“You are what your record says you are.”
While the popular Bill Parcells adage may hold true in most cases, it is certainly not the case with the Georgetown football team (2-7, 0-4 Patriot League), which lost its third consecutive one-possession game this past Saturday against Lehigh (2-6, 1-2 Patriot League), 27-19 at Multi-Sport Field. A slow start, with Lehigh holding a 20-3 lead late in the third quarter, prevented the Hoyas from fully completing an admirable comeback in the fourth quarter.
“This is the toughest football team I’ve ever been around,” said Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata. “In the last three games, there have been breaking points, tipping points where it could have just gone the other way.”
Down 20-3 late in the third quarter, the Hoyas were able to earn a team safety, after a high snap by the Mountain Hawks rolled through their own end-zone, making it 20-5 at the end of three quarters. On their next possession, the Hoyas offense marched down the field with ease, as junior running back Jo’el Kimpela punctuated the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the Lehigh lead to 20-11 with 13:48 left in the game.
Lehigh responded, however, as senior running back Rich Sodeke’s 6-yard touchdown run extended their lead to 27-11 with 12:17 left in the game. Junior quarterback Kyle Nolan’s 9-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion pass to junior wide receiver Jake DeCicco at the 8:49 mark capped the scoring for the game. The Hoyas were unable to muster any late-game heroics in their final two drives.
One of the highlight performances for the Hoyas in the losing effort came from senior linebacker Nick Alfieri. The Oregon native earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season with a career-high 18 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, a half sack, and a forced fumble. Thanks to his impressive efforts, Alfieri became just the third player in Georgetown football history to record over 300 career tackles.
“It’s a cool personal accomplishment, and it’s an honor to be up there with [McCabe and Parrish]. That’s a cool thing. It’s really not the focus. It’s kind of an afterthought. I’m just trying to do my thing, do my job. I’m just lucky enough to do it,” Alfieri said.
Sgarlata had nothing but praise for Alfieri’s significance to the program after the game. Sgarlata designated Alfieri as the Joe Eacobacci No. 35 Memorial Jersey recipient before the season started, an annual honor bestowed upon the player who epitomizes the meaning of leadership for Georgetown football.
“Anytime you wear No. 35 on your back, it goes without saying how high esteem I hold someone. Nick has done a lot of things for us,” said Sgarlata. “
Despite the Hoyas’ misfortunes over their now five-game losing streak, Sgarlata feels that his team is better than their record indicates.
“I will take this team over any other team in the league, bar none. There’s no giving up in this team, which is unique,” said Sgarlata. “I’ve been coaching for 19 years and playing since I was 6 years old, so that’s 36 years of football. I haven’t seen anything like it. The kids just keep coming back and coming back.”
The Hoyas are off this week, and will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. when they travel to face No. 10 Fordham (8-1, 4-1 Patriot League).
Photo by Freddy Rosas
