KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University football team closes out the 2012 regular season at home on Saturday when it welcomes LIU Post for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff at University Field. The squad has been firing on all cylinders since the end of September, winning five of its last six games, including last week's 47-21 victory over Edinboro.

COMPLETE STORY
KEVIN MORTON NOMINATED FOR HARLON HILL AWARD
 
Head coach Raymond Monica will look to keep the Golden Bears on track after coming back from Edinboro with a victory. With last week's win, Monica now has sole possession of second place on the all-time wins record at Kutztown with 44. He surpasses Joe Patton who won 43 games throughout his tenure from 1947 to 1959.
 
The Maroon and Gold had to climb out of a first-half hole, trailing 21-14 at the break. KU would do just that and put together 33 unanswered points in the second half to take control of the game and put the score out of reach for the Fighting Scots.
 
A nominee for the 2012 Harlon Hill Award, quarterback Kevin Morton (Abington, PA/Abington) was impressive on the afternoon, throwing for 369 yards and three touchdowns on 38-of-50 passing. The senior also added a one yard run in the beginning of the second quarter to account for a fourth TD on Saturday.
 
Both Brett Fox (Laureldale, Pa./Muhlenburg) and Zach Snyder (Lititz, PA/Warwick) benefitted from Morton's afternoon as the two went for over 100 yards receiving. Fox had a game-high eight receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown which helped jump start the offense in the second half, while Snyder caught seven for 103 yards and carried once on a fake field goal for a four-yard score to put the Maroon and Gold on the board in the first quarter.
 
Shahaid Smith (Ridley, PA/Ridley) and Colby Tuell (Columbia, PA/Columbia) both ended the day with six receptions as Smith added a touchdown in the fourth, making one guy miss on his third score of the season. Tuell went for 35 yards last week and is currently just 53 yards away from taking down the 22 year old record of receiving yards set by Mark Steinmeyer at 2,118 yards. Kodi Reed (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) caught the third touchdown on Saturday, capping off an 11-play drive to start the third with a five-yard score.
 
Leading the way in the ground attack was Curtis Wortham (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge). The junior got the ball 17 times and rushed for 98 yards with one score with an average of 5.8 yards a rush, giving him 16 total touchdowns on the year. He is currently second in the PSAC in yards per carry at 6.7 with players that have had at least 50 tries and is tied for third in rushing touchdowns at 15.

On the defensive side of the football, the unit buckled down last week in the second half and held the Fighting Scots scoreless in the last half after giving up 21 points in the first 30 minutes. Sam Dixon-Dougan tallied a career-high 13 tackles against Edinboro, including 0.5 for loss. His efforts marked the fourth time he has reached double-digit tackles this season, leading the defense with 79 on the year.
 
The defense featured its top seven tacklers from last week as either freshmen or sophomores. Following Dixon-Dougan was Cody Waltimeyer who made his second start on defense recording eight stops. Behind him was a four-some of underclassmen – Mike Shinkus (Frackville, PA/North Schuylkill), Eric Condron (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge), Cody Kelso (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora (Wagner)), Adam Goeringer (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) – that all piled up at least six tackles apiece.
 
Shinkus and Goeringer combined for 13 stops from the linebacker position, while Condron made seven, giving him at least six tackles in three of the last four games. Helping to bolster the line was Zach Greenwald (Gibbstown, N.J./Paulsboro) who continued his stellar sophomore campaign registering six of his own, including 0.5 for loss.
 
In the secondary, Kelso led the way along with the veteran, Jason Ulmer (Feasterville, PA/Neshaminy). Kelso picked up six tackles on the afternoon, while Ulmer made five and picked off a late second-half pass to seal the victory as he returned it for 38 yards to EU territory.
 
As for the Pioneers, they come into the game with a 3-6 overall record, losing their last two to East Stroudsburg, 45-37, and Gannon, 45-6. LIU Post is led by 15th year head coach Bryan Collins. Collins is the program's all-time most winningest coach with 110 victories. He coached the team to a 6-1 record last season, earning a share of the regular season title with the Golden Bears.
 
Steven Laurino will be leading the offense on to the field on Saturday. Laurino enters the game boasting a quarterback efficiency rating of 120.14, throwing for over 1,500 yards with 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
 
His favorite target is his older brother Grayson Laurino. He has hauled in 35 passes for 248 yards to go with two scores. His next option is Joe Botti who is averaging over 12 yards a catch on 33 receptions for 416 yards and two TDs. The only other receiver above 16 receptions is Ryan Derham who has brought in 20 passes and leads the team with three scores.
 
The ground attack features a dual threat with Laurino at quarterback and Jeff Mack tailback. Mack has a team-high 489 yards, going for nearly 50 a game. Laurino leads the team with seven touchdowns on the ground and has rushed for 443 yards.
 
On defense, Rob Bright has been filling up the stat sheet all season. The junior leads the Pioneers in tackles (75) and tackles for loss (7.5). He has also forced two fumbles, made 1.5 sacks, picked off one pass and blocked a kick.
 
The team's second leading tackler is Anton Rukaj who has piled up 72 on the season with 5.5 of those coming for a loss. Rukaj has also had a sack, forced a fumble and made two interceptions this year from his linebacker position. 
 
Prior to the game, Kutztown University would like to honor its 17 seniors - Cory Darby (District Heights, MD/Wise), Kevin Morton (Abington, PA/Abington), Zack Yankiewicz (Gordon, PA/North Schuylkill), Josh Mastromatto (Fort Washington, PA/Upper Dublin), Colby Tuell (Columbia, PA/Columbia), Jason Ulmer (Feasterville, PA/Neshaminy), Jeremy Tucker (Dover, NJ/Pope John XXIII Regional), Kyle Ueberroth (Cocalico, PA/Cocalico), Aaron McGlynn (Harleysville/Souderton), Nick Maloney (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown), Chris Oliver (Philadelphia, PA/Germantown), Rob Kee (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks South), Francis Lally (Ashland, PA/Marian Catholic), Zach Snyder (Lititz, PA/Warwick), Justin Horan (Gettysburg, PA/Gettysburg), John Zavorski (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy), Ian Smith (Spring Grove, PA/Spring Grove) - for their hard work and dedication to the program throughout their careers in the Maroon and Gold.