ITHACA BOMBERS (5-1, 3-0 E8)____UTICA PIONEERS (1-5, 0-2 Empire 8)1:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 26, 2002Charles Gaetano Stadium (c. 1,200) Utica, N.Y.
THE GAME: Ithaca continues its three-game road trip, traveling to Utica to face the Pioneers on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Utica's Charles Gaetano Stadium.

THE COACHES: In his ninth season as Ithaca's head coach, Mike Welch (Ithaca '73) has posted a 68-25 (.731) record, including a regular-season mark of 63-22 (.741). He entered the season 17th among active coaches in winning percentage. A running back who earned two letters while playing for coach Jim Butterfield, Welch succeeded his former coach after spending 10 years as an assistant at his alma mater. He is 1-0 against Utica.
_____Utica coach Mike Kemp (Notre Dame '75) owns a 1-14 (.067) record in his second season at Utica. His overall career record is 20-26 (.435) in five seasons. He is 0-1 against Ithaca. The Utica staff also includes wide receivers coach Henny Hiemenz, a 1999 Ithaca graduate who earned three letters as a fullback and defensive coordinator Tim Myslinski, a 1998 Ithaca graduate who earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) all-star honors as a middle linebacker for the Bombers.

THE SERIES: The Bombers won the only series meeting, blanking Utica's first-year varsity program 66-0 last Oct. 20 at Butterfield Stadium. This will be Ithaca's first trip to Utica. In last year's inaugural game between the two teams, the 29th-ranked Bombers posted their second-highest scoring game ever. The Bombers scored five touchdowns on their first 14 plays and led 35-0 after one quarter. The 35 points tied a school record for points in a quarter. Pete Celebre (Strath Haven/Wallingford, Pa.) ran for the first two touchdowns of his career and fullback Todd Santabarbara (Mohonasen/Schenectady) rushed for the first touchdown of his career. Caleb Greer-Carney (Concord/Cushing Academy/Concord, N.H.) led Ithaca with a career-high 98 yards. Michael Marks (Elmira Southside/Canterbury Prep [Conn.]/Pine City) caught a 16-yard touchdown pass. Matt Tosh (Abington Heights/Clarks Summit, Pa.) set school records with 206 punt return yards (the second-highest single-game total by an NCAA Division III player, just six yards shy of the national record) and eight punt returns. Free safety Peter Mayer (Hamilton/Hubbardsville) led the Bombers with five tackles. Linebacker Robert Truman (Allegany-Limestone/Allegany) finished with four; his three tackles for loss included two sacks. Tosh recorded two tackles from his cornerback spot (including one for loss) and made his first career interception.

2002 SCHEDULES AND RESULTS

ITHACA (5-1, 3-0 E8)		_	Time/Score	_	UTICA (1-5, 0-2, E8)	_	Time/Score
9/14	at Alfred * (3-4)	W	33-11	9/14	at Rensselaer (4-1)	L	0-47
9/21	HARTWICK * (5-1)	W	19-18	9/21	BROCKPORT (6-1)	L	0-35
9/28	at St. John Fisher* (3-3)	W	30-20	9/28	at Hartwick (5-1)	L	12-27
10/5	SPRINGFIELD (5-1)	W	44-20	10/5	Mass.-Dartmouth (7-0)	L	0-44
10/12	ST. LAWRENCE (0-6)	W	34-7	10/12	MOUNT IDA (2-4)	W	22-6
10/19	at Brockport (6-1)	L	0-21	10/19	at Alfred* (3-4)	L	0-10
10/26	at Utica* (1-5)	_	1:30 p.m.	10/26	ITHACA (5-1)	_	1:30 p.m.
11/2	at Hobart (5-0)	_	1 p.m.	11/2	at Cortland (5-2)	_	1 p.m.
11/9	BUFFALO STATE (0-6)	_	1 p.m.	11/9	SHENANDOAH (4-2)	_	noon
11/16	at Cortland (5-2)	_	noon	11/16	ST. JOHN FISHER (3-3)	_	1:30 p.m.
_	* Empire 8 game	_	_	_	_	_	_
_	2002 record in parentheses	_	_	_	_	_	_

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: Utica, two weeks removed from the program's first varsity win ever, was blanked 10-0 by Alfred on Saturday. The Pioneers have been shut out seven times in their 14 games as a varsity team, including four times this year. Eddie Giglotti, one of three quarterbacks to have shared time, has thrown for 190 yards and a touchdown. Joe Dattellas has run for 386 yards and a pair of scores. Matthew Connors has a team-leading 18 receptions including Utica's only touchdown pass. Anthony Venturino leads the team with 57 tackles. Michael Romandetti has 53 and Jon Klosner (26 tackles) has intercepted seven passes. The Pioneers have not attempted to kick an extra point or converted a field goal all season.

LAST WEEK: Brockport held visiting Ithaca to just 106 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers, upsetting the seventh-ranked Bombers 21-0.

OFFENSIVE RECAP: Junior running back Pete Celebre (Strath Haven/Wallingford, Pa.) ran for a team-leading 55 yards on eight carries. Junior Caleb Greer-Carney (Concord/Cushing Academy/Concord, N.H.) gained 28 yards on five carries. Sophomore fullback Jamie Free (The Gunnery School/Brookfield, Conn.) caught a pair of passes.

DEFENSIVE NOTES: Ithaca held the Golden Eagles to just 97 yards of total offense in the second half (on 36 plays). Eight Brockport drives lasted three plays or fewer. Sophomore middle linebacker Jose Colon (Proctor/Utica) recorded a career-high 15 tackles (including two for loss). Junior linebacker Robert Truman (Allegany-Limestone/Allegany) added nine tackles. Junior free safety Jon Edgcomb (Honeoye Falls-Lima/Honeoye Falls) recorded a career-best eight tackles and broke up a pair of passes. Junior defensive tackle Jon Ames (Lake Mary/Gainesville, Fla.), senior defensive end Dan Puckhaber (St. Francis/Eden) and sophomore defensive end Brian Steele (Hudson Falls/Hudson Falls) each finished with a career-high seven tackles. Puckhaber matched his career-high with three tackles for loss. Colon, Puckhaber, Steele, Truman and junior defensive end Kyle McMann (West Seneca West/West Seneca) were each in on a sack. Senior strong safety Tommy Kenney (Canandaigua Academy/Canandaigua) intercepted a third-quarter pass and returned it 20 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT: Senior Brian Bicher (Montclair Kimberly Academy) averaged 39.8 yards per punt on eight punts. Only two of his kicks were returned and two were downed inside the Brockport 20 (including one that hit at the one and rolled dead between the one-yard line and the goal line). Junior Chris Hagemann (Watertown/Watertown) forced a fumble on a Golden Eagle punt return.

ITHACA ITEMS: Ithaca has posted a winning record in each of the last 31 seasons. The Bombers, who own the nation's eighth-longest active streak of winning seasons (sixth-best among Division III schools), will clinch their 32nd consecutive winning record with one more win this fall.
_____Since 1985, Ithaca is 63-13 (.829) during October, including a 28-8 (.778) record under Mike Welch. The Bombers have won 19 of their last 24 October games.
_____The Bombers have won 17 of their last 19 regular-season games.
_____Ithaca's series record against Brockport now stands at 16-7-2 in favor of the Bombers, but the Golden Eagles have won three straight. Ithaca has won nine of the 14 meetings in Brockport.
_____The Bombers are in the midst of a three-game road trip. In the past 25 regular seasons they have made 10 three-game road trips.
_____The Bombers have won nine straight regular-season games played on artificial turf, including wins at St. John Fisher and Alfred this fall. Following this weekend's game at Utica, Ithaca will play one more game on turf this fall -- the season finale at Cortland.
_____The Bombers have lost 59 games since 1977; in the games following those losses Ithaca has posted a record of 47-11. The Bombers have lost consecutive games just 11 times in the past 25 years.
_____Over their past 51 regular-season games, the Bombers have converted 93.6 percent of their point-after touchdown attempts (162 of 173). During that stretch Ithaca has used six long-snappers, five placekickers, and four holders.

RECORD WATCH: Senior Michael Marks has caught 82 career passes, ninth on Ithaca's career list. He needs two receptions to pass all-American Ken Hammel (83 catches from 1988 to 1990) for eighth place. Marks has caught nine touchdown passes; with one more he'll become the ninth Bomber with 10 in his career.
_____Brian Bicher, who has been scouted by the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, has raised his career totals to 179 punts and 6,611 yards, extending his school records in both categories. His 36.9 career average trails only all-American Ed Mahoney, who averaged 37.5 yards per kick from 1992 to 1994, on Ithaca's career list.

MAKING THE GRADE: Three Bombers have been named to the ballot for the GTE District I College Division All-Academic Team: senior cornerback Justin Daly (Warwick Valley/Warwick), junior defensive end Kyle McMann (West Seneca West/West Seneca) and sophomore wide receiver Jeff Welch (Ithaca/Ithaca). The District I All-Academic Team honors student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.20 from NCAA Division II and III and NAIA Division II schools in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. First-team selections to the nation's eight all-district teams are eligible for academic all-America honors. Last year, defensive lineman TJ Jalbert and defensive back Anthony Melville earned academic all-district honors.

EMPIRE 8 UPDATE: This season marks the first year of Empire 8-sponsored football. The conference will choose players of the week and a postseason all-star team and crown a champion. Because the conference will not meet the NCAA's minimum of seven football-playing members until 2004 (when affiliate members Norwich and Springfield join the Empire 8), the league's champion will not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Ithaca and the other four current conference members (Alfred, Hartwick, St. John Fisher and Utica) will be considered for one of the seven berths in the NCAA playoffs reserved for schools that are independents or members of conferences that do not get automatic bids.
_____The Bombers clinched the Empire 8 title. Ithaca owns a 41-15 advantage against the conference's current members and have won 12 straight games against the other members of the Empire 8. The Bombers have not lost to an Empire 8 opponent since September 23, 1995 when host Alfred defeated the Bombers 13-12.

HOMETOWN NOTES: The Ithaca roster features six players from the Mohawk Valley: sophomore Jose Colon (Proctor/Utica), who leads the Bombers with 58 tackles while starting every game at middle linebacker; senior Joe Corley (Rome Free Academy/Rome), who has started every game at right guard; senior Aaron Fiorini (Rome Free Academy/Rome), a wide receiver with seven catches for two touchdowns; senior Luke McCann (Ilion/Ilion), a wide receiver who has caught six passes; junior Peter Mayer (Hamilton/Hubbardsville), who has collected 33 tackles and three interceptions while starting every game at free safety; sophomore Anthony Mucurio (Proctor/Utica), who has three tackles as a reserve linebacker and has served as Ithaca's long-snapper. In addition, Ithaca offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio is a graduate of Ilion High School.

NATIONAL RANKING: In the latest national statistics released by the NCAA (through games of Oct. 12), senior Brian Bicher ranked sixth in punting (41.5 yards per punt), sophomore Matt Tosh was 15th in punt return average (11.1 yards per return) and junior Pete Celebre was tied for 20th in scoring (10.8 ppg).
_____As a team Ithaca ranked 32nd in rushing defense (93.0 yards per game) and 33rd in scoring defense.

POLL POSITION: The Bombers were ranked seventh in the fifth American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll of the season.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS: Award winners for the Brockport game, as chosen by the coaching staff, were: Outstanding Back: Kenney; Outstanding Lineman: Colon; Specialist of the Week: senior Kevin Pilipczak (Auburn/Auburn); Hustler of the Week: Mucurio; Honorary Offensive Captain: senior right tackle Eric Fedrizzi (West Genesee/Warners); and Honorary Defensive Captain: Colon.

BROADCAST NEWS: The Utica game will be broadcast by WICB-FM (91.7) in Ithaca. Seniors Seth Cantor and J.P. Wright will call the game, beginning at 1 p.m. with the Countdown to Kickoff pregame show. WICB's coverage can also be heard through TEAMLINE, a pay-per-listen service, by calling 800/846-7000. Ithaca's access code is 3945.

NEXT WEEK: The Bombers close out their three-week road trip, traveling to Geneva, to face the Hobart Statesmen on Saturday, Nov. 2 . Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Hobart's Boswell Field. This week the Statesmen (5-0) host Alfred.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Ithaca sports information director Mike Warwick in the sports information office at (607/274-1401) or mwarwick@ithaca.edu, or at home (607/257-9720) or Utica SID Ryan Hyland (315/792-3772).