Worcester, Mass. - Robert Talley built his reputation on the defensive side of the ball. In his first game as head coach at Stonehill, Talley got two goal line stands in the final eight minutes to preserve a dramatic 20-14 win over host Assumption at Multi-Sport Stadium Friday night.
Senior co-captain Mike DeBye (Burlington, Mass.) made two huge plays on fourth down on back-to-back Greyhound possessions to thwart potential game-winning touchdowns.
The first came with under eight minutes to go and the Skyhawks clinging to a 20-14 lead. The Greyhounds had marched to the Stonehill three-yard line and decided to go for a potential game-winning touchdown when DeBye batted down a pass intended for Brian Carey.
After the Skyhawks went six yards on five plays after taking over on downs, Assumption moved to the Stonehill 14 when it faced fourth down again. DeBye this time intercepted Taylor Humprhey's pass sealing the game for the Skyhawks.
The Greyhounds opened the game with a trick play that worked to the tune of 26 yards, when wide receiver Jake Beers found David Canney open on the left side. The drive stalled when Jon Eisele missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.
Neither team did much offensively in the first quarter but things changed in the second after the teams exchanged interceptions on back-to-back plays, the Stonehill offense started to find its stride. The following possession for the Skyhawks saw freshman Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass.) break off a 11-yard TD scamper to put the Skyhawks up, 7-0 late in the second. A 37-yard field goal by Sean Donahue (Plymouth, N.H.) gave the Skyhawks a 10-0 halftime edge.
Assumption opened with more tricks to begin the second half with an onside kick, but it was snuffed out and recovered by freshman Joe Forte (Everett, Mass.). Two plays later, junior quarterback Cruz Parsons (Signal Hill, Calif.) hit sophomore David Pringle (West Haven, Conn.) with a short pass that Pringle broke free on and outraced the Assumption defense to the endzone, upping the Skyhawk advantage to 17-0.
The Greyhounds bounced back with two-yard run from Jay Youngblood but Donahue tacked on three more with a 29-yarder that was setup by a dazzling 46-yard up-the- sideline, across-the-field scramble by Parsons.
Assumption closed the gap to the final margin when Humphrey found Brian Carey for a 35-yard strike, but the defense, highlighted by DeBye denied any late game heroics from the Greyhounds.
Vachon provided a spark in the running game, racking up 76 yards in his first collegiate game, while junior Jeffery Payne (West Haven, Conn.) had a career-best 46 yards on only eight carries.
Interestingly enough, both teams rushed for 141 yards, with Greyhound backs Kyle Johnson and Youngblood totaling 59 and 56, respectively.
Parsons was 9-for-19 for 134 yards with one TD and one interception, while Humphrey was 18-for-35 for 185 yards and three interceptions, two of them by senior standout Jared Zanello (Walpole, Mass.) who also added five tackles.
Former wideout turned defensive back, Jon Nunley-Kilborn (North Dartmouth, Mass.) tied Debye for the team lead in tackles with eight, while Donahue made four stops, all solo. Assumption's Dustin Zitzmann had a game-high 15 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Dave Canney hauled in 10 passes for 105 yards.
The Skyhawks, now 1-0, host Pace on Friday, Sept. 14 in their home opener at W.B. Mason Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.