Mitch Rupert on Lycoming football: Guida is a spark plug for Warriors
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Joey Guida dressed for Saturday's game against Alvernia. He had been practicing all week with Lycoming, but only hours before the game was he cleared for contact.
The plan was to ease the Warriors' top running back into the game. He hadn't played since a Week 3 loss to Wilkes because of a diagnosis of mononucleosis. Truth be told, Guida said he probably had it when he played against Wilkes.
But having just been cleared for contact, Lycoming coach Mike Clark was content early to trust senior Keith Batkowski and sophomore Chase Cramer to handle the bulk of the ball-carrying duties against an Alvernia team which had never won a Middle Atlantic Conference game and had just two wins in its two-year history.
As the game unfolded, though, it was clear something needed to change. Alvernia was leading, 7-3, and about the only offense the Warriors were able to muster was a 53-yard catch-and-run from Dezmen Johnson to set up a Jamie Fisher field goal.
Guida entered in the second quarter when Lycoming's offense got a second life when quarterback Elijah Shemory forced a fumble on the same play he threw an interception. Lycoming had first down at the Alvernia 44-yard line and Guida trotted onto the field wearing an unfamiliar No. 25 jersey. It was the third number the freshman from Parkland has worn this year.
The original No. 46 jersey he was issued was about three sizes too big. So when he established himself as the team's primary ballcarrier, they gave him a smaller jersey with No. 12 on it for the Wilkes game. With punter Michael Coe also wearing 12, Guida was given No. 25 for Saturday's game.
But it doesn't really matter what number he wears, he's going to be a spark plug for the Lycoming running game. His first carry went for 12 yards and a first down. He went for nine and four yards on his next two carries for another first down. Then he bounced free to the outside on a run into the middle of the line. The one cut got him into open space, his speed got him to the pylon for a 31-yard touchdown run.
From that moment on, the offense was Guida's. A plan to ease him into the game was all but tossed aside. He finished with 13 carries for 104 yards, his second 100-yard effort in four games this season. Six of his 13 runs went for first downs. Two of them went for touchdowns.
"It felt great to be out there again," Guida said. "Mono was tough to battle. But once I came out there and got to play with the boys, it's a whole new energy. I'm always ready to go. I told (Clark) I'm ready. And it meant to him what it meant to me: I was ready to take as many snaps as the team needed."
Clark isn't adverse to using undersized running backs to carry his run-based offense. The school's all-time rushing leader, Craig Needhammer, was just 5-foot-7. Blake Bowman, who is fifth on the career rushing list, was maybe 5-8. They tower over Guida and his 5-foot, 5-inch frame. They both had better overall speed than Guida does.
But Guida has the 'it' factor which is so valuable in running backs. He has a knack for putting the football exactly where Clark wants it to go. He sees the hole, then hits it. And he hits it hard. He's not often going to run away from defenders, but it's that ability to get the ball to the right spots with Clark's play calls which helped the true freshman ascend to be the team's starting tailback from the first snap of the season.
Saturday, he played like it, and it provided a valuable spark the Warriors have been missing do desperately. They still had to throw the ball 36 times Saturday, which is way more than Clark would like. But moving forward, Guida gives Clark the opportunity to vary his play calling a bit more. His ideas about play-action passes only work with a concerted effort to run the ball, which Lycoming wasn't able to do as much over the last two weeks.
"I do believe he's our best tailback," Clark said. "Keith does a nice job, but when Joey goes in, he's noticeable. So we put him in and that's why he played a lot of snaps. I think there's a reason he was our starting tailback a few weeks ago, and he certainly gave us a lift (Saturday)."
Here's a closer look at Lycoming's 29-24 loss to Alvernia on Saturday:
TIDE-TURNING PLAY: Lycoming had no problem getting Alvernia into third-and-long situations Saturday. In fact, the Golden Wolves needed an average of 10 yards to gain on its 13 third-down attempts. It still managed to convert eight of them. But maybe none was as killer as a 34-yard pass on the second-half's opening drive. Alvernia was stuck in a third-and-10 situation trailing Lycoming by four. Quarterback Darrius Sample got a clean pocket and dropped a dime to the 1-yard line in which Otis Harold made a falling catch. The connection set up Malcolm Carey's 1-yard touchdown run and Alvernia rattled off 16 points on four second-half possessions.
"If you have guys in third-and-double sticks, you have to keep them there and force some more punts," Clark said. "They converted far more longer down-and-distances than we would like."
BEST DEFENSIVE STAND: For all the trouble the Lycoming defense had stopping Alvernia in the second half, it came up with one big fourth-quarter stop when it absolutely had to have one. The Golden Wolves had fourth-and-5 from the Warriors' 11-yard line, and trailing by six points with about 9 minutes to go and an inconsistent kicker, going for it seemed like the best option. But defensive tackle David Tomb broke through a double team by the tackle and guard and wrapped up Sample's legs for a sack and a turnover on downs. It was the true freshman's second half-sack of the game as Zach Kovach also came in to help clean up on the play.
BEST OFFENSIVE PLAY: Lycoming had already once passed on a field-goal opportunity well within Jamie Fisher's range on its final drive of the first half. Now inside the Alvernia 10, a field goal just wouldn't do. So Clark got his best receiver, Steve Toczylousky, all 6-2 of him, crossing along the end line in the back of the end zone and the Alvernia defensive back didn't go with him as there appeared to be some confusion in the coverage responsibilities. The strong route run by Toczylousky gave Elijah Shemory an easy pitch-and-catch on third-and-goal for a touchdown which gave the Warriors a 17-13 lead at halftime.
LOCAL ROUNDUP: Lycoming - Jersey Shore graduate Elijah Shemory struggled in the first half throwing a trio of interceptions. He finished 19 for 36 for 183 yards and one touchdown. He also ran seven time for 37 yards. Montoursville's Keith Batkowski carried four times for 18 yards, caught one pass for a yard, and returned three kickoffs for 51 yards. Hughesville graduate Jase Wright made five tackles from his linebacker spot. Jersey Shore's David Tomb recorded seven tackles, six of which were assisted, including two half-sacks.
LYCOMING OFFENSIVE MVP: Considering he wasn't supposed to play such a big role in the Lycoming offense, it's pretty impressive Guida was able to accomplish what he did. He entered as the primary ballcarrier in the second quarter and finished with the second 100-yard rushing game of his career. The undersized tailback provided a spark to the Warriors' offense, rushing for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first game in three weeks.
LYCOMING DEFENSIVE MVP: There are few players who have been as consistently strong this season for Lycoming as Duane Boone has. The senior defensive end has proven to be a physical mismatch for offensive linemen, and Saturday he recorded at least one tackle for loss for the fifth consecutive game. He's made a habit of being able to drive offensive tackles into the backfield and be a disruption even if he doesn't get to the quarterback himself. He's a noticeable player who seems to be in on just about every tackle. Saturday he posted six stops, including one for loss where he blew up a blocker and ran through the ballcarrier in the first quarter.
UNSUNG HERO: Kyle Pierce continues to do an admirable job at center for the Warriors despite having just moved to the offense full-time a few weeks ago. But not only did the junior from Berwick help pave the way for another 100-yard rushing day for Guida, but he also saw some snaps back in his traditional spot on the defensive line Saturday. He's proven to be a valuable and versatile asset in his time with Lycoming.
Mitch Rupert covers Lycoming football for the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at 570-326-1551, ext. 3129, or by email at mrupert@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Mitch_Rupert.