Franklin & Marshall's 28-14 loss to Gettysburg in Saturday's season finale at Williamson-Sponaugle Field was a microcosm of the Diplomats' season.
F&M mistakes, capitalized by its opponents, compounded by missed opportunities.
In short, a recipe for disaster.
"It's mistake after mistake after mistake," F&M coach John Troxell said of the Gettysburg game in particular and the season as a whole. "And the other team capitalizes.
"All the little things add up and on top that we have missed opportunities."
The game's first series proved all of the above.
The Diplomats (3-7 overall, 3-6 Centennial) took the opening kickoff and marched close to midfield on five plays before a holding call pushed them back. On second-and-9, from its 37, F&M quarterback John Harrison threw a backward pass to Lamont Jackson that bounced off the running back's hands before Gettysburg's Larry DelViscio recovered the ball at the F&M 20.
Four plays later, Gettysburg (6-4, 6-3) took a 7-0 lead when Kyle Whitmoyer hooked up with John Pesce on a 5-yard pass.
The Diplomats answered on the ensuing possession by marching 94 yards. Jackson, who had four carries for 54 yards on the drive, scored on a 7-yard run to even the game at 7-7.
After forcing the Bullets to a three-and-out, F&M moved into Gettysburg territory with a first-and-goal at the 6. Two plays later Hugo Nolasco picked off Harrison at the 2. Gettysburg needed just eight plays to move 98 yards on a drive that ended with Freddy Caruso's 4-yard run, giving the Bullets a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
"To get turnovers on defense and do something with them is really important," Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter said. "I've been on this field too many times with a lead that didn't hold up."
This one would.
Gettysburg made it 21-7 on its opening drive of second half when Whitmoyer hit Pesce for an 11-yard score. F&M matched that on the next series when Harrison found John Kaschak on a 9-yard touchdown pass. The Bullets iced the game late in the fourth quarter with a six-play, 94-yard drive that finished with Ted Delia's 1-yard run.
"This was big for us," Streeter said. "We've been trading wins back and forth the past couple of years."
The Diplomats said goodbye to 13 seniors Saturday. Two of them, Harrison and Kaschak, left the field with significant places in F&M's record book, while C.T. Marsh, who will get another year of eligibility, became the school's all-time sack leader with 26.
Kaschak finished his career second in all-time rushing yards (2,384), rushing touchdowns (21) and points scored (174, 29 TDs).
"He's the most underrated player in the league," Troxell said. "He was solid for four years and did everything you asked of him."
Harrison, who already owned most the major passing records, raised the bar a little higher Saturday. He leaves Lancaster as the leader in attempts (1,298), completions (856), yards (8,886), percentage (65.9) and touchdowns (87).
"He's been a warrior out there ever since he got here," Troxell said. "You can remove the football player status from him, and he's just a great person."
Harrison and Kaschak led a senior class, which was Troxell's second recruiting class, to a 22-20 mark and two ECAC bowl bids.
"One of the legacies of this class in that they raised the level of expectations," Troxell said. "That's what makes this season disappointing for them because they've been successful."
