Nov. 14, 2009

Courtesy California (PA) Athletics

CALIFORNIA (Nov. 14) – Behind five rushing touchdowns and an aggressive defensive attack, the No. 22 Vulcans earned an impressive 42-13 victory over Fayetteville State (N.C.) in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Playoffs at Adamson Stadium on Saturday.

The California University of Pennsylvania football team, who entered the tournament as the third seed in the region, improves to 9-3 on the season and advances to face No. 17 Shippensburg (9-2) in the second round of the playoffs. The game marks a rematch of last weekend’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship, won by the Red Raiders 42-35. Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Fayetteville State ends its season with an 8-4 record.

Senior running back Freddie Bacco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) rushed for a career-high three touchdowns in the win, while junior fullback Shawn Johnson (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) added a pair of 1-yard touchdown plunges. The Vulcan defense limited the Broncos to only 217 yards of total offense, registered three sacks and made two interceptions.