Great Danes are EFC Champs, 27-20

Senior quarterback Joe Savino, the game’s Most Valuable Player, passed for 314 yards and one touchdown, and Albany won its first title of any kind since 1985 with a 27-20 victory over American International in the championship of the Eastern Football Conference on Nov. 22.

The Great Dane, who posted a school-record 11-1 campaign, last won a championship with an ECAC Division III North crown 12 years ago. They had captured this season’s EFC Atlantic Division with an 8-0 record, while American International did the same in the Bay State Division to set up this showdown in Springfield, Mass.

Albany raced to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. Sophomore tailback Greg Garrett, who rushed 28 times for 111 yards, scored twice on a pair of 6-yard runs. Split end Dan Gmelin, who caught nine receptions for 160 yards, hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Savino.

American International (8-3) trailed 27-7 midway through the third stanza, but then rallied behind quarterback Rick Hebert, who connected on 19 of 35 passes for 268 yards. Hebert hooked up with Dan Grant on 48-yard TD pass, before DaQuall Graham split the UA defense on a 48-yard scamper with 5:42 left.

Savino, who completed 20 of 31 attempts, and accounted for 331 total yards, led his offensive unit on a ball-control drive which wiped out most the remaining time. He twice found Gmelin on critical third-and-long plays to keep the possession alive. Finally, sophomore Mike Grever (12 tackles) picked off a Hebert pass with less than one minute left at the AIC 31 to thwart any comeback.

“Joe had another amazing game,” said Albany coach Bob Ford. “But I’m more impressed with what he doesn’t do. For example, he doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t beat himself. He has the look of a winner.”

Savino, who holds every passing record in Albany annals, now can add a trophy to his growing list of achievements. “For four years I wanted to play for some kind of championship,” he said. “This is very satisfying.”

Savino is Conference MVP

Quarterback Joe Savino was selected as the Eastern Football Conference’s most valuable player, and Bob Ford was chosen coach of the year in voting by the conference’s head coaches.

Loren Baker, a senior offensive tackle, was picked as the EFC’s best offensive lineman, and was among five Great Danes on the first team. Other players on the all-conference unit were Savino, split end Dan Gmelin, tight end Seth Thomas and cornerback Troy Rhett. Linebacker Mike Grever and defensive end Mark Pnini were second-team selections.

Brian DePasquale

Senior guard Darrin Jahnel scored a season-high 23 points, and Albany tied a school record with 15 three-point field goals in last Saturday’s 71-66 victory over St. Thomas on the second day of the Holiday Inn Calder Thanksgiving Classic in Miami Shores, Florida. Albany (3-2) dropped a 61-59 decision to the host school Barry University on the first day, as Kit Zelinski beat the buzzer with a fast-break lay-up.

Against St. Thomas, Jahnel’s three-point field goal snapped a 48-48 tie, and gave his team the lead for good. The Bobcats closed within 64-62 with 3:17 remaining as K.C. Cullins, who had 19 points and nine rebounds, hit a foul-line jumper. Jahnel, who connected on 7 of 13 long-range attempts, buried a three-pointer on UA’s next possession.

The Great Danes were still clinging to a 69-66 lead, when Cullins was stripped near the free-throw line by guard Todd Cetnar. The sophomore was fouled with the ball, and converted a one-and-one with 7.6 seconds left to seal the victory.

“We played well enough to win,” said Albany coach Scott Hicks, whose club made 15 of 31 three-point shots, and tied a record set last year. “St. Thomas gave us problems with their quickness and athleticism. Jahnel and (Andre) Duncan came up with big games to give us a lift.”

Duncan, a 6-foot-6 senior, had 14 points in the contest, and followed up a spectacular Friday-night performance against Barry. Duncan, who became the 19th Albany player to score 1,000 career points in the contest, had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and tied a UA standard with six blocked shots.

Kelly Paolino netted 16 points and Melissa Schoonover added a career-best 15 in leading Albany to a 77-51 non-conference win over Dominican on Nov. 25. The Great Danes are off to a 4-1 start for the first time since 1993-94.

Dominican held a 23-18 advantage late in the first half, before the Danes ripped off 11 of the game’s next 15 points. Paolino, who contributed a career-high nine rebounds and four steals, hit a short jumper in the lane for a 29-27 halftime lead.

Albany, which connected on 20 of 38 field goals after the intermission, went on a 20-5 run in the second half to break the game open. Freshman Robin Rink canned a pair of three-point shots in that decisive stretch, while Schoonover (7 rebounds) added one basket and two free throws.

The Great Danes have held five opponents to a combined 31 % shooting, with each team limited to less than 60 points.

Rafaela Nikas had 23 kills and 17 digs, but Albany lost to Stony Brook, 11-15, 15-10, 15-11, 15-5, in the ECAC Div. II Champion-ship on Nov. 22. The Danes, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, knocked off Stonehill, 15-11, 16-14, 15-13, in the semi-final round.

Albany finished 20-11, its most victories since 1992. Nikas and Lisa Greiner were chosen 2nd team all-New England Collegiate Conference.

Merrimack held off Albany, 2-1, in the semifinals of the ECAC Division II tournament at Boston University’s Nickerson Field on Nov. 19. The Danes ended their season with a 10-7-1 record.

Russell Di Benedetto, a junior sweeper back, was named to the all-New England Collegiate Conference second team. He started all 18 matches, tallied six assists, and led a defensive unit which allowed 1.42 goals per game.

Albany has accepted an invitation to become an associate member of the Northeast Conference in the sport of football, effective with the 1999 season, it was announced on Nov. 25 by NEC Commissioner John Iamarino.

Albany will become the seventh member of the NEC in football. Current members Central Connecticut, Monmouth, St. Francis (Pa.), Robert Morris and Wagner will be joined by associate member Sacred Heart in 1998.

The NEC and the Great Danes have agreed to an initial four-year commitment through the 2002 season, subject to review at that time. Albany moves to the Division I-AA level in football, beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year.

“Membership in the Northeast Conference is important to our football program, and the University’s long-range goals in Div. I athletics,” said Director of Athletics Milt Richards, who will continue to search for a permanent home for Albany’s 19-sport athletics program. “Due to scheduling issues, it was vital that football make a smooth transition to Division I-AA with an associate membership.”