The Brown & White

The Mountain Hawks ended their tumultuous 2009 season on a high note with a victory over the hated Leopards of Lafayette College. The 145th meeting didn't fail to live up to its hype as it became an instant classic, ending with an overtime victory of 27-21.

Senior linebacker Al Pierce ended the game with an upset by intercepting a pass from Lafayette senior quarterback Rob Curley.

"We were very fired up for this game, but we did a good job of calming down and executing the plays," said senior offensive lineman Frank Giacalone. "On offense, we didn't have many mistakes. We did a better job this week because there were fewer errors and we were more focused."

Scoreless in the first quarter of the game, both Lehigh and Lafayette began the second quarter with aggressive scoring and pressing defense. The Leopards scored the first touchdown of the game when Curley connected a seven-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Mitchell Bennett. Junior kicker Davis Rodriguez scored the extra point, lifting the Leopards to a 7-0 lead.

Lehigh responded with less than 30 seconds left in the second quarter as junior quarterback JB Clark connected a pass to freshman wide receiver James Flynn, putting the Hawks on the scoreboard. Freshman kicker Jake Peery completed the point after touchdown to tie-up the game 7-7.

Lehigh's defensive unit of senior B.J. Benning, junior David Brown and senior Steven Brown lifted the Hawks with key solo tackles and sacks. The short end-zone touchdown passes from Clark to senior fullback Anthony Fossati and junior tight end Alex Wojdowski in the third and fourth quarters kept the score tied at 21-21, causing the two rival teams to battle it out in overtime play.

"As the clock was running down, I remember looking over at Anthony Fossati and it kind of hit us all at once," Giacalone said. "We were like, 'Alright, it's overtime.'"

Before going into overtime, words of encouragement from the coaching staff prepared the Mountain Hawks squad for victory. Head Coach Andy Coen and Running Backs Coach R.J. Ryan entered the mid-field huddle to motivate the players.

"The whole offense came together and Coach Ryan said to us, 'This is why you play the game. Who is going to step up and make the play to win this game?' That really got us fired up," Giacalone said.

Ryan, a starting tight end for the Mountain Hawks squad 10 years ago, has consistently offered tremendous advice and on-field motivation for the Lehigh team throughout this season.

"Coach Ryan played here and we all respect him. He really got us fired up as the clock was ticking down," said Giacalone.

Before heading back on the field for overtime, the Hawks didn't try to tweak anything, but instead remained calm and confident.

"We didn't incorporate any special plays," said Fossati. "We held Lafayette up on the 50-yard line and it was only fitting to go out there and take the win over them."

"As soon as we knew it was going to overtime, we knew that we had a chance to do something legendary," said junior offensive linesman Will Rackley.

In overtime, the Leopards won the coin toss and decided to play defense first, which gave the Hawks a chance to make a drive to score. On only two passes, Clark managed to do so with a 17-yard completion to Jake Drwal and an 8-yard touchdown strike to Wojdowski. However, Peery failed to convert on the extra point, which left the door open for the Leopards. This door was quickly slammed by Pierce as he recorded the game ending interception.

"Going out on that interception was cool for it to end. To have a senior intercept the ball and then to win the game on just one play made it really special," said Giacalone.

In a word, Pierce summed up the initial feeling of his game-winning interception as "unbelievable."

"I saw the opportunity and went for it. Once I caught it, it took me a second and I realized it was over," Pierce said.

The Hawks believe their talent and hard work was finally showcased in the grand finale victory over Lafayette, overshadowing their disappointing 4-7 overall record.

"Overall, this game definitely fortified our abilities as players and as a team," said Pierce. "Our record really doesn't show how good we are."

"It feels amazing and fulfilling to get a taste of retribution to end our season beating Laf, especially after going through so many close heartbreaking games," said junior guard Ricky Clerge.

Aside from the long practices and time spent in the weight room, the football team also attributes Saturday's stunning victory over Lafayette to the team cohesion advocated by Coen.

"Coach Coen and the rest of the Lehigh University football coaching staff really did a great job this season of solidifying a team mentality," said Pierce. "His motto was to keep us together. Everyone was behind Coen's motto and behind one another."