One final chance
11/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Ever since freshman year, Lehigh wide receivers Mike Fitzgerald and Sekou Yansane have been determined to show the Patriot League that it was their time to shine. Each season, they’ve battled for a top position as they fight through practices and injuries. This season, the pair of seniors has made their mark on the field even through some disappointing losses. They have kept their heads held high and look to close their Lehigh career with a victory against Lafayette this weekend in the 144th edition of college football’s most played rivalry.
As sophomores it was a battle to sustain a spot on the field against upperclassman. But both Fitzgerald and Yansane began to show what they were capable of. Yansane finished his season with 16 receptions for a total of 186 yards while Fitzgerald ended right behind him with 150 yards on 11 receptions. They never looked back from there. As their final two seasons approached, they were both looking to excel as players and as part of a team. During their junior year, they took the top wide receiver positions for Lehigh and made a total of 67 catches for the Brown and White. Fitzgerald finished the season with three touchdowns and caught 35 receptions for 448 yards while Yansane finished with two touchdowns and 513 yards on 32 receptions.
This year, the duo has become nearly unstoppable. After four years, they attribute their performances to having one another on the field at the same time. Fitzgerald’s route running and ability to make plays after the catch has inspired Yansane to be a better player. “Over the years we’ve learned to become players by incorporating aspects of one another’s game into our own,” Yansane explained.
Wide receivers coach Adam Scheier has also helped in the development of Fitzgerald and Yansane. “He has been hard on us since day one and he hasn’t let up,” Yansane says. “He saw potential in us and was determined to help us develop and display that in our performances."
It is hard for another team’s defense to focus on just one player when there is more than one wide receiver with potential to gain yards or score a touchdown on the field at the same time. “It has left us with some great opportunities to have one-on-one coverage on many plays,” Fitzgerald said.
This season, Fitzgerald and Yansane have already combined for a total of 1,246 yards. Fitzgerald has found the end zone 10 times this season for the Mountain Hawks and is ranked third in the Patriot League in touchdowns. It feels pretty good to him to sit at the top of the Patriot League especially knowing some of the talent he is up against. He gives sophomore quarterback J.B. Clark and the offensive line a lot of credit for how well he has been playing. “The rising talent and ability of (J.B.) Clark makes our job so much easier on the field,” Fitzgerald explains. The New Jersey native has averaged 12.6 yards on 46 receptions this season, placing him as one of the top offensive players in the league in receptions and receiving yards.
It has been a bitter-sweet season for Yansane. As far as he is concerned, nothing is better than to be recognized at the top of the Patriot League as a team. Having missed a game this season due to injury, it never held Yansane back on the field as he has caught an average of 74.2 yards a game. In his final season at Lehigh, Yansane became a part of school history at Goodman Stadium in the Mountain Hawks first home game against Drake. He caught an 85-yard touchdown from Clark, the sixth longest touchdown pass in school history, and the second longest all-time at Goodman Stadium. Yansane recalls this as his greatest moment during his Lehigh career.
The season has been tough for the Mountain Hawks losing four close games that they could have taken. But the team never lost its fight. “The team played well all year. Our record would indicate we did not play well enough, however what I have been most proud of is the ability we have to bounce back,” explains Yansane. “Just like in life, some things will not go your way but it is how you respond to those challenges that will eventually shape who you are.” Yansane has proved this season that with every difficult loss he came back stronger and ready for more. With one game left, nothing would mean more to these two players than a win against Lafayette.
It has been a difficult career to say that they have never defeated their archrival. “I would like to be celebrating after a Lehigh-Lafayette game. It has yet to happen, but it would make my career,” Yansane said.
As frustrating as it has been to them to lose to Lafayette their first three seasons at Lehigh, they are hoping to change that all on Saturday. Fitzgerald’s Lehigh career moment was his 18-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Sedale Threatt ’08 last season to bring Lehigh to a 7-7 tie in the first quarter versus the Leopards.
Fitzgerald is returning to the rivalry this year with more experience and talent and is driven to win. He knows his and Yansane’s speed and agility have the potential to play a major role in the Lehigh offense. “It is a game that everyone keeps an eye on the whole year and no one wants to end their career with a loss, especially against Lafayette,” Fitzgerald explains. While it is Fitzgerald, Yansane and the entire team’s main goal to come away with a win, Fitzgerald wants to be able to walk off the field following his final college game after playing the best four quarters of his life. If that happens, there will be no regrets as he exits the stadium.
Story written by Lindsey Corbetta ‘09
