Hoops Tonight

It's a big night in the Conference with five women's games and three men's tilts on tap. The highlight game of the evening takes place in Carlisle as two-time defending CC champion McDaniel takes on Dickinson in a rematch of the 2005 Conference title game. Listen to the game and the men's contest that follows on WDCV-FM. Two other doubleheaders pit Johns Hopkins at Swarthmore, and Washington at Ursinus. Follow live play-by-play for the Shoremen and Bears here. In women's single games, Bryn Mawr travels to Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall visits Haverford. Click here for live stats from Gettysburg and Haverford. For more information, click on our Women's Gameday or Men's Gameday sites.

An Historic Day in Lancaster

It could be an historic Sunday in Lancaster when Swarthmore and Franklin & Marshall meet in the Conference men's basketball opener this afternoon at Mayser Center. Diplomat head coach Glenn Robinson is on the verge of becoming the 11th active coach and 26th all-time to register 700 victories ... and will join that elite club with a win this afternoon. How elite is the club ... a group that includes such coaching greats as Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, John Chaney, Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun. Robinson has a 699-243 record in his 35 seasons.

You can read more about Robinson in today's Lancaster Sunday News in an article by Mike Gross. You can also listen to the contest on the Centennial Basketball Network beginning at 3:55 p.m.

Hoops, Harriers, Hockey and Football (Both Kinds)

We'll keep you updated on all the happenings this weekend here on our blog ... feel free to add if you have an updated score.

Tip Off a Big Weekend

It's as big a weekend as they come in the Centennial Conference, as the end of the fall season meets the start of the winter season. The fall teams continue NCAA play with three teams going for championships in cross country (Haverford men, Dickinson women) and field hockey (Ursinus). The Dickinson women's soccer team has a "Sweet 16" date with top-ranked Messiah, while Johns Hopkins travels to western Pennsylvania to take on #14 ranked Thiel in a first-round football contest.

Indoors, it's the start of the 2005-06 basketball season with tip-off classics galore. On the men's side, some of the games to watch include Ursinus and NYU on Friday night, potential matchups between Franklin & Marshall and Trinity (Conn.), and Dickinson and 2005 national semifinalist York on Saturday night, and the first Pride of Maryland tournament. For the women, Gettysburg takes part in the powerhouse Marymount tournament and McDaniel faces a possible matchup with Catholic.

Swimming has a full slate of competition on the weekend, as does wrestling. Here's how to keep track of it all this weekend.

NCAA Field Hockey
Listen live to Ursinus-Salisbury courtesy of the NCAA

NCAA Football
Listen live to Johns Hopkins-Thiel courtesy of D3football.com

ECAC Football
Listen live to Franklin & Marshall-Salisbury courtesy of WICO-AM

Men's Basketball
Follow the play-by-play of Johns Hopkins-Salisbury with Gametracker

Listen live to Haverford-Earlham courtesy of WHRCradio.com

Listen live to Dickinson basketball courtesy of WDCV-FM

Monday Morning QB 11/14

The regular season is now complete ... and we turn our attention to the postseason. For the first time since 2000, the Conference has an outright champion, as Johns Hopkins knocked off McDaniel, 14-5, to take sole possession of the trophy. The Blue Jays will travel to Thiel - champions of the Presidents Athletic Conference - on Saturday for a 12 p.m. NCAA first-round contest. Franklin & Marshall has also qualified for the postseason and will travel to Salisbury for a Saturday ECAC contest. Later today, the All-Conference team will be announced, so stay tuned.

Players of the Week
Offense: Dwight Phyall, Dickinson, RB
Phyall rushed for 127 yards and scored three touchdowns in the 46-27 win over Ursinus.

Defense: Chris Stepien, Franklin & Marshall, LB
Stepien had a team-high 13 tackles as the Diplomats held Gettysburg to just 66 passing and 270 total yards in a 13-7 win over the Bullets.

Special Teams: Phil Gasker, Muhlenberg
Gasker returned a Moravian kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in the 24-19 loss to the Greyhounds.

Red Devils Close Out Year With 46-27 Win
Carlisle Sentinel

Jays Drive Past McDaniel to Win Centennial Title
Baltimore Sun

99-Yard Drive Lifts Blue Jays to Fifth Straight Win Over McDaniel
Carroll County Times

F&M Edges Gettysburg, 13-7
Lancaster Sunday News

Seniors Get Only Win Over Mules
Allentown Morning Call

The Friday Tailgate 11/12

It's the final weekend of the regular season and although our NCAA representative has been determined ... the Conference championship has not. Johns Hopkins (7-2, 4-1 CC) has already clinched a share of the Centennial title and can take the outright championship with a win at McDaniel (5-4, 2-3) on Saturday. If the Blue Jays falter ... the winner of the Gettysburg-Franklin & Marshall game will also get a share of the title.

Johns Hopkins at McDaniel
It is the 84th meeting between these long-time rivals that dates to 1894 ... Hopkins holds a 43-35-5 lead in the series and has won four straight from McDaniel ... the teams have met every season since 1947 with one exception (1963, JFK assassination) ... the Blue Jay-Green Terror matchup has had an effect on the Centennial champion eight times since 1990 and in each of the last five seasons:

1990: Hopkins wins 31-21 in Baltimore, denying McDaniel the Centennial championship.
1997: McDaniel wins 21-3 in Westminster, clinching the outright title and denying Hopkins a share of the crown.
1998: McDaniel wins 17-0 in Baltimore, clinching the outright title and denying Hopkins a share of the crown.
2001: Hopkins wins 21-14 in Westminster, handing #9 ranked Green Terror 1st loss of season and forces McDaniel to share title with Muhlenberg.
2002: Hopkins wins 27-7 in Baltimore, denying Terror the outright title and forcing three-way tie for crown (JHU, McDaniel, Muhlenberg)
2003: Hopkins wins 17-3 in Westminster, knocking McDaniel out of tie for title (JHU, Muhlenberg).
2004: Hopkins wins 12-9 in Baltimore, denying Terror the outright title and forcing five-way title for title (Dickinson, F&M, JHU, McDaniel, Muhlenberg)

Listen LIVE on WTTR-AM 1470.

Gettysburg at Franklin & Marshall
This is the 91st meeting between the Bullets and the Diplomats in a series that dates to 1890 ... F&M holds a slim 42-41-7 advantage after last season's 38-20 win ... Gettysburg has not won since a 24-16 decision to close the 2001 season ... the Bullets need a win and a Johns Hopkins loss for their first CC title since 1985 ... RB Tom Sturges leads the Conference with 1,072 yards ... PK Brandon Kline booted four FGs at Ursinus, including a game-winning 42-yarder with 1:38 remaining ... this game has also had its impact on the Centennial champion over the years:

1983: F&M wins 10-9 in Lancaster, denying Bullets outright title and forcing three-way tie (Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore)
1985: 0-0 tie in Lancaster, giving Bullets the outright title and denying Diplomats a share of the crown
1986: Gettysburg wins 14-13 in Gettysburg, denying F&M outright title
1993: F&M wins 12-10 in Lancaster, giving F&M share of the title and knocking Gettysburg out of a share

Listen LIVE on WFNM-FM 89.1

Ursinus at Dickinson
This is the 77th time that the Bears and the Red Devils have met on the gridiron since 1894 ... Dickinson holds a 41-29-6 series advantage and has won the last three games ... Ursinus' last win was a 40-28 triumph in 2001 ... the Bears need a win to finish at .500 for the first time since 2001 ... UC has lost two games by two points or less this season and five contests have been decided by no more than eight points ... Dickinson will finish below .500 for the second straight season after registering 16 straight seasons of finishing .500 or better ... Listen LIVE on WDCV-FM 88.3.

Moravian at Muhlenberg
This is the 54th time that these two long-time Lehigh Valley rivals will meet with Moravian holding a 30-21-2 advantage ... the Mules have won the last three meetings, including a 28-14 decision last year in Bethlehem ... the 'Hounds' last victory was a 17-7 win in 2001 ... in 2007, Moravian will join the Centennial as an associate football member ... Listen LIVE on WMUH-FM 91.7 and WKAP-AM 1470.

Championship Sunday

Semifinal Saturday

It's "Semifinal Saturday" in the Centennial Conference, as the field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball "final fours" get underway in Collegeville, Westminster, Carlisle and Baltimore. We'll keep you updated throughout the day here on our 'blog with news and scores, not only from the "final fours," but also from the gridiron in Gettysburg, Collegeville, Allentown and even Hampden-Sydney, Virginia.

McDaniel College will have LIVE STATS of all three men's soccer matches at this link: http://www.mcdaniel.edu/athletics/stats/livestats/xlive.htm.

Gettysburg College will have LIVE STATS of its football game with Dickinson at this link: http://www.gettysburg.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm.

Muhlenberg College will have LIVE STATS of its football game with McDaniel at this link: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/sports/livestats/topview.htm.

For LIVE audio ... click on our football "Gameday" site at: www.centennial.org/football/gameday.html

Enjoy what promises to be a beautiful Saturday.

The Friday Tailgate 11/5

All eyes in the Centennial football world will be directed at Collegeville on Saturday as Ursinus (4-4, 2-2 CC) plays host to Franklin & Marshall (3-5, 2-2 CC). Why do you ask? Look at those overall and conference records! How can this game be important?

Simple my dear Watson. If Ursinus wins, the Bears remain alive for a share of the Conference title and a shot at the NCAA playoffs. Actually, UC goes to the tournament with victories over F&M and Dickinson, combined with a Hopkins loss at McDaniel next Saturday.

The Conference title is still up for grabs entering the final two weeks. The Blue Jays (7-1, 4-1 CC) have at least a share of the crown and they can win their first outright Centennial crown with a win in Westminster on Nov. 12. Dickinson, F&M, Gettysburg and Ursinus are all still alive for a share of the crown should Hopkins stumble at McDaniel.

Dickinson at Gettysburg
It's the 71st meeting between these long-time rivals in a series that began in 1892 ... the Bullets hold a 39-29-2 advantage in the series, but the Red Devils are 10-0-1 in the last 11 matchups, including a 27-6 triumph last season in Carlisle ... the two teams play for the "Little Brown Bucket," a mahogany bucket with silver hoops, a silver handle and the seals of both institutions ... it is engraved with the name of the winner of each annual battle between the Bullets and Red Devils ... keep an eye on Bullet RB Tom Sturges, who needs 68 yards to become the first Gettysburg runner to reach 1,000 yards since 1999 ... listen live on WDCV-FM 88.3.

Franklin & Marshall at Ursinus
This is the 87th time that the Diplomats and Bears have met on the gridiron in a series that began in 1894 ... F&M has dominated the all-time series, 59-23-4, and has wins in the last three meetings ... Ursinus' last triumph was a 41-14 victory in 2001 ... Bear QB Vince Gallagher may be the hottest player in the CC, earning Centennial Offensive Player of the Week honors each of the last two weeks ... he threw for 274 yards and three TDs vs. previously undefeated Johns Hopkins ... the Diplomats' QB situation is unsettled, as starter Jeff Harner left last week's game with a shoulder injury ... his status is uncertain ... listen live on WFNM-FM 89.1.

McDaniel at Muhlenberg
This is the 34th meeting between the Green Terror and the Mules in a series that dates to 1927 ... McDaniel holds a 19-13-1 all-time advantage and has had success in Allentown (9-8-1) ... Muhlenberg has not defeated McDaniel since a 29-27 decision at home in 1993 ... it has been 192 games since the Green Terror has been shutout on the gridiron ... listen live on WTTR-AM 1470 or WMUH-FM 91.7.

Johns Hopkins at Hampden-Sydney
This is the 19th game in the Hopkins-HSC series with the Tigers holding a 12-5-1 advantage ... the Blue Jays' win last season was their first in the series since 1961 ... Hopkins can secure the Centennial's berth in the NCAA tournament if Ursinus loses to F&M ... the Blue Jays have won 13 straight non-Centennial games and have not lost a November game since 2000 - a streak of 12 games ... listen live on WFLO-FM 95.7.

A Fall Tournament Primer

The "Final Fours" are set for the 2005 Centennial field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball championship tournaments this weekend at four locations. Here are some things to look for on Saturday and Sunday.

Field Hockey
Six of the 10 previous semifinal matches have been one-goal matches but only one has gone to overtime ... the No. 2 seed has lost four straight semifinal games since Swarthmore defeated Washington, 2-0, in 2000 ... all five title games have been one-goal decisions with last season's Ursinus-F&M match going to extra time ... since the tournament began in 2000, no team has repeated as champion ... the last time to defend its title was Gettysburg in 1997-98 ... the No. 1 seed has won the tournament in even-numbered years - Hopkins (2000), McDaniel (2002) and Ursinus (2004) ... the Bears have won four of five previous meetings with Hopkins, but the only loss came in the 2003 CC semis, 1-0 ... Gettysburg and McDaniel square off for the 36th time in their storied history with the Bullets holding a 25-5-5 advantage ... Gettysburg captured a 3-2 decision in the 2003 CC semis ... the Terror's last win was a 1-0 triumph in 2002.

Men's Soccer
The top seed has won the last three championships by one-goal decisions ... Gettysburg captured the 2001 title as a No. 4 seed by the largest margin in a final in the tourney's four-year history, 2-0 ... the No. 2 seed has reached the championship match in all four tournaments ... five of the eight previous first-round matches have gone to overtime ... in 2002 and 2004, all semi matches went to OT ... this is the 64th time that McDaniel and Gettysburg have met on the pitch since 1931 ... the Bullets lead 30-25-8 and defeated the Terror, 2-0, to win the 2001 championship ... Swarthmore and Muhlenberg meet for the 51st time since 1943 ... the Mules hold a 26-22-2 advantage and defeated the Garnet, 1-0, in the regular season ... no team has repeated as Centennial champion since Muhlenberg in 1994-95.

Women's Soccer
The top seed has won three of the four championship tournaments with the only exception coming in 2002 ... the No. 2 seed has only advanced to the final one time (Gettysburg, 2003) ... the fourth seed has only reached once as well (Gettysburg, 2002) ... Dickinson trails its all-time series with Ursinus, 6-4, but defeated the Bears, 1-0, on Sept. 24 ... Hopkins holds a 7-5-2 series lead on Haverford since 1993 and defeated the Fords, 2-1, on Sept. 17... the Jays edged Haverford, 2-1, in overtime in the 2004 semis ... ironically, the Fords are 3-0-1 against JHU in their last four matches on grass.

Volleyball
The top seed has won the tournament in six of the seven previous events with the only exception coming in 2002 (Muhlenberg) ... the No. 2 seed has also been in the final six times with F&M breaking the streak last fall ... the championship match has gove five times twice (1998, 2002) ... eight of the 14 semifinal matches have been three-game sweeps, while three have gone the distance ... the top seed has lost just two games in the semis ... F&M and Hopkins have met five times in the semis with the Diplomats winning the first three and the Jays the last two ... Haverford has lost to Gettysburg in the last four CC semifinals but defeated the Bullets in five games in the regular season ... the Orange and Blue has won the last four Centennial titles.

Let's Get This Party Started

It's here ... first-round day for the 2005 Centennial Conference field hockey, men's and women's soccer and volleyball championship tournaments. It's a day for the #4 and #5 seeds to start a new season as they strive to reach this weekend's final four. We will post updates from the games here throughout the day. Check back often.

Field Hockey
#5 seed Franklin & Marshall (12-5) takes its #19 national ranking to Baltimore, looking to avenge a 7-0 defeat inflicted by #4 seed Johns Hopkins (9-8) in Baltimore on Oct. 8. The Diplomats' Brittany Croll is second among CC players in scoring (16-8-40), while Hopkins has a balanced attack led by senior Caite Kappel (7-2-16) and freshmen Adair Landy (6-4-16) and Leah Horton (5-6-16). Game time is 7 p.m.

Men's Soccer
#4 seed Johns Hopkins (11-2-4) welcomes #5 seed Gettysburg (7-5-4) to Homewood Field in Baltimore for a rematch of their regular-season scoreless draw at the Battlefield. Hopkins has outshot its opponents, 128-58, this season but has struggled to put teams away. Bullet keeper Nick Wells-Bundtzen made eight saves back on Sept. 28 vs. JHU. The Jays are nearly unbeatable at home with a 112-8-8 record since 1994. Game time is 3:30.

Women's Soccer
Ursinus (13-3-1), the #4 seed, plays host to #5 seed Gettysburg (8-7-2) in a rematch of their 2004 CC semifinal won by the Bullets, 2-0. This time, the match is in Collegeville, where the Bears won their first-ever match against the Orange and Blue, 1-0, on Sept. 17. Noelle Bisinger is the offensive leader for UC with 8-3-19, while Gettysburg's Katie Myers (8-3-19) was just named the CC Player of the Year. Game time is 2 p.m.

Volleyball
There's a new kid in town ... wearing Garnet and ready for a trip to the dance. #5 seed Swarthmore (13-14) makes its first-ever trip to the CC playoffs and visits Lancaster to take on #4 seed Franklin & Marshall (19-8). Youth will be served (pardon the pun) in this one, as the Garnet looks to soph Karen Berk and freshman Jennifer Wang to trigger the offense, while F&M turns to soph Susan Taylor and first-year Margot Phelan, a first-team All-CC selection. The Diplomats rolled to a 30-27, 30-26, 30-12 victory on Sept. 21. Game time is 7 p.m.