(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson football team suffered a tough loss on homecoming weekend, falling to Moravian College, 55-38. Chris Negron led the Greyhounds with 221 yards rushing and a school-record tying six touchdowns on the day.

Moravian struck right out of the gate as Eli Redmond took the opening kick-off 98 yards for a touchdown. That proved to be the only score in the entire first quarter. Negron stretched the lead to 14-0, early in the second quarter, scoring on a 23 yard run.

The Red Devils answered on their next possession as senior fullback Chris Soulas (Far Hills, N.J./Delbarton) broke away for a 53 yard touchdown run to put Dickinson on the board. The Greyhounds blocked the extra-point to make the score, 14-6, with 12:30 remaining in the half.

Moravian capitalized on a fumble, taking over at the Dickinson 34 yard line. They scored three plays later when Negron found pay-dirt from the eight yard line for a 21-6 lead.

The Devils were forced to punt but regained possession on a beautiful diving interception by senior Mark Manganaro (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads). The teams traded punts before Moravian turned an interception into points, extending the margin to 28-6, with just 29 seconds to play in the first half.

Senior David Clemens (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin) hit Anders Overhaug (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth) with a 23 yard pass and a personal foul on Moravian put the Devils in field-goal range. First-year kicker Stephen Walker (Darien, Conn./Darien) split the uprights from 35 yards out to make the score, 28-9, at halftime.

After the break the Red Devils looked as though they would turn things around in the second half, scoring back-to-back touchdowns to cut the deficit to 28-23, with 9:47 to play in the third quarter.

Senior Cedric Madden (Norristown, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) carried the weight and the ball on the opening drive, covering 49 yards on the drive before Overhaug plowed his way in from the 13 yard line.

The Red Devil defense came up big, forcing a three-and-out to take over on their own 31 yard line. Madden tallied 37 more yards and Soulas found the end zone with an eight yard run to pull the Devils within five.

Kevin Sherry (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven) and Teddy Airoldi (Bethlehem, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) made a huge stop on fourth down to take possession at the Dickinson 16 yard line.

The Devils were forced to punt the ball away and Moravian would close out the quarter with a pair of touchdowns to take a 42-23 advantage into the final stanza. Negron capped a 53 yard drive with a 20 yard touchdown run to make the score, 35-23.

The Greyhounds forced a fumble on the ensuing kick-off that would lead to a 21 yard touchdown pass from Mike Hayes to Redmond to end the quarter.

First-year quarterback Billy Burger (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) came on at quarterback and had a nice series, breaking free for a 41 yard touchdown in his collegiate debut. That gave the Red Devils some life, trailing 42-30, with 13:25 still left to play.

Hayes had a big run, covering 41 yards on the next possession to set up another Moravian touchdown for a 48-30 lead, with 11:16 on the clock. Manganaro blocked the extra-point into the hands of Jack Margavitch (York, Pa./Dallastown) who took off down the sideline, but was caught from behind to prevent the defensive conversion.

Dickinson moved the ball into the red zone, but a fumble found its way into the hands of Anthony Orlando to give the Greyhounds the ball on their own six yard line.

Burger came out throwing the Devils' next possession, leading a 9-play, 49 yard drive and scoring on a four yard run to keep things interesting with 4:09 to play. Burger found James Ward (Hatfield, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) in the corner of the end zone for a two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 48-38.

The Devils held on defense to force a punt, but were unable to convert on fourth down, giving Moravian possession on the Dickinson nine. Negron punched it in for his sixth TD of the day for the final of 55-38.

The Devils did put some numbers on the board as Madden rushed for 165 yards while Overhaug covered 87 and Soulas added 73 on the day. Burger tallied 48 yards rushing as Dickinson finished with 391 yards on the ground.

Senior linebacker Jake Myers (Middletown, Del./St. Andrew's) was all over the field on defense, recording a game-high 18 tackles, including a 10-yard sack. Airoldi finished with nine tackles while Sherry and Ned Emala (Baltimore, Md./Gilman School) each added eight.

Moravian improves to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Centennial Conference. The Red Devils slip to 1-3 and 1-2 in the CC. They are on the road next weekend, traveling to Franklin & Marshall for the Conestoga Wagon game. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.