FOOTBALL
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Graduate student Nick Redden (Clearfield) ended his four-year career for Duquesne with his 22nd consecutive start at center in a 33-23 non-conference victory over host Monmouth (6-6) at Kessler Field Saturday afternoon.
A crowd of 2,690 saw the Dukes close the successful season at 7-4, including a 4-2 record that gave them a share of the 2013 Northeast Conference title. A 10-0 loss to co-champ Sacred Heart cost them a trip to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
Redden, one of the tri-captains for the 2013 Dukes, played in 39 games after redshirting in 2009, earning time on the defensive line, at fullback and on special teams as well as the offensive line in his first two seasons.
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Redshirt sophomore defensive back Derek Morgan (Clearfield) recorded three solo tackles in No. 5 seed Slippery Rock’s 27-20 loss to No. 4 seed Winston-Salem State (10-1) in the first round of the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 Playoffs Saturday.
A crowd of 3,542 in Bowman-Gray Stadium saw The Rock manage only 210 yards in total offense after averaging 556.6 yards during the regular season and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship game loss to Bloomsburg.
Morgan started two games and came off the bench in the others for The Rock, which closed at 9-3 after winning the PSAC-West Division with a 6-1 record.
The 5-11, 185-pounder numbered 24 solo stops among his 38 tackles, intercepted three passes with 45 yards in returns and broke up two passes.
His two-year career totals for 23 games with seven starts are 74 tackles, four interceptions and five passes broken up.
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READING — Freshman defensive back Jordan Russell (Curwensville) saw action on special teams in Juniata’s first postseason appearance in 40 years Saturday when the visiting Eagles led Albright (8-3) through most of the first three quarters before bowing 45-34 in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southwest Bowl with 1,287 fans on hand at Shirk Stadium.
Russell appeared in nine games with 11 tackles, including six solo stops, and had one fumble recovery and one pass break-up for Juniata, which enjoyed the school’s best Centennial Conference finish at 6-3 to tie for third place and wound up 7-4 overall, the most wins since 1990.
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WRESTLING
PHILADELPHIA — Pitt sophomore 141-pounder Jake Keller (Curwensville) sandwiched three quick falls between two narrow losses in the 19th annual Keystone Classic hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at The Palestra Sunday.
Keller was paired against No. 1 seed Pat Greco of Northwestern in the first round, and the 2013 NCAA qualifier managed to eke out a 9-7 decision en route to placing sixth in the 21-wrestler bracket.
In the consolations, Keller (5-5) pinned Penn’s Jeff Canfora in 2:05, Harvard’s Ryan Osleeb in 1:24 and Boston University’s Peter Ishiguro in 2:22 before being nipped 2-1 by Arizona State‘s Matt Kraus, who went on to place fifth.
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WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
BRONX, N.Y. — St. Francis (PA) freshman Rebecca Johnson (Grampian/Curwensville Area H.S.) lowered her personal-best time by nearly 43 seconds to 21:53.3 for a 5,000-meter course at the 29th Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships in Van Cortlandt Park Sunday.
Johnson placed 143rd among 162 runners who started the race.
The Red Flash finished 11th in the 17-team field.