JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
Former Manheim Township standout – and New Era Male Athlete of the Year – George Eager is having another solid season at wideout for Franklin & Marshall.
At the midpoint of the season, the Diplomats are in the thick of the Centennial Conference hunt with a 2-1 mark in league play, and a 3-2 overall record coming off back-to-back wins.
Eager, who had a career-high 139 receiving yards – plus a 67-yard TD catch – in F&M’s 51-13 win over Ursinus last Saturday, leads the team in receptions (23), receiving yards (304) and TD catches (3) heading into this Saturday’s game … a CC showdown at Moravian, which is 2-2 in the conference and 4-2 overall – but is riding a two-game losing streak after a 4-0 start.
In this audio Podcast interview, I chatted with Eager about the Diplomats and their two-game winning streak, about momentum, and about how the team is feeling heading into the Moravian game.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and listen to it on your favorite mp3 player by clicking here.
And please keep reading here for my F&M-Moravian preview grid …
THE GAME: F&M (2-1 Centennial Conference, 3-2 overall) @ Moravian (2-2 Centennial Conference, 4-2 overall), Saturday, Rocco Calvo Field, Bethlehem, 1 p.m.
ONLINE: B2networks.
THE SERIES: This is the 21st meeting between the Diplomats and the Greyhounds, dating back to 1932, when F&M beat Moravian 21-7 in their first meeting. Contrary to popular belief, I did not cover that game. … This is the second time the Diplomats and the Greyhounds have met in a Centennial Conference game – the first time in Bethlehem. … F&M leads the series 16-4, and the Diplomats went 15-1 against Moravian when both programs competed in the MAC. … Moravian won 38-24 last year in Lancaster.
THE COACHES: F&M’s John Troxell is in his third season as the Diplomats’ coach. … Scot Dapp is in his 22nd season as Moravian’s coach, and his teams are 131-90-1. He is the winningest coach in the history of the program, and he’s a former president of the American Football Coaches Association. He was a three-time MAC Coach of the Year recipient, and he’s led the Greyhounds to the NCAA playoffs two times.
ABOUT F&M: Jarrell Diggs did a little bit of everything for the Diplomats in their 51-13 homecoming win over Ursinus last Saturday. He rushed for a TD, tossed a TD pass and caught a TD pass in the victory. … All three of F&M’s wins are at home, and the 51-13 win over Ursinus was its largest margin of victory in two years. … James Gregory was named CC Defensive Player of the Week after plucking three takeaways in the Ursinus game. All three takeaways led to F&M points. He picked off two passes and recovered a fumble for the Diplomats. … F&M intercepted four passes against Ursinus. … Michael Deutch caught his first career TD pass last Saturday, and Nick Petrelli had his first career interception – returning it 40 yards; F&M’s longest pick return this season. … Paul Sousa returned a pick 29 yards for a TD.
TROXELL’S TAKE: “I think that all three phases are playing pretty well right now. Our defense and our special teams are setting up our offense with good field position. We need to continue to secure the football and execute when the opportunities are there … We need to eliminate turnovers and capitalize on opportunities. That’s been the difference in our wins and losses. We need to focus for sixty minutes and keep the ball secure. … We’ve gotten some guys back who were injured and our senior leadership has been outstanding. We’re playing with a lot of confidence. We need to continue to work hard and focus from week to week.”
ABOUT MORAVIAN: Coming off a tough 48-41 conference loss to Gettysburg. It was the second loss in a row for the Greyhounds, who opened the season with a four-game winning streak. … Piled up 451 yards against Gettysburg.
TROXELL ON MORAVIAN: “We’re going to see a lot of good running backs who can carry the ball. They have a big fullback and line and will play a smashmouth brand of football. When they’re running well, they can kill you with play action. This will be a very well coached team, fundamentally sound and very physical. We’ll have to be ready for a physical football game and execute our game plan.”
THE PICK: Moravian is explosive, yes. And the Greyhounds are playing at home, yes. But F&M has some serious momentum going, and the Diplomats have been playing very well defensively. So I’m going F&M here. Diplomats pick up their first road win this season – 28-24.
