Tom Sturges

Gettysburg reclaims Bucket, stays in CC title picture with 17-7 win over Dickinson

GETTYSBURG , Pa. – The Little Brown Bucket is back in Gettysburg and, with it, a shot at the Centennial Conference (CC) championship for its new owners.

Tom Sturges (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) ran for 140 yards and one touchdown, and the Bullets’ stifling defense allowed only one scoring drive in a 17-7 win over Dickinson on Saturday, Gettysburg’s first in its last 12 meetings with the Red Devils (3-6, 2-3 CC).

The win gave the Bullets possession of The Bucket – presented to the annual game’s winning team since 1938 – and kept alive their shot at the program’s first CC title in 20 years. Gettysburg (4-5, 3-2 CC) needs a victory at Franklin & Marshall next Saturday and a Johns Hopkins loss to McDaniel to tie the Blue Jays atop the final CC standings.

Sturges topped the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season and became the first Bullet since 1999 to rush for 1,000 yards in a single campaign, finishing the day with 1,072. Jesse Jeffers (Morristown, NJ/Morristown-Beard) scored Gettysburg’s other touchdown on an 18-yard run and Josh Huson (McLean, VA/McLean) booted a 31-yard field goal to help the hosts build a 17-0 halftime lead.

Dickinson ’s Matt Torchia completed 18 of 33 passes for 255 yards and a 47-yard scoring strike to Arwin Gbolie, who finished with a team-high five catches for 110 yards. Leading rusher Dwight Phyall was held to 36 of the Red Devils’ 62 yards on the ground.

Fueled by a quick start and a defense allowing fewer than 12 points per game in conference play, the Bullets ended a decade of frustration to their rivals from Carlisle .

Gettysburg went ahead to stay on its first possession, driving 42 yards on 11 plays before Huson knocked home a 31-yard field goal from the left hash to make it 3-0 with only 6 minutes, 19 seconds gone in the game.

After Dickinson went three-and-out on its next possession, the Bullets struck again.

Starting quarterback Hunter McMillan (Middletown, DE/Wilmington Friends) was sacked for an eight-yard loss to start the series, but Jerry Jones (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) ripped off a 10-yard run and Matthew Welsh (Lafayette Hill, PA/St. Joseph’s Prep) made a sliding 11-yard catch to dig out of the second-and-18 hole.

Gettysburg set up for another field goal after the drive stalled at the Red Devil 18, but holder Mark Campo ( Arendtsville , PA /Biglerville) executed the fake by flipping a pass to Joe Fricchione ( Branchville , NJ / High Point Reg. ) for a first down at the 9. On the next play, Sturges scampered for his sixth touchdown of the year for a 10-0 lead.

The Bullets made it 17-0 with a five-play, 59-yard drive early in the second quarter. Under center in place of McMillan, Campo found Spencer Davidson ( Dumont , NJ / Dumont ) for 11 yards to the Red Devil 47.

Jeffers then ripped off a 12-yard run, Sturges carried for 17 more and Jeffers finished the march with an 18-yard scoring run around right end with 10:20 left in the first half.

Dickinson ’s only points of the day came on its first drive of the second half, taking only two plays. Torchia fired an 18-yard strike to Gbolie for a first down in Gettysburg territory, then found his favorite target again for a 47-yard catch-and-run that pulled the visitors within 17-7.

The Red Devils had a number of chances to cut the deficit further, but the Bullet defense answered every challenge.

Nathan Smith ( Hanover , PA /Cooperstown Central [NY]) led a host of defenders that swarmed Torchia on a failed fourth-and-1 attempt at the Gettysburg 22 with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

Dickinson marched for a first-and-10 on the Bullet 25 on its next possession, but a one-yard loss and three incompletions ended the threat. The Red Devils’ final drive ended with Smith knocking away a pass from Ryan Stearrett on fourth-and-1 from the Gettysburg 21.

Sturges carried eight times to help the Bullets run out the clock and seal the win.

Smith finished with a team-high eight tackles and also broke up a pair of passes. Harold Barton ( Somerdale , NJ / Sterling ) chipped in with seven stops and one of Gettysburg ’s four sacks. The tandem of McMillan and Campo finished 10-of-17 for 117 yards.

Dickinson ’s Andrew Ackley led all players with 16 tackles while Victor Johnson recorded two sacks among his eight stops.

The Bullets, who posted a 4-1 home record for the first time since 1994, wrap up their 2005 season on Saturday at Franklin & Marshall. Game time is 1 p.m.