Gettysburg Bullets Banner (Photo Courtesy Gettysburg Sports)
By Hailey Clark, Contributing Writer
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Bullets football team faced its first season loss against the Montclair State Red Hawks. It was a tough game, with a final score of 26-27. Despite ending in a loss, the Bullets fought till the end, putting on an impressive show of talent on both sides of the ball.
Leading the Bullets offensively was wide receiver Walle Harwigsson ’26, who caught two touchdowns with seven receptions for 79 yards. Quarterback Rocco Abdinoor ’26 displayed his ability to move outside the pocket under pressure. He finished the game with 190 passing yards, three touchdowns and 43 rushing yards. Running back Michael Zrelak ’26 gained 63 rushing yards, and Peter Schelling ’25 had 41 rushing yards.
On the defensive side, the Bullets stifled the Red Hawks for most of the game. Linebacker Kossi Agbo ’25 had 8 tackles, leading the defense. Linebacker Nate DeLorenzo ’26 ended with five tackles and had a crucial 66-yard pick-six to put the Bullets up 20-12 in the 3rd quarter.
Early in the first quarter, the Bullets gained the lead after running back Anthony Comeau ’26 led a fake field goal attempt to extend the drive. Shortly after, Harwigsson scored his first touchdown of the season, however, the extra point was no good. Then, a Montclair fumble put Gettysburg in excellent field position at the Red Hawks’ 30-yard line.
Schelling had a couple of powerful runs to place the Bullets at the four-yard line. That set wide receiver Benjamin Mapp ’25 up for his first touchdown of the season, and Gettysburg held a 13-0 lead at the beginning of the second quarter.
The Red Hawks slowly drove the ball into the end zone for their first touchdown, however, missing the extra point. An interception by Montclair and an ensuing touchdown made the score 13-12.
DeLorenzo’s impressive pick-six came in the 3rd quarter to give the Bullets a lead of 20-12, however, the Red Hawks cut their deficit at the end of the third quarter with a score of 20-18 after a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. The Gettysburg defense made impressive moves to stop Montclair’s 2-point-attempt at the end of their drive.
With Gettysburg leading 20-18 at the start of the fourth quarter and holding possession of the ball, they were unable to convert the fourth down, and Montclair received the ball and quickly moved the chains enough to score their third touchdown. The Bullets’ defense made another impressive stop against the Red Hawks’ offense during their two-point attempt.
The Bullet’s next offensive drive was marred with penalties, but they persisted, and the drive ended with Abdinoor connecting to Harwigsson for another touchdown. A failed two-point attempt left the score at 26-24.
Montclair then drove down the field for field goal position. Kicking it in for the win as the clock ran out, the Red Hawks enjoyed a 26-27 victory in a hard-fought game.
The Bullets dominated the clock for most of the game and ran the play clock out as much as they could. The back-and-forth game led to a total of four touchdowns for Gettysburg, and quarterback Abdinoor proved his ability to work well in a high-pressure environment. It was a tough loss this weekend, but a well-played game for the Bullets.
Will the Bullets be able to turn this loss around? Find out on Saturday as they play their first home game at Musselman Stadium against Christopher Newport.
