Junior Logan Meyer passed for a record 385 yards and six touchdowns, while also setting a new single-season yardage record and becoming just the third 4,000 yard passer in program history in leading the offense today. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Gomes breaks career receiving yardage mark
Meyer snaps own single game passing record, matches another, and sets new single season passing mark
Skyhawks to host Southern Connecticut on Championship Weekend next Saturday

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (November 3, 2012) – Stonehill College enjoyed a record-breaking afternoon as it closed out the regular season with a commanding 43-7 triumph over Pace University in Northeast-10 Conference football action at Pace Field this afternoon.

Stonehill (5-4, 5-3 NE-10), which finishes above .500 in NE-10 play for the first time since head coach Robert Talley's first season at the helm in 2007, will be seeded fourth for the inaugural NE-10 Championship Weekend and will host seventh-seeded Southern Connecticut State University (2-8, 2-6 NE-10) next Saturday, November 10, at Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks are a win away from posting its first winning season overall since going 8-2 under Connie Driscoll in 1996. Pace, which did not qualify for the Championship Weekend, closed out its season at 0-9 overall, 0-8 in NE-10 play.

Junior quarterback Logan Meyer (Ventura, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) set one school single game record and matched another, while also setting a new single-season passing mark, in engineering a Stonehill offense which did not punt all day and posted a season-high 551 yards of total offense for the afternoon. Meyer broke his own record with a career-best 385 yards as he completed 24-of-35 passes with a school record matching six touchdowns. He also established a new single-season yardage standard with 1,913 passing yards so far this season.

Meyer surpassed his previous record of 370 yards set week one against No. 21 Bloomsburg University. He also matched the record for touchdown passes set by Stonehill Hall of Famer Tony Dello Iacono, '95, against MIT in 1994 and later matched by Cruz Parsons, '09, against Saint Anselm College in 2005. Meyer's 24 completions match his second-highest single game total over his career and fifth-best total in program history overall.

Senior John Gomes had a career-high 197 receiving yards to become the program's all-time leader with 2,336 yards for his career. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Meyer surpassed the program's single-season passing record of 1,854 yards set by John Darak, '00, in 1998. He also moved into second place on Stonehill's career passing list, becoming just the third 4,000 yard passer in program history with 4,324 yards and passing Mark Drake, '92, who totaled 4,207 yards from 1988-91. Meyer is now just 571 yards behind Dello Iacono's career record of 4,895, while his 132 completions this season are just eight shy of Darak's single-season mark and 19 touchdown passes are six shy of another single-season record.

Senior John Gomes (Hyannis, Mass.) caught nine passes for a career-best 197 yards and a touchdown. His yardage total is the second-highest in program history behind Brian Adamson's, '98, record 212 yards against Merrimack College in 1996. Gomes, who already holds the school record with 160 career receptions, surpassed Dan Cahill's, '96, career record of 2,245 yards as he finished the game with a record 2,336 yards with one game to play. Gomes also moved into second place on the program's career all-purpose yardage list as his game-high 210 yards today give him 3,223 after entering the game ranked sixth all-time. His 740 receiving yards this season rank fourth on Stonehill's single-season charts, 82 shy of Cahill's single-season record of 822.

Four different receivers caught touchdown passes from Meyer this afternoon, with freshman Gordon McLeod (Weymouth, Mass./BC High) posting 77 yards on six receptions and two touchdowns, while sophomore Zaire Reiph (Norwalk, Conn./Saint Luke's School) also added two scores on three receptions for 47 yards. Freshman Colin Markus (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) chipped in with another touchdown catch.

Junior Justin Willis (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) led the Stonehill ground attack with 13 carries for 83 yards. Senior Ryan Hunt (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) led the Skyhawks defense for the second-straight game with nine tackles (five solo), including 1.0 for a loss of two yards, and a safety. Classmate Ray Bass (Canton, Mass./Canton) added five stops (four solo), including 1.0 sacks for a loss of eight yards, and an interception. Sophomore Sterry Codrington (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Boro) contributed five tackles (two solo) and a breakup, while classmate Eric Schneider (Camarillo, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) chipped in with 2.0 sacks for a loss of ten yards, a forced fumble and quarterback hurry.

Senior Ryan Hunt led the defense for a second straight week with nine tackles. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Junior Jordan Raynor (Browns Mills, N.J./Pemberton) led Pace with 216 total yards as he completed 15-of-34 yards for 172 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, while adding 13 carries for another 44 yards. Sophomore Cameron Davis (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Providence) caught two passes for 43 yards, while junior Arvin Rai (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) posted a 21 yard touchdown grab.

Senior David Lopez (Ozone Park, N.Y./Christ the King) led the Setters defense with a game-high 16 tackles (nine solo), while sophomore Tyler Zaro (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic) posted ten stops (four solo), including 0.5 for a loss. Grad student Vincent Romano (Davenport, N.Y./Oneonta) added six tackles (two solo), including 1.0 for a loss of three yards, and a fumble recovery.

Stonehill opened the scoring with a safety after Meyer was intercepted deep in Pace territory as Hunt grabbed junior Jashon Dawson (Passaic, N.J./Passaic) in the Setters end zone on first and 11 from the two after the hosts were whistled for a false start. The Skyhawks added to their lead on its ensuing drive after the safety with Meyer's first touchdown pass of the afternoon by connecting with Reiph for an 11 yard pass to cap a five play, 45 yard scoring drive. Stonehill ran its lead to 16-0 on its next possession with Meyer hitting Markus for a seven yard score at the end of a six play, 49 yard drive after forcing Pace to punt.

Pace responded with its best drive of the day to close within nine with 31 seconds to play in the opening quarter. Raynor connected with Rai from 21 yards out at the end of a ten play, 70 yard drive on third and six.

Stonehill immediately answered by covering 64 yards on just three plays on its next possession as Reiph grabbed a 25 yard pass from Meyer on second and nine on the first play of the second quarter. Gomes caught a 38 yard pass from Meyer on the first play of the drive to surpass Stonehill's career record for receiving yards.

Stonehill added another three play scoring drive later in the quarter to take a 29-7 lead at the half. McLeod snared a 28 yard touchdown strike from Meyer on second and seven to cap the three play, 57 yard drive with Gomes adding a 26 yard reception to set up the score.

Stonehill added two third quarter scores to round out the scoring. Gomes sealed the Skyhawks opening possession of the second half with a 16 yard touchdown from Meyer just over four minutes into the third quarter. Meyer then connected with McLeod for the second time today on an 11 yard touchdown pass at the end of an 11 play, 80-yard drive, after Pace turned the ball over on downs as Stonehill sophomore Brandon Weiss (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) sacked Raynor on fourth and ten at the Skyhawks 18.

Both teams had lengthy fourth quarter drives deep into the others territory, only to be stalled by turnovers. Bass picked off Raynor at the goal line on first and goal from the eight to end a 13 play, 51 yard Setters drive to open the fourth quarter. Willis then grinded out 74 yards on ten carries on Stonehill's next drive that covered 84 yards in 11 plays, but fumbled at the goal line on second and goal from the Setters one.