (4-2) (2-0) 0 14 0 13 27

Marcus Townsend took this swing pass, shook a defender, and raced to the endzone for a touchdown.

The UConn Huskies struggled early in the season, but put up a tough fight on the road against Mechanicsburg. Once again the Wildcats defense played stout, the running game flourished, and wide receiver Andrew Utley did just enough to lead the Wildcats to victory. Utley had 4 catches for 110 yards. Poor Mechanicsburg quarterback play and turnovers kept the Huskies in the game, and are areas the Wildcats are looking to improve in upcoming games.

Sophomore A-Back Ricky Kemp powered his way to two touchdowns on the ground.

Key Stat: 4. Wildcats QB Jermaine Dougherty had 4 turnovers, 2 fumbles and 2 interceptions. Both fumbles were returned for UConn touchdowns.

Game Ball: UConn corner Jasper Howard had 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Jasper Howard returns Jermaine Dougherty’s errant option pitch for a crucial touchdown.

Coach’s Quote: “What? Were you saying something? Look, I don't speak Spanish.”

[MBFranchise]

2010 First Half Season Report Card

Offense: C-

The injury to Lawrence Shaw has significantly stunted the Wildcats passing attack. Jermaine Dougherty has manned the position in Shaw’s absence, and has only completed 57 of 125 passes (45%) for 933 yards and 7 touchdowns with 8 interceptions.

The lack of a passing game has allowed defenses to key in on the Mechanicsburg’s rushing attack. Ricky Kemp leads the team with 80 carries for 356 yards (4.4 avg) and 4 touchdowns. Marcus Townsend has 69 for 267 (3.8) and 2 scores while Jeremy Reyes has 32 attempts for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging a team leading 5.2 yards a carry. The quarterbacks, Lawrence Shaw and Jermaine Dougherty, have 25 and 30 carries for 87 and 30 yards, respectively.

Perhaps the lone bright spot on the offense is the play of senior wide receiver Andrew Utley. The big play threat has 26 receptions for 535 yards (20.5 avg) for 5 touchdowns. David Peoples is next with 17 for 296 and 2 scores, while Michael Stone adds 12 catches for 145 yards. Thomas Strickland has 10 receptions for 108 yards, while A-Back Marcus Townsend has 10 for 71 yards.

Defense: A-

The Wildcat defense has had a stellar first half to the 2010 campaign.

Markell Bryan 62 tackles 6 TFL 0 Sacks 1 Int
Jamal Cook 55 tackles 4 TFL 0 Sacks 0 Int
Darren Ervin 48 tackles 5 TFL 0 Sacks 0 Int
Kris Bostic 45 tackles 5 TFL 0 Sacks 0 Int
Jason Anthony 35 tackles 9 TFL 1 Sacks 0 Int
Booker Shelby 33 tackles 1 TFL 0 Sacks 0 Int
James Kent 33 tackles 2 TFL 0 Sacks 1 Int
Marcus Taylor 20 tackles 9 TFL 5 Sacks 0 Int

One area the Wildcats can improve is interceptions, where as a team they only have three in six games.

Markell Byan leads the nation in tackles with 62 through six games. Next is outside linebacker Art Laurel of Hawaii with 58.

Around the Nation

Top 10

1. Ole Miss (4-0)
2. Texas (6-0)
3. Georgia Tech (5-0)
4. USF (4-0)
5. USC (5-0)
6. Nebraska (5-0)
7. Utah (5-0)
8. North Carolina (4-1)
9. Boise State (5-0)
10. Ohio State (6-0)

Big East

1. South Florida (4-0) (1-0)
2. Mechanicsburg (4-2) (2-0)
3. West Virginia (4-1) (1-1)
4. Rutgers (3-1) (1-1)
5. Pittsburgh (1-3) (1-1)
6. Louisville (3-3) (0-1)
7. Cincinnati (3-3) (0-1)
8. Connecticut (2-3) (0-1)

Heisman

1. Darren Evans, JR RB, Virginia Tech
2. TJ Lawrence, SO WR, Florida
3. Jeremiah Masoli, SR QB, Oregon
4. Vondrell McGee, SR RB, Texas
5. Darrell Scott, JR RB, Colorado

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Utley’s Big Day Ruins Rutgers’ Night Game Black Out

Mech (5-2) (3-0) 7 14 7 0 28


#23 Rutgers (3-2) (1-2) 7 0 0 7 14

Markell Bryan goes airborne to recover a second quarter fumble.

Mechanicsburg senior wide receiver Andrew Utley once again showed why he is one of the highest-rated wideouts in the Big East. Utley made several game-changing plays throughout the game to keep the Wildcats ahead. With backup quarterback Jermaine Dougherty still starting due to injury, and displaying problems with the option in the preceding weeks, the Wildcats abandoned the option altogether in this game. The win moves the Wildcats into first place in the Big East. It was not all good news, however, as senior starting A-Back Marcus Townsend was lost for 11 weeks with a broken ankle.

Sophomore cornerback James Kent intercepted this Rutgers pass on the first play of the game.

Key Stat: 83. Mechanicsburg ran a total of 83 plays to Rutgers’ 52.

Game Ball: Andrew Utley 9 for 217 (24.1 avg) and 3 touchdowns. He continually used the combination of his size and speed to find openings in the Scarlet Knights’ secondary.

Andew Utley’s first touchdown included a summersault.

Coach’s Quote: “Is this Wilt Chamberlain?”