COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - Dickinson sophomore running back
Diante Ball totaled 107 yards on the ground to break the 1000-yard mark for the season at 1105. However, it would not be enough as the Red and White fell behind early en route to a 38-14 loss to Ursinus College at Patterson Field on Saturday afternoon.
The home side began the game with a lengthy 11-play, 70-yard drive taking just under five minutes using a good balance of both run and pass to take a 7-0 lead with Jack Psenicska hooking up with Octavious Carter for a 33-yard strike (Dakota Wherrity kick). Dickinson began their first drive of the day at their own 33. Three rushes by Ball advanced the Devils up to the UC34. On the ensuing play quarterback
Rocco DiRico was thrown for a five-yard loss, but a facemask penalty against the Bears gave DC new life on the UC26. Ball continued to pound the rock down to the 11, before DiRico found
Johnny Knight for a ten-yard pass to the one. Unfortunately, a one-yard loss on the ground and an incomplete pass to
Princeton Douglass brought up fourth down when Dickinson put ball on the ground stalling the possession and putting the Bears 99 yards away from the house.Â
To start the second the home team found themselves on the plus side of the 50-yardline thanks in part to passes from Psenicska to Dallas Evans for 20 and Billy Cook for 22 to end the first. The duo of Dawson Fresses and Tony Holden pounded the ball on the ground to the DC20 leading to a 37-yard kick by Wherrity that went wide right to hold things at 7-0 with 12:31 left in the half. Rushes from Ball of nine and seven yards as well as six-yard carry by
Noah Boyd gave Dickinson a third-down on the DC46. DiRico completed a pass to Douglass to UC25, before hitting Knight with a 25-yard TD pass (
Matt Moroz kick). On the ensuing drive Psenicska found chunk plays through the air to Zachary Throne (16-yards) and Carter (13-yards) down to the DC8. Then on first-and-goal Holden plunged in from eight out (Wherrity kick). After a three-and-out forced by the Ursinus defense Psenicska found Evans for 15, prior to hooking up with Kevin DePrince for a 13-yard score (Wherrity kick) making it 21-7. The Bears would extend the lead to 28-7 going into the break as a
Matt Maiona punt from the shadow of the Devils endzone was blocked by Marc Clayton and recovered by Harry Thomas for the touchdown (Wherrity kick).
Dickinson put themselves in a great position to find some points right out of the break as 25-yard kick return by
Bobby Markey and a 15-yard personal foul setup the Red and White at midfield. Two carries by DiRico and a six-yard pass to Douglass put the Devils on the UC43 bringing up third down. However, an incompletion from DiRico led to a 42-yard Maiona punt to the UC5. Ursinus would then go three-and-out giving DC a chance to chip away at the deficit, but a Ball fumble gave the rock back to the hosts on the UC47. Runs from Fresses and Holden advanced the ball to the DC13. The Bears drive would stall there leading to a 30-yard Wherrity field goal (31-7) at the end of three.
The Devils went to work at the UC26 to start the fourth after
Justin Rocha recovered a fumble by Holden at the end of the third. Douglass rushed for six yards to start the drive ad then Ball scamper for eight, before DiRico found
Bryce Peterson for an 18-yard TD (Moroz kick) trimming the deficit to 31-14. After the Dickinson defense forced another punt from Cook the Red and White took over on their own 35. DiRico hit Douglass twice and Peterson once to take the drive across midfield to the UC41. A ten-yard loss by DiRico on a keeper brought up fourth-and-17 on the DC49. Fortunately, for the Devils the drive stayed alive with Markey hauling in consecutive passes for 19 and 18 yards to the UC19. A seven-yard carry for Ball to it to the 12, but then an interception by Anthony Esposito ended the DC march. The Bears would wrap-up the scoring with their final drive of the game when Holden broke through the defense and ran it in from 37-yards out (Wherrity kick) to set the 38-14 final.Â
Tanner Long led the DC defense with nine tackles, including 1.5 for loss, while
Bram Leys chipped in eight (five solo). The duo of
Alex Sulin and
Brendan Walker combined for 14 stops.
Jason Hollinger and Rocha each had six on the day.
James Basilii also added an interception.
Next on the Field
Dickinson concludes the 2022 season with a mark of 3-7 overall (3-6 Centennial) and will now turn their attention to the 2023 campaign to begin next fall.
