Postgame Audio:
Rees on 2009 Team
Rees on Seniors
Rees on Effort
Rees on Championship
Rees on Start
DiFebbo on Seniors

Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University football team put forth a valiant effort against the visiting California (Pa.) Vulcans in the second round of the NCAA Division II Super Region One football playoffs on Saturday afternoon from Seth Grove Stadium, but a fourth-quarter rally came up just short as the Red Raiders dropped a 26-21 decision to conclude their season.

Shippensburg (9-3) finishes the 2009 season as PSAC Champions and has recorded the third-most victories in a season in school history. The Red Raiders were making their first appearance in the postseason since the 2004 campaign, a year in which SU finished 10-2 and faced West Chester in the second round.

"I'm so very proud of our kids," head coach Rocky Rees said after the game. "They don't have any quit in them, and they fought right down to the end."

Trailing 26-7 late in the third quarter, SU began to mount a furious rally and ultimately had a chance to go for the game-winning score in the final three minutes of play. Needing a long but efficient scoring drive, the Red Raiders delivered in a big way at the end of the third quarter as redshirt senior quarterback Chad DiFebbo completed six passes on an 8-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a one-yard throw to senior tight end Mark Rossi.

The touchdown brought Shippensburg within 13 points and DiFebbo then found Rossi on the two-point conversion attempt to bring the Red Raiders within 11 points, 26-15, entering the fourth quarter. The defense then forced a quick punt, and the Red Raiders got the ball back with 10:10 to play.

DiFebbo took to scrambling out of the pocket on the ensuing drive and his improvisation helped the Red Raiders to another touchdown. Runs of 19 and 12 yards placed SU inside the California 30-yard line, and DiFebbo then responded to a false start with a 27-yard scamper for a touchdown. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed but the Red Raiders had accomplished their goal of making it a one-score game in the final quarter.

An interception from DiFebbo seemingly set up the Vulcans for another score in the final three minutes, but a third-down run by Windell Brown led to a fumble that was forced by junior Nick Melusky and recovered by junior Andy Horn gave Shippensburg the ball on its own 10-yard line with 2:31 to play.

After a facemask penalty and a 24-yard pass to redshirt junior Chase DiFebbo put SU on the 49-yard line, the DiFebbo brothers hooked up again for another 24-yard gain that placed the Red Raiders on the California 27-yard line with 90 seconds to play. That was as far as Shippensburg would get, however, with four incomplete passes concluding the drive.

"We have always been a group that does not quit," Rees said. "We have great players that don't understand the idea of giving up. We can get beat by the clock, but we're not going to get beat by effort."

Turnovers and big plays put the Red Raiders behind the 8-ball early on in the first quarter. On Shippensburg's second offensive possession of the contest, DiFebbo had his first pass of the series intercepted by California's Rontez Miles. Three plays later, Vulcan tailback Windell Brown capped off a 3-play, 28-yard drive with a 20-yard run to paydirt that gave Cal a 7-0 lead.

Shippensburg went three-and-out on its next drive and was forced to attempt a punt from its own endzone. However, senior Kyler Ford had his punt blocked by Terrence Johnson, and the loose ball was recovered in the endzone by Trey Allen for a Vulcan touchdown and a 14-0 lead for Cal.

"The blocked punt was certainly a big turning point in the game," Rees said. "It really was a difficult thing to accept but I don't think our kids hung their head on that one."

Freshman tailback Mike Frenette, who led the team in both rushing yards (six carries, 93 yards) and receiving yards (five catches, 86 yards), answered later in the first quarter with a brilliant cutback on a third-and-1 play that went for 74 yards and a touchdown to bring the score within 14-7.

California held a 20-7 lead at halftime after A.J. Jackson made a one-handed catch in the endzone while falling to the ground with 8:59 remaining in the second quarter. Placekicker Mark Domonkos sent his ensuing extra-point attempt below the crossbar. All of the place kickers struggled in the game, as the three combined field goal attempts in the game between the two teams were all missed despite being attempted from 35 yards or fewer.
 
The Vulcans got another touchdown with 3:38 remaining in the third quarter by concluding a 7-play, 80-yard drive with a 23-yard run by Freddie Bacco. Junior Travis Proctor intercepted the two-point conversion attempt and Shippensburg then began its comeback effort.

In all, a group of 14 seniors concluded their Red Raider careers on Saturday having achieved 21 total victories over the last four seasons and helping the program win its first outright divisional title and conference championship in 28 years.

"We got big leadership out of seniors this year and that's been a big difference," Rees said. "We got leadership both on the field and in the locker room, with weight room work and the running program. Last January, these kids had to commit themselves to get up and run at 5:30 in the morning and get out there and get something done. No matter how hard we kept pushing them they kept coming back and giving it."   

DiFebbo finished the day completing 16 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown while rushing for a career-high 75 yards and one touchdown. He concludes his Red Raider career with the school record for passing touchdowns in a season (27) and total touchdowns in a season (29) while throwing at least one touchdown pass in 22 of his 23 career starts.

"Five years goes by fast," DiFebbo said afterward. "I've been here five years, and I've got the best friends I ever could have asked for. They're my family - everybody in that locker room. This year - this spring, you could tell there was a different attitude - a different vibe. Everyone was picking each other up. To go out a champion is great."

Senior split end Mike Harris concludes his tenure at Shippensburg as just the 14th player in PSAC history to compile 3,000 receiving yards (197 career receptions, 3,000 career receiving yards). He had two catches on Saturday for 34 yards and also finished his career with the school record for the most career games with a touchdown reception (20), breaking Ed Noon's mark.

Ford finishes his career with the school record for career punts (245) and punting yards (9,768) in addition to setting school records for points by a kicker in one season (77) and successful extra points in one season (47). He finishes the year among the top five punters in the nation for net average.

Rossi finished the regular season with seven more receiving touchdowns than all of the other starting tight ends combined from the PSAC East and concluded his memorable 2009 season with 262 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He makes a trio with Ford and senior long snapper James D'Annibale as the only three Red Raiders to play in all 45 games over the last four seasons without having completed a redshirt campaign.

Senior linebacker Andy Casale was the team's leading tackler on Saturday and finished the season by leading the Red Raiders in total tackles (65; including 39 solo stops) and tackles for loss (11 for a total of 33 yards) during the 2009 season. Casale was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 Second Team selection this season and compiled 216 career tackles during his tenure.

Fellow senior linebacker Josh Simmons overcame a mid-season injury to have a stellar campaign in 2009, ranking second on the team with nine tackles for a loss while compiling 52 total tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Simmons was the team's leading tackler though the first four games of the season and finished his career with 97 total tackles.

Three defensive linemen completed their senior campaigns this season: Tyton Brunner, Antoine Parks and Taylor Davis. Brunner tied Horn as two of just four players over the last eight seasons to record at least five individual sacks in a season. Parks and Davis filled valuable roles this season, combining for 21 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. 

Along the offensive line, starting right guard Dave Fremont and reserve tackle Luke Grata helped open holes for a running attack that averaged 182 yards on the ground per game this season and threw for 214 yards per game. Fremont was a team captain this season who finished his career making 34 consecutive starts along the line.

Additionally, linebacker Joel Petersheim served a valuable special teams role and played in 11 games this year while tailback Nick Klinepeter ran for 30 yards and a touchdown in addition to playing special teams.

In all, the 2009 squad defeated three nationally-ranked opponents, including two on the road, and averaged 32.8 points per game despite being ranked as the No. 5 team in the PSAC Eastern Division preseason coaches poll.

"We lost today, but they can't take a championship away from us," Rees said. "(This team) has enriched my life, and has blessed my life. I'm proud of every single one of them, but there are some teams that work out special, and this is going to be a special group."

Notes: Shippensburg set a new school record for kickoff return yards with 1,111 through 12 games (47 returns)...the previous record was 1,001 kickoff return yards in the 1995 season (57 returns)...the Red Raiders have averaged 23.6 yards per kickoff return this season...SU came just six points short of the school record for total points in a season, 398, that was set in 1999...Shippensburg also finished just one touchdown short of the school single-season record (53 in 1999)...DiFebbo also tied the SU record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (14), a mark originally set by Tim Ebersole during the 1981 and 1982 seasons...Harris finished just one touchdown short of the school record (26 by Jamie Ware)...nine players this season had multiple tackles for loss and multiple sacks this season, while 14 players had multiple tackles for loss this season, and nine players had at least one sack this season...the 32 sacks recorded as a team are the most by a Red Raider squad since 1991...additionally, nine different players had at least one interception this season - the first time that an SU squad has achieved this feat since 1999.