BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg football team delivered a determined defensive performance Saturday afternoon, holding Edinboro out of the end zone for three quarters before falling 9-6 at Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium.
The Huskies (1-1) limited the Fighting Scots (2-0) to 265 yards of total offense and did not surrender a point after halftime. Bloomsburg recorded six pass breakups, three tackles for loss and a sack while forcing a late turnover that gave the offense one final opportunity to complete the comeback.
Nahzier Booker (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) set the tone for the Huskies with eight tackles, including seven solo stops, a nine-yard sack, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. Garrett Garcia (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) led Bloomsburg with 11 tackles, while Brady Thompson (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) finished with nine. Dylan Clair (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College HS) added eight tackles and forced and recovered a fumble.
Bloomsburg's defense was tested immediately as Edinboro held the ball for nearly nine minutes on its opening possession. The Fighting Scots moved inside the Huskies' red zone, but Booker dropped quarterback Nico Marchitelli for a nine-yard loss before Mason Yacovelli (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood) applied pressure on third down. Edinboro's ensuing 33-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide, keeping the game scoreless.
The Fighting Scots capitalized on a Bloomsburg fumble early in the second quarter, taking over at the Huskies' 38-yard line. Jerry Dinkins scored three plays later on a 28-yard run, but the Bloomsburg defense stopped the ensuing two-point attempt to hold the margin at 6-0.
The Huskies continued to keep Edinboro in check, forcing punts on each of the Fighting Scots' next two possessions. Bloomsburg cut the deficit in half late in the second quarter when Peter Kashynski (Falls Church, Va./Justice) capped a nine-play, 42-yard drive with a 20-yard field goal.
Edinboro answered with a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the half, taking a 9-3 advantage into the locker room.
Bloomsburg opened the second half with its longest drive of the afternoon, marching 67 yards on 11 plays. Declan Clancy (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) sparked the possession with a 32-yard run on third-and-12 from the Huskies' 7-yard line. Kashynski finished the drive by converting a 41-yard field goal, pulling Bloomsburg within 9-6 with 9:27 remaining in the third quarter.
From there, the Huskies' defense refused to give Edinboro any additional breathing room.
The Fighting Scots drove to the Bloomsburg 30 on their next possession, but Ian Donohue (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain) and Dominic Fetterolf combined to stop Dinkins for a one-yard loss on third down. Edinboro went to the air on fourth-and-3, but the pass fell incomplete as the Huskies turned the Fighting Scots away.
Bloomsburg forced punts on Edinboro's next two possessions to keep the deficit at three. Xzavier Pusateri finished with three of the Huskies' six pass breakups, while Booker, Cole Turner (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) and Zhamir Rowan (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) each added one.
The defense delivered again in the closing minutes. With Edinboro attempting to run out the clock, Clair punched the ball away from Antwan Ceasar and recovered the fumble at the Fighting Scots' 46-yard line with 1:08 remaining. Bloomsburg could not convert the opportunity, however, turning the ball over on downs with 23 seconds left.
Clancy paced the Huskies' offense with 80 yards on 15 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt. Eli Zimmerman (Schnecksville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) contributed 79 return yards, including 39 yards on two punt returns.
Bloomsburg travels to Gannon on Saturday, Sept. 19, for a noon kickoff in Erie.
