The C.W. Post football team is coming off two incredibly crushing losses to great teams. But the Pioneers could only afford to drop one of those games, and have now backed themselves into a corner by falling to Kutztown first. And even though last week’s loss against Bloomsburg had all the odds stacked against Post, excuses cannot be made for the Pioneers.
The Bloomsburg Huskies came into last week’s contest as the 13th-ranked team in Division II. The team featured Franklyn Quiteh, the leading rusher in the country across all divisions. The program has been wildly successful for years. Despite all of those accolades, C.W. Post had no room for error. And the way the Pioneers played, it didn’t seem like the team was aware of the severity of the game.
On a day where the Pioneers had trouble moving the ball against a tough defense, the offense did not do itself many favors with several mistakes. An illegal motion call erased a 13-yard completion to Darnel Williams. The team recorded 7 fumbles, 2 of which went to Bloomsburg. Two loose balls were the result of low shotgun snaps by Center Will Strano.
Quarterback Eric Anderwkavich did not have his most impressive performance of the year. Anderwkavich only completed 50% of his passes, and while he only has 1 interception on the box score, there were several balls dropped by the defense that could have been turnovers.
The running game did not show up either. Thomas Beverly’s only carry was on the first play from scrimmage. He fumbled the ball and gave it to Bloomsburg at the Pioneers’ 31-yard line, which set up a Huskies touchdown. Beverly limped off the field after that play and Freshman Halfbacks Anthony Brunetti and Jeff Mack took over. The two combined for just 67 yards and did not make a big impact.
WCWP’s color commentator Ryan Pettys pointed out the questionable play-calling. Pettys suggested that late in the game, the Pioneers should move to a 5 wide receiver set. C.W. Post had success with that formation in their 50-48 loss to Kutztown two weeks ago. However, the Pioneers continued to use running back sets. When Post finally went to 5-Wide, Anderwkavich was able to move the offense down the field.
And with all of those offensive mistakes, the score was still close in the 3rd quarter because of strong red-zone defense. Bloomsburg was forced to kick 5 field goals and failed to get in the end zone, but the offense never capitalized.
Now, the Pioneers have a very slim shot at getting into a playoff spot. We all knew these would be tough games down the stretch, but no one expected the Pioneers to disappoint the way they have. With two games left to play, Post will be scoreboard watching.
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