Football Powers by Saint Anselm, 45-34


Foltz posted a school-record 448 total yards and threw five touchdown passes to lead the Skyhawks to victory. (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)

Skyhawks claim 12th-straight "Ol' Bronze Hawk" trophy win behind school-record 448 total yards from Foltz, including five touchdown passes

MANCHESTER, N.H. (September 24, 2016) – Junior quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania/The Hill School) piled up a school-record 448 yards of total offense as Stonehill College retained the "Ol' Bronze Hawk" trophy for the 12th-straight year with a 45-34 victory over Saint Anselm College in Northeast-10 Conference football action at Grappone Stadium this afternoon.

Stonehill, which has won all 12 editions of the annual "Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk" trophy game, has won 13 straight meetings between the two programs dating back to 2004. The Skyhawks also hand first year head coach Eli Gardner his much anticipated first career win with the victory as they posted 531 yards of total offense for the afternoon - going over 500 total yards for the first time since September 20, 2013 at Assumption College.

Foltz finished with a school-record 448 yards of total offense on the afternoon to lead Stonehill as he completed 21-of-36 passes for a season-high 330 yards and five touchdowns, while adding seven carries for a career-high 118 yards on the ground. He broke his own previous single-game mark for total offense set with 401 total yards at LIU Post last season, his 330 passing yards are the sixth-highest single-game total in program history and his five touchdown passes fell one shy of the school record. Foltz also moved into fourth place on the program's career passing list with 3,806 yards.

Freshman Andrew Jamiel (West Yarmouth, Massachusetts/Dennis-Yarmouth) posted his third straight game with 10-plus receptions as he caught ten of Foltz's passes for a season-high 153 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with his second 200-yard all-purpose game of the season with 203 yards for the afternoon. Junior Kevin Dick (Tewksbury, Massachusetts/Tewksbury Memorial) added two touchdown catches for 52 yards, while sophomore running back Mike Cordova (Monroe, New Jersey/Red Bank Catholic) rushed the ball a career-high 27 times for 81 yards and a score.


Jamiel caught ten more passes for a season-high 153 yards and two touchdowns. (PHOTO BY Eamonn Grealish)

Junior Nick Bona (Peabody, Massachusetts/Bishop Fenwick) paced a Stonehill defense that forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, with nine tackles (four solo), including 0.5 for a loss of a yard. Senior Ryan Doherty (Methuen, Massachusetts/Central Catholic) added six stops (one solo), including a tackle for a loss of yard, and an interception in the fourth quarter that helped the Skyhawks seal the win. Sophomore Billy Wingo (Gwynn Oak, Maryland/The Boys' Latin School of Maryland) chipped in with three tackles (two solo), an interception and fumble recovery, while senior Justin Kaffenberger (Monroe, New York/Monroe-Woodbury) also picked off a pass.

Senior running back Joe Hayman (Brandywine, Maryland/Gwynn Park) led Saint Anselm with a career-high 269 yards rushing on 18 carries with two touchdowns. He finished with 312 all-purpose yards as he added 17 yards receiving and 26 return yards. Classmate Yianni Gavalas (Manhasset, New York/Holy Cross) completed 17-of-29 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns, but three interceptions.

Junior linebacker Eric Mercer (Melrose, Massachusetts/Melrose) led the Saint Anselm defense with a game-high 12 tackles (nine solo), including 3.0 for a loss of 12 yards, while senior Josh Garrett (Riviera Beach, Florida/Forest Hill) added ten stops (four solo), including 2.5 for a loss of two yards. Senior Kyrel Jaundoo (Mattapan, Massachusetts/Proctor Academy) chipped in with five tackles (three solo), including a sack for a loss of eight and a forced fumble.

Stonehill scored on its first three possessions to open a 17-7 lead after the first quarter. Foltz and Jamiel connected for a 29-yard touchdown pass on its first possession of the game to open the scoring and then freshman Matthew Haite (Kingston, Massachusetts/Silver Lake Regional) drilled a season-best 47-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0 with 8:38 remaining in the opening frame. The 47-yarder marks the Skyhawks longest field goal since Joe Crowley buried a school-record 52-yarder against Bryant University in 2003.


Kevin Dick caught two touchdown passes from Foltz (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)

After Saint Anselm got on the scoreboard with a 67-yard Hayman touchdown run, Stonehill followed with a ten play, 81-yard drive capped by a 17 yard Foltz touchdown pass to Dick with 3:33 remaining in the frame. The Skyhawks extended the lead to 24-7 with a 26 yard touchdown pass from Foltz to sophomore DJ Haskins (Bergenfield, New Jersey/Bergenfield) early in the second quarter, but then Hayman reeled off an 87-yard touchown run to pull the Hawks back within ten (24-14) with 11:54 left in the quarter.

The score would stand until halftime and then Stonehill scored the first two touchdowns of the second half and appeared to be headed to an easy victory with a 38-14 advantage after Foltz and Dick combined for a 35-yard touchdown less than four minutes into the third. Foltz had opened the second half with a 69-yard touchdown pass to Jamiel on the second play of the frame.

Saint Anselm wouldn't go away with Gavalas connecting on three straight touchdown passes to different receivers to pull the Hawks within four (38-34) 1:02 into the fourth quarter after the extra point failed following a 14 yard touchdown pass to senior Ryan Monette (Hampton, New Hampshire/Saint Thomas Aquinas) one play after a Stonehill fumble deep in Skyhawks territory.

Stonehill was able to seal its 13th straight series win over Saint Anselm when it took advantage of an eight yard Hawks punt with a six play, 50-yard scoring possession, capped by a 31-yard touchdown run by Cordova on fourth and 1 with 5:43 remaining. Doherty followed that with an interception at midfield on the Hawks second play from scrimmage after the score and Stonehill ran out the clock from there, getting a key three yard run from Cordova on fourth and two and then a one yard keeper from Foltz on third and one to keep the chains moving and allow the Skyhawks to drain the clock.

Stonehill (1-3, 1-2 NE-10) is back in action next Saturday, when it hosts Merrimack College as part of Family Weekend for their Alumni Game at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m. Saint Anselm (0-4, 0-3 NE-10) will seek its first win of the year when it hosts American International College next Saturday at 1 p.m.

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