Lightweights travel to Navy

The hurdles keep getting higher. Last week the Penn lightweight football team manhandled a solid Princeton squad. Next up are the reigning league champs. Tomorrow afternoon (2 p.m. at Navy's Turf Field), the Penn lightweight football team (1-0) takes on the Midshipmen. Navy, the defending Eastern Lightweight Football League champions, have dominated the Quakers in the past to the tune of a 49-4-2 record all-time against the Quakers, including two victories in last year's championship campaign. Last week, the Quakers – most notably senior tailback Tom Morrin (156 yards on 20 carries) – ran well in the 28-6 victory. In addition, the defense, led by senior defensive back David Sullivan, came up with several key turnovers to strangle the Tiger offense. But in order to defeat the Midshipmen, who sport a 1-0 record on the strength of a 34-21 victory over a freshmen squad from Wesley College, Penn junior quarterback Carmine Greco may have to improve upon last week's subpar performance (7 for 22 for 56 yards). The Quakers can draw an emotional uplift from the return of junior defensive end Matt Astrom, an all-ELFL first-teamer last season who missed the opener due to a minor shoulder injury. His return to action couldn't be more opportune for the Quakers, who will definitely need Astrom to play his best if the team is to stop the vaunted Midshipmen. "The service academies are historically tough to beat," Penn coach Bill Wagner said. "They are the class of the league. If we can beat them, then we can definitely play with anyone in this league." Senior signal-caller Matt Kirby leads the Midshipmen in the huddle, and his favorite target would appear to be senior wide receiver Mike Wimer. Penn's secondary, especially Sullivan and senior captain Kris Wappaus at defensive back, will be hard-pressed to keep the ball out of the hands of Wimer, a big-play man for Navy. On the defensive side of the football for the Midshipmen, junior DB Errol Campbell makes the bulk of the tackles. Despite the history between the teams, the feeling along the Penn sidelines is one of extraordinary confidence, especially after the domination of Princeton. "Obviously, when you beat a team as soundly as we beat Princeton, you become optimistic," Morrin said. "The seniors, who know that we've had a poor record against Navy in the past, are itching to beat them. We're all still angry about the loss a few years ago." For those unfamiliar with that game two years ago, Penn had a seemingly insurmountable lead over the Midshipmen until a last-second touchdown and two-point conversion sent the Quakers home with a loss which still smarts. This season, the team hopes to put a new spin on things, and if the victory over Princeton is any indicator of what's to come, the Quakers have a legitimate shot at beating Navy. "We started the season with a good win," senior fullback Todd Levine said. "We're really confident going into Navy. We definitely have the talent, it's just a matter of execution. If we can do what we know how to do, we should be able to escape Navy with a big 'W.' "This is as good a team as I've ever seen. We will be competitive when league play starts, and it would be fantastic if we could keep things rolling with a win at Navy."

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