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East Stroudsburg University Athletics

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2015 ESU football seniors
Bob Shank
ESU's senior class finished with a 4-year record of 24-19 and 4 straight seasons at .500 or better.

Soltes, Schnaars, Warriors Finish 2015 with 49-37 Win vs. Gannon

11/14/2015 12:00:00 AM

Box Score  

Photo Galleries
(Senior Day - football and cheerleaders)
1st Half
2nd Half

Related: Updated ESU/PSAC/DII records from game notes (PDF)

EAST STROUDSBURG - Redshirt senior quarterback Matt Soltes and redshirt senior wide receiver Jon Schnaars had record-setting days and East Stroudsburg University finished the 2015 football season with a winning record as the Warriors posted a 49-37 win vs. Gannon in its season finale on Saturday afternoon at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

Soltes was 34-for-53 for 435 yards and five touchdowns, and Schnaars had 16 catches for 222 yards and four TD for the Warriors (6-5), who finished with a .500 or better record for the fourth straight year, the 13th time in the last 16 years, and the 30th time in 42 seasons under head coach Denny Douds.

Soltes set an NCAA Division II record for career touchdown passes per game (3.15), with 126 in 40 games, and established another record with his 13th career game with 5+ TD passes. He shared the previous mark (12) with Curt Anes of Grand Valley State (1999-02).

Schnaars set an ESU record for career receptions (239), breaking the mark of 236 held by Evan Prall (2003-06). His 114 catches this season are a school record and one off the PSAC record (115) set by Kevin Ingram of West Chester in 1998.

ESU's 11-member senior class finishes with a four-year record of 24-19 - fullback Sam Benson, offensive lineman Eric Burleson, linebacker Kaje Cowans, cornerback Teron Dobbs, Schnaars, Soltes, offensive lineman Nicholas Spause, tailback Gerald Van De Cruz, wide receivers Joe Welk and Gerard Wendowski and defensive lineman Steven Wright.

ESU trailed just once in the contest against Gannon (6-5), the PSAC West preseason favorite. GU took a 10-7 lead on a field goal midway through the first quarter, but the Warriors led 14-10 after one quarter, 35-24 at halftime and 42-31 through three quarters.

Redshirt junior tailback Robert Healy had 149 yards from scrimmage (13 carries, 70 yards; 6 catches, 79 yards, TD) to finish the year with 1,641 total yards (884 rushing, 757 receiving).

Wendowski had six catches for 68 yards, and Welk had five catches for 49 yards.

Gannon QB Liam Nadler was 23-for-37 for 357 yards, four TD and two interceptions. Jesstin Hamm had seven catches for 122 yards and a TD, and Brandon Mansell had 7 for 105 and three TD. Brock Jones had 95 yards rushing and 51 yard receiving.

Junior free safety Jimmy Verzicco and redshirt sophomore cornerback Wesley Pierce had interceptions for the Warriors. Pierce ended a Gannon drive in the end zone with ESU holding a 42-31 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining.

Soltes finishes with PSAC career records for total offense yards per game (351.0 ypg - 2nd in DII history) and passing yards per game (313.6 - 7th in DII history) and ranks second in PSAC history and tied for second in DII history in career passing TD (126). He broke the DII record for career pass TD per game (3.11) that was held by Evan Gray of Missouri S&T (59 in 19 games - 2003-05).

He is second in PSAC history and sixth in DII history in career total offense (14,038 yards) and second in PSAC history and 10th in DII history in career passing yards (12,544). He played in 40 career games and made 37 starts.

Soltes is one of five quarterbacks in DII history with 3,000 yards total offense in all four years of his career and joins ESU's Jimmy Terwilliger (2003-06), the 2005 Harlon Hill winner, on that list. Soltes ranks second to Terwilliger in nearly every statistical category in PSAC history, playing in eight fewer games with 11 fewer starts.

He had his 24th career game with 300 yards total offense (14th with 400 yards total offense) and 22nd with 300 yards passing (10th with 400 yards passing). He holds DII records for career games with 500 yards total offense (6) and 600 yards total offense (2 - t-1st), and holds the PSAC single-game record and NCAA all-division freshman record with 666 total yards in 2012 at LIU Post (535 passing, 131 rushing).

He also holds multiple PSAC records, including tying the conference single-game record with nine TD passes in a 69-67 (5OT) loss vs. Shippensburg on October 3.

In PSAC single-season history, Soltes ranks third in passing yards (3,900), third in passing yards per game (354.5 ypg), fifth in total offense (4,110), third in total offense per game (373.6 ypg), fourth in passing TD (41) and sixth in TD responsible for (42). He is a two-time candidate for the Harlon Hill Award and can become a three-time candidate when regional finalists are announced later this fall.

Schnaars had one of the top receiving seasons in PSAC history, ranking second in receptions (114), third in yards (1,610) and t-2nd in TD (22). He set an ESU single-season record for receptions and ranks second at ESU in single-season yards and TD.

In his career, he ranks fifth in PSAC history in receptions (239 - ESU record), eighth in yards (3,447 - 3rd at ESU) and tied for fifth in TD (45 - 2nd at ESU).

Schnaars set PSAC single-game records for receptions (20) and TD (7) in the 5OT game vs. Shippensburg. His 16 catches on Saturday are the second-most in school history, and marked his sixth game with at least 10 catches (fifth this year), both school records. He had his third career 200-yard game and 16th 100-yard game.

Redshirt senior tailback Gerald Van De Cruz had 10 carries for 32 yards and two TD, finishing third at ESU in career rushing TD (26) and tied for third in single-season rushing TD (14), one from the school record.

GAME NOTES
* Douds ranks 2nd in DII history in career wins (256), extending his PSAC record set in 2008. He ranks 18th in career wins in NCAA history (all divisions) and 3rd among active coaches.
* Douds has coached in 440 career games, a DII record and 9th in NCAA history (all divisions).

* Soltes in 2015: 277-for-486, 3,900 yards, 41 TD, 11 Int; 78 rush, 210 yards; 4,110 yards total offense
* Soltes career: 840-for-1,418, 12,544 yards, 126 TD, 33 Int; 346 carries, 1,494 yards; 14,038 yards total offense

* Schnaars in 2015: 114 receptions, 1,610 yards, 22 TD
* Schnaars career: 239 receptions (ESU record), 3,447 yards, 45 TD

* Healy in 2015: 156 carries, 884 yards, 1 TD; 52 receptions, 757 yards, 3 TD; 1,641 yards from scrimmage
* Healy career (3 years): 487 carries, 2,830 yards (ESU record), 14 TD; 111 receptions, 1,522 yards, 11 TD; 4,352 yards from scrimmage (ESU record)

* The 2015 Warriors are the 2nd ESU team with 3 players with 750 receiving yards:
- Schnaars 1,610 yards (114 rec, 22 TD); Wendowski 781 yards (49 rec, 9 TD); Healy 757 yards (52 rec, 3 TD)
* The 1996 Warriors had 3 players with 750 receiving yards - Mike Mancuso 1,194; Jason Killian 1,010; Brett Witmer 891

* R-So. OLB Sekou Jones led ESU with 73 tackles in 2015.
* Jones and R-Jr. DE Ahmad McFarland were the only ESU defenders to start all 11 games (19 players made starts)

ESU seniors
* R-Sr. FB Sam Benson - 4-year letterwinner (33 career games, 3 starts), 7 rec, 57 yards, 5 carries, 8 yards
* Sr. OL Eric Burleson - 4-year letterwinner (36 career games, 25 starts) - 5 starts in 2015
* R-Sr. OLB Kaje Cowans - 3-year letterwinner and starter (32 career games, 28 starts) - 189 tackles, 16 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 4 FF, 3 FR, 1 Int.
* Sr. CB Teron Dobbbs - 4-year letterwinner and starter (41 career games, 38 starts) - 13 interceptions (t-9th in school history), 19.5 punt return average (school record)
* Schnaars - 4-year letterwinner and 3-year starter - stats above
* Soltes - 4-year letterwinner and starter - stats above
* R-Sr. OL Nicholas Spause - 2-year letterwinner (26 career games, 3 starts) - 3 straight starts at center to finish season
* R-Sr. TB Gerald Van De Cruz - 3-year letterwinner - 198 carries, 768 yards, 26 TD (3rd in school history)
* Sr. WR Joe Welk - 4-year letterwinner (38 career games, 16 starts) - 64 catches, 1,101 yards, 7 TD (30-490-5 in 2015); KR TD in 2014
* Sr. WR Gerard Wendowski - 4-year letterwinner (38 games, 14 starts) - 80 catches, 1,211 yards, 9 TD (49-781-9 in 2015)
* R-Sr. DL Steven Wright - 3-year letterwinner (29 games, 1 start) - started Saturday
 
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