Football faces Mountain Hawks with revenge on their minds
Eric Goldwein
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Sports
Next Saturday, the Leopards will look to avenge last year's 31-15 loss against the Mountain Hawks in a game that could also have playoff implications. A win could potentially give the number 22/21 Leopards an at-large bid in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
Ryan Hart-Predmore '10 said this year's seniors will have extra motivation playing their last game for the Leopards. "This is another opportunity to play a football game, especially for us seniors with the clock ticking down," he said. "On top of it, it's Lehigh. That is the beauty of playing here. There's no better team to go out and take all of our anger out on."
Last year's loss ended a four game winning streak for the Leopards, but the Leopards still hold the upper-hand in the historical series (76-63-5).
Hart-Predmore said the team will use last years defeat as motivation. "The way we left the field last year losing to them the way we did has really been one of our biggest motivating factors in all of the work we have put in this off season," he said. "It will be very special to us seniors as it will be our last time taking the field against them, and possibly against anyone. We want to get redemption from last year and go out on top."
The Mountain Hawks are just 3-7, but have played some of their best football in the past few weeks, with respectable losses against nationally ranked Holy Cross (24-20) and Colgate (27-20). Tavani said that one of Lehigh's greatest strengths is their defense, which he describes as "as good a defense, if not better, than any defense we've seen all year."
Tavani also talked about how this year's Lafayette team is different than last year's, who came up short in the season finale. "I think we are much different than a year ago," he said. "We are much healthier going into this game."
The Leopards will be playing in front of a crowded stadium at Lehigh, in the highly anticipated 145th matchup between the two rivals. "I love playing in front of a big crowd," said Ian Dell '10.
"I take Lafayette-Lehigh to heart," tailback DeAndre Morrow '10 said. It's a big game for all of us as a team." Kickoff will take place at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow under cloudy skies with temperature in the low 50's.
Ryan Hart-Predmore '10 said this year's seniors will have extra motivation playing their last game for the Leopards. "This is another opportunity to play a football game, especially for us seniors with the clock ticking down," he said. "On top of it, it's Lehigh. That is the beauty of playing here. There's no better team to go out and take all of our anger out on."
Last year's loss ended a four game winning streak for the Leopards, but the Leopards still hold the upper-hand in the historical series (76-63-5).
Hart-Predmore said the team will use last years defeat as motivation. "The way we left the field last year losing to them the way we did has really been one of our biggest motivating factors in all of the work we have put in this off season," he said. "It will be very special to us seniors as it will be our last time taking the field against them, and possibly against anyone. We want to get redemption from last year and go out on top."
The Mountain Hawks are just 3-7, but have played some of their best football in the past few weeks, with respectable losses against nationally ranked Holy Cross (24-20) and Colgate (27-20). Tavani said that one of Lehigh's greatest strengths is their defense, which he describes as "as good a defense, if not better, than any defense we've seen all year."
Tavani also talked about how this year's Lafayette team is different than last year's, who came up short in the season finale. "I think we are much different than a year ago," he said. "We are much healthier going into this game."
The Leopards will be playing in front of a crowded stadium at Lehigh, in the highly anticipated 145th matchup between the two rivals. "I love playing in front of a big crowd," said Ian Dell '10.
"I take Lafayette-Lehigh to heart," tailback DeAndre Morrow '10 said. It's a big game for all of us as a team." Kickoff will take place at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow under cloudy skies with temperature in the low 50's.
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Alum
posted 11/20/09 @ 4:18 PM EST
I am appalled as an alum that this is the only mention of Lafayette & Lehigh's 145th meeting in this week's edition. As probably the school's oldest & most celebrated tradition to date, this seems absurd. (Continued…)
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