District College Football Preview for Saturday, December 4th

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 3, 2010 | 12:00 AM

Just one game on tap this week around the area as the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs start to wind down with regional finals across the country, including one in snowy Erie County on Saturday. Here is a preview of that game.

NCAA DIVISION II SUPER REGION ONE FINAL
Shepherd(11-1) at Mercyhurst(10-2) Noon

It's a meeting of the WVIAC and PSAC champions in Erie. Both teams are playing in their first regional final, the winner will meet either Delta State or Albany State next week in the national semifinal.

Shepherd entered the playoffs as the number four seed in the region, a final week loss to Glenville State knocked them out of the top seed. The Rams defeated Shaw in the opening round of the playoffs, then traveled to top seeded Kutztown and knocked out the Bears 41-34 last week.

The Rams average over 40 points per game with a balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Kevin Clancy threw for 2,522 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he has been picked off 10 times. His main targets are Robert Byrd with 37 catches and Dom Jones with 30.

Tommy Addison has racked up serious yards on the ground, 1,495 to be precise with 17 rushing touchdowns. Addison has 214 carries with a 6.9 yard average.

Mercyhurst was the second seed in the region, after an opening round bye, the Lakers defeated Bloomsburg 28-14 in a rematch of the PSAC State Title Game last week in Erie. The victory combined with Kutztown's loss, will allow the Lakers to play their sixth consecutive home game, which has helped a seven game overall winning streak.

Since taking over for Garrett Kensy in the IUP game, Travis Rearick has done the job at quarterback, leading the team on that seven game stretch. Rearick has thrown for 1,872 yards and 22 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.

It doesn't hurt that Rearick has found connections with two talented receivers in Trevor Kennedy and Terrance Coon. Kennedy was named PSAC-West Offensive Player of the Year and the MVP in the State Title Game, he has 900 yards receiving having made 72 catches, 11 for scores. Kennedy is also a dangerous punt returner, averaging over 17 yards a return with two touchdowns. Coon has 52 catches for 778 yards and seven touchdowns.

Running back Gerald Anderson was held in check last week, but the senior has still ran for 1,270 yards and eight scores.

It's the first ever meeting between the two teams, this one with a national semifinal berth on the line.

And as far as that snowy forecast goes, a Lake Effect Snow Advisory is in effect for the Erie area until early Saturday morning, with up to seven inches of snow possible by the early morning hours.