CALIFORNIA (Dec. 3) – The top-seeded Vulcans raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter on Saturday afternoon before suffering a 41-30 loss to third-seeded Shepherd at Adamson Stadium in the Super Region One Championship as part of the NCAA Playoffs.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania football team finishes the year with an 11-1 overall record while making its first appearance in the NCAA Playoffs since 2011. The Vulcans posted double-digit victories this season for only the sixth time in program history. Meanwhile, Shepherd remains undefeated this season with a 13-0 mark and advances to the national semifinals after playing in the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Senior wide receiver and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist Garry Brown (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) finished with 181 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. He posted 127 receiving yards on 10 catches with two touchdowns and also posted a 53-yard punt return for touchdown in his final collegiate game. Brown broke the single-season school record with 1,475 receiving yards on 91 receptions and finished the year with a school-record 22 receiving touchdowns. The Ohio native also set single-season school marks with 156 points scored and 26 total touchdowns on Saturday after both records were previously set by running back Antoine Bagwell in 2005.

The Vulcans took a 3-0 lead on their opening possession of the game when junior Will Brazill (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill) made a 30-yard field goal with 11:09 left in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, junior defensive back Vondel Bell (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) intercepted a pass near midfield and returned the turnover inside the 5-yard line. Cal U stretched the lead to 10-0 on the next play when junior running back John Franklin III (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester) posted a three-yard touchdown with 9:39 remaining in the quarter. The Rams were forced to a three-and-out on their next drive before Brown posted a 53-yard return for touchdown at the 7:36-mark in the quarter.

Shepherd, which was limited to 15 yards on nine plays during its initial three drives of the game, countered with a 33-yard touchdown run by freshman Brandon Hlavach with 4:39 left in the first quarter. The Rams then registered a strip sack and recovered the fumble in Cal U territory toward the end of the quarter. Shepherd advanced inside the 5-yard line before missing a 21-yard field goal on the opening play of the second quarter. The teams then traded field position until midway through the quarter before the Rams recorded another strip sack with defensive lineman Bruno Anyangwe returning the fumble 36 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-14 with 6:32 left before halftime. Shepherd took its initial lead of the game with 40 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeff Ziemba to wide receiver Billy Brown. The Vulcans needed just two plays to respond, as junior quarterback Michael Keir (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) connected with junior wide receiver Tom Greene (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) for a 30-yard gain before finding Brown for a 40-yard touchdown, 24-21.

Keir finished the game with 269 passing yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-41 attempts with no interceptions. In his first year as a starter, he posted a single-season school record with 41 touchdown passes and finished with 3,222 passing yards, which ranks third in school history.

The Vulcans added to their lead on the initial drive of the second half, mounting an 11-play drive that spanned nearly six minutes with Keir connecting with Brown for an eight-yard touchdown. Shepherd cut the deficit to 30-27 when Ziemba found Billy Brown for another score with 2:42 left in the third quarter (PAT blocked).

Following a Cal U punt early in the fourth quarter, Shepherd mounted a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to reclaim the lead at 34-30 with 11:06 remaining. During the drive, the Rams converted a third-and-five from their own 25-yard line before Brown posted a 51-yard gain on the next play. Cal U moved inside the red zone on the ensuing drive before four-straight incompletions led to a turnover on downs. The Rams gained possession at their own 17-yard line with 7:42 left to play and worked over six minutes off the clock to seal the victory with a 15-play drive that was capped by a 1-yard run by backup quarterback Connor Jesop on fourth down.

Junior linebacker Luke Hrapchak (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior) led the team with 15 tackles (seven solo) and added 2.5 TFL with 1.0 sack. Senior defensive back Arnel Farmer, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) added eight tackles on Saturday, while Bell and junior linebacker DeVonte Suber (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) both posted six tackles. Bell tallied one interception and two pass break-ups, while Suber recorded 2.0 sacks.

Notes:
Cal U was held to a season-low 30 points in the loss … Junior Nick Grissom (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) led the team in rushing with 48 yards to become the program's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2011 … Brown is the first player in recent program history with multiple punt returns for touchdown in the same year … Hrapchak finished the year as the team leader with 101 stops, becoming the first player with at least 100 tackles in a season since 2009 … The Vulcans allowed 100 yards to an opposing running back for the first time all year (Hlavach) … Staring this season, the NCAA will reseed each of the four teams that advance to the national semifinals