On a sunny, almost balmy, late November afternoon, approximately 3,100 enthused fans turned out to witness East Coast Bowl II at Cameron Field in Petersburg, Virginia. The annual all-star affair showcases top, regional, draft-eligible talent from NCAA Division II & III programs. The inaugural game in 2001 pitted players from Virginia schools against those from North Carolina. In 2002, the recruiting scope grew tremendously as programs throughout the mid-Atlantic region were successfully targeted. Roughly 150 nominations resulted in 72 final selections (36 on each the North and South squad) representing 35 programs in seven states. The mission of the game will continue to exclusively focus on small college football stars with representation parameters regarding Divisions I-AA, II, and III being considered for future years by the East Coast Bowl Committee.

East Coast Bowl II was won by the North 30-17, although the game was played even closer than the final score. The unofficial Player of the Game was Chris Sullivan, a Gagliardi Trophy finalist (awarded annually to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III), a runningback from Washington & Lee University. Sullivan produced 178 yards from scrimmage on 38 touches including a 2-yard pile-clearing touchdown dive to get the South on the board in the first quarter.

Earlier, the North had raced out to a 14-0 lead to assume command of the scoreboard – a lead they never relinquished. The game began with an exchange of interceptions, the second of which was thrown by the South’s Joel Gordon (Shepherd College) deep in his own territory. Jarrod Pence (Moravian College) secured the pick following two tips. The North converted on the next play when Tim Hicks (West Liberty State College) rolled to his left and hit Rocco Forgione (Bloomsburg University) in the front corner of the end zone for a 15-yard TD. Later in the quarter, the North extended their lead when Corey Hoppe (Fairmont State College) stepped in front of a Mike Warker (Widener University) pass and raced 64 yards untouched for the score. Following Sullivan’s first quarter TD, which capped a 10-play, 57-yard march all on the ground by Sullivan, the North advanced their lead in the second quarter with a 38-yd field goal by Dusty Lehr (Juniata College). The South answered that before halftime with a 42-yd kick from Richard Straup (Wingate University) to make the score 17-10.

The second half opened with similar futility to the first when the teams exchanged fumbles on their opening possessions. Justin Valentine (West Virginia State College) returned a South fumble 34 yards to the 5-yd line only to watch his offense fumble the ball right back to the South on the ensuing play. Later in the quarter, after a 41-yd. FG by Lehr, the South pulled to their closest margin when Joel Gordon hit Craig Brown (Johnson C. Smith University) on a 24-yard fade down the left side to make the score 20-17. Another field goal from Lehr upped the North lead to six before the play of the game, ultimately, unfolded on the South’s next drive. On a 2nd & 4 turn from their own 26, Sullivan took a Joel Gordon handoff, burst up the middle, made two defenders miss before cutting to the right sideline and outracing everyone for an apparent 76-yd touchdown romp. The pending extra point would have granted the South their first lead of the day, presumably setting the stage for an intense final quarter or so of action. Instead, a questionable holding penalty nullified the play stalling the South’s drive and leading to a 32-yard punt from Kevin Burkey (Shepherd College). On the very next play, the North drove the nail in the coffin when Tim Hicks found Tierell Johnson (Bloomsburg University) behind the secondary. Johnson came back for the underthrown pass and made a nifty move, ducking to avoid two South defenders who overran him on their recovery, before trotting into the end zone to complete the 48-yd scoring play. That made it 30-17 which became the final when the teams stalemated in the fourth quarter.

For more information on the East Coast Bowl, do not hesitate to contact the Committee at (804) 722-0141.