EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University football team overcame multiple 27-point deficits Saturday to come from behind and defeat East Stroudsburg, 69-67, in the longest game in Red Raider football history – a five-overtime classic in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference game at a cold Eiler-Martin Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (3-2, 1-1 PSAC East) won the game in the fifth overtime when sophomore Ryan Zapoticky hit junior receiver Jordan Harro in the end zone for a game-winning two-point conversion. The conversion came following a one-yard touchdown run by junior Justin Pyle.
 
The game was not only the longest in school history, but it also had the most combined points ever in a Shippensburg game (136). In fact, it's the second-most combined points in PSAC single-game history behind the 2009 playoff classic between West Liberty (84) and Edinboro (63).
 
"I'm just so proud of them," head coach Mark Maciejewski said of his team. "The one thing we do is we play hard. We come to the game; we're going to work for 60 minutes, no matter what's happening. The kids believe in what we do, they believe in each other, and most importantly they believe in themselves. And that's what they did tonight and that's what enabled us to win the game."
                    
Zapoticky finished with 320 yards passing and six touchdowns. He also ran for 103 yards on 11 carries. It is the most combined rushing and passing yards (423) by an SU player in any game in which they had at least 100 yards in both categories. Zapoticky is just the fourth player in school history with at least 100 rushing yards and 100 passing yards in same game.
 
Pyle ran for 98 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long 66-yard run to paydirt in the second quarter that got SU on the scoreboard. Senior receiver Sheldon Mayer was the Red Raiders' leading receiver, catching two passes – both touchdowns – for 69 yards. Junior Mike Brown caught two touchdowns as well, including the game-tying score in regulation.
 
The Red Raiders trailed 27-0 in the second quarter and 41-14 in the third quarter before storming back to tie the game. Currently, with research still being conducted, it is believed that the 27-point comeback is the largest for SU in its history (multiple comebacks of 21 points are known, with the most recent being 2012 at West Chester).
 
SU embarked on a 10-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a Brown touchdown reception from seven yards out to tie the game at 41-41 with 52 seconds remaining in regulation. However, Shippensburg's go-ahead extra point try was blocked. The Red Raiders scored 27 unanswered points in the final 18:57 of regulation to tie the score.
 
East Stroudsburg moved into Shippensburg territory with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation, but sophomore safety Will Hudson intercepted a Matt Soltes pass – the first pick of Hudson's career – to send the game to overtime.
 
ESU possessed first in the first overtime and scored a touchdown quickly, with a successful extra point. SU responded by converting two fourth downs on its way to a touchdown from Zapoticky to redshirt-freshman receiver Paryss Marshall.
 
The Red Raiders scored quickly on a Pyle touchdown in the second overtime, and East Stroudsburg followed with a touchdown of its own to send the game to a third overtime, officially at that point making the game the longest contest in Shippensburg history. SU had only played in double overtime once before, back in 2010 at West Chester.
 
By rule, teams must try for the two-point conversion beginning in the third overtime. East Stroudsburg scored, but missed on the two-point try, leaving the door open for Shippensburg to win. The Red Raiders scored on fourth-and-goal when Zapoticky hit Brown for a touchdown, but the Red Raiders also failed on the two-point try.
 
The first play of the fourth overtime saw Zapoticky throw his only interception of the night. However, ESU could not take advantage as its drive stalled and ended with a missed 42-yard field goal.
 
Finally in the fifth overtime, ESU began the period with a 10-yard touchdown pass, but after the play the Warriors were whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct. That moved the ESU two-point try back to the 17-yard line where an incomplete pass was thrown.
 
The Red Raiders methodically moved close to the goal line and scored on a one-yard plunge by Pyle. On the two-point conversion, Zapoticky rolled to his right and hit a crossing Harro to win the game after more than four hours of play.
 
The Red Raiders came away with the win, despite being outgained in yardage, 693-562. The two teams combined for 28 penalties for 268 yards. Both teams had 21 third-down opportunities. ESU converted 12 while SU made nine. The Red Raiders converted 3-of-4 fourth down plays, including 3-for-3 in overtime.
 
Trailing 27-0 midway through the second quarter, Shippensburg began its battle back behind the legs of Pyle. The junior answered ESU's touchdown at the 7:45 mark in the second quarter by scoring 23 seconds later on an incredible 66-yard touchdown run.
 
With under a minute to go in the first half, Pyle scored again on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Zapoticky. The second Pyle touchdown capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive to make it a 27-14 ESU lead into the half.
 
However, again East Stroudsburg (2-3, 1-1) took a 27-point lead when it went up 41-14 in the third quarter. Shippensburg responded quickly as Zapoticky hit Mayer for a 61-yard touchdown.
 
On the ensuing East Stroudsburg possession, junior safety Chad Miller earned his first career interception by picking off a Soltes pass. An ESU penalty on the interception return set up the Red Raiders at the ESU 12-yard line. Two plays later, Zapoticky hit Mayer again for an 8-yard score.
 
The Red Raider defense followed by forcing a three-and-out and Shippensburg cashed in again. Senior running back Andrew Smith finished off a 10-play drive with a 22-yard touchdown run to cut ESU's lead to 41-35.
 
Among other notable statistics from the game, East Stroudsburg's signal caller, Soltes, completed 40-of-70 passes for 594 yards. He tied a PSAC record with nine touchdown passes. ESU receiver Jon Schnaars set PSAC records with 20 catches and seven touchdown catches.
 
Shippensburg returns home next week to host Lock Haven in another PSAC East matchup, beginning at 1 p.m.