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Date: October 5, 2002
Contact: Bill Sodoma

 

Stepka leads Colby football to first win

WATERVILLE, MAINE --

Sophomore running back Aaron Stepka (Farmington/Farmington, Conn.) rushed 42 times for a collegiate-high 217 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to lead the Colby College football team to a 27-19 victory over previously unbeaten Wesleyan University at Seaverns Field.

Stepka had set his previous collegiate high with 146 yards in a game with Middlebury last Saturday. He now is averaging 140 yards rushing per game in Colby's first three games and has 88 carries for 422 yards and five touchdowns.

With Wesleyan leading 20-19 after three quarters, Stepka had all the offense in the fourth quarter with touchdown runs of 2 and 1 yards.

Colby's defense, which has not allowed more than 20 points in a game this year, set up both of Stepka's touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Senior captains Mike DiStefano (Xaverian Brothers/Lexington, Mass.) and Mike Moran (Manchester West/Bedford, N.H.) combined to set up Stepka's first score in the fourth quarter. DiStefano sacked Wesleyan quarterback Brennan Carney (South Burlington/South Burlington, Vt.) and forced a fumble that Moran recovered at the Wesleyan 31-yard line. Five plays later, Stepka scored from 2 yards out for a 20-19 lead with 5:08 left in the game.

On the kickoff, Colby sophomore William Foley (Portsmouth/Portsmouth, R.I.) recovered a fumble by Jeremy George (Mount St. Michael/Bronx, N.Y.) on the Wesleyan 15-yard line. Stepka had all four rushes before finally scoring on a 1-yard run for the 27-19 lead with 1:55 to go.

Colby (1-2) sealed the game when sophomore defensive back Wayne Harrington (Rockland/Rockland, Mass.) intercepted a Carney pass on the Colby 27-yard line on a 4th-and-18 play.

While Colby rushed the ball, Wesleyan (2-1) got most of its offense in the air. Cardinal junior wide receiver Pat Moffett (Norwalk/Norwalk, Conn.) caught eight balls for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Carney finished up with 300 yards passing on just 14 completions.

Colby's defense came up with seven sacks of Carney. Moran and DiStefano each had two sacks and junior defensive tackle Greg Lynch (St. Sebastian's/Walpole, Mass.) had one-and-a-half sacks.

The Mules play at Amherst College next Saturday at 1 p.m.