GAME NOTES (PDF)
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
William Paterson (1-1, 0-1 NJAC) will welcome its alumni back to campus and celebrate Homecoming Saturday, Sept. 22, when the Pioneers host Montclair State (1-2. 1-0 NJAC). Kickoff at Wightman Stadium (1,500) will be at 12:00 p.m.
Live statistics will be available via wpupioneers.com, and a
live audio broadcast will be provided by WP Brave New Radio 88.7 FM.
A number of activities and giveaways are planned for students, alumni and fans as part of the University's
Pioneer Pride Week/Homecoming, including a carnival and BBQ on the adjacent Practice Field (11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and tailgate in Lot 5 (10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.).
Scouting the Pioneers
William Paterson is 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) following a 51-0 loss at Rowan (2-1, 1-0 NJAC) Sept. 14. The Pioneers opened the season with a 9-3 home victory against King's (0-1) Sept. 1.
Junior
Ryan Gresik (Newton, N.J./Newton) is 23-for-43 for 204 yards, one touchdown and an interception under center.
Senior tailback
Dawys German (North Arlington, N.J./North Arlington), a first-team all-conference honoree a year ago, has carried 31 times for 108 yards. He has also caught a team-best five passes (16 yards). Sophomore running back
Isaac Jlaka (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) has six rushes for 40 yards.
Junior wide receiver
Brian Winfield (Newton, N.J./Newton) has accumulated 49 receiving yards on four receptions. Senior tight end
Joseph Cordato (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) has caught four passes for 26 yards.
Leading the defense is sophomore linebacker
John Garbowski (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland), who has collected 23 tackles (four solo, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack). He was an honorable-mention all-NJAC pick a year ago and currently rates second in the league with 11.5 tackles/game. Senior bandit
German Decena (Union City, N.J./Emerson) owns 22 tackles (eight solo), ranking third in the NJAC with 11.0 stops/game, and senior linebacker
Clifton Glaze (Palmyra, N.J./Palmyra) has 14 stops. Sophomore linebacker
Jedd Blackowski (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) and senior cornerback
Adam Curry (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) have each made 13 tackles.
William Paterson returned nine offensive starters and eight defensive starters from a 2011 team that finished 4-6 overall and 3-6 in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. The Pioneers, who welcomed back 54 letterwinners and five all-conference selections, were predicted to finish sixth in the 2011 NJAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Scouting the Red Hawks
Montclair State is 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) after a 7-0 victory against Morrisville State (0-3, 0-1 NJAC) Sept. 15. Under the direction of head coach Rick Giancola, the Red Hawks were selected to finish second in the 2012 NJAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Senior quarterback Drew Cathey is 49-for-83 for 550 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Junior running back A.J. Scoppa has carried 72 times for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and leads the league with 120.7 yards/game. Senior wide receiver Bryan Ogden paces MSU with three catches for 171 yards.
The Sept. 9 NJAC Defensive Player of the Week, junior linebacker Dan Avento leads the Red Hawk defense with 32 tackles (12 solo, 2.0 TFL; 10.7 tackles/game, fourth in NJAC). Junior linebacker Adnan Sakiri, the Sept. 2 NJAC Defensive Player of the Week, has collected 29 stops (10 solo, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack), adding an interception, while junior linebacker Marc Aspinwall has added 25 tackles (nine solo, 1.0 TFL). The Sept. 16 NJAC Defensive Player of the Week, junior defensive back Matt Mancino has hauled in a league-best three interceptions to go along with 17 stops.
Sophomore Tariq Turner has averaged 35.4 yards per punt, and freshman John Schubert is 5-for-5 on PATs and 0-for-2 on field goals. Freshman Patt Caggiano paces the NJAC in punt return average (13.6 yards/return) and is fourth in kickoff return average (30.3 yards/return).
Montclair State was 8-2 overall and 7-2 in the NJAC last fall.
