Foltz passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for a fourth. (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard) |
Foltz leads offense, which racks up 439 total yards, with four touchdowns
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (September 2, 2017) – Stonehill College opened its 30th season of varsity football with a commanding 44-28 triumph over Bloomsburg University in non-conference football action on Danny Hale Field at Robert Redman Stadium this afternoon.
Senior quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania/The Hill School) shined in front of a hometown crowd of sorts for the second time in three years as he passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns, while running for another, to lead Stonehill to its second-straight win at Redman Stadium, including a 27-10 triumph here in 2015. Foltz, who completed 22-of-35 passes without an interception, added 11 yards rushing for the afternoon as the Skyhawks piled up 439 yards of total offense, adding 164 yards rushing to its 275 yards through the air.
Foltz, who led Stonehill to its third straight win dating back to last season, becomes just the second player in program history to surpass 5,000 career passing yards with today's effort, moving past Stonehill Athletic Hall of Famer Tony Dello Iacono '95 (4,895 yards) in the process. Foltz also moves into a tie for third place all-time with 41 career touchdown passes – just five shy of Dello Iacono for second.
Sophomore Matthew Haite (Kingston, Massachusetts/Silver Lake Regional) delivered three field goals for Stonehill, while averaging 59.4 yards on eight kickoffs with four touchbacks. Sophomore Andrew Jamiel (Yarmouth, Massachusetts/Dennis-Yarmouth), who led Division II with 9.1 receptions per game in 2015, caught seven passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, while classmate Brian Kearns, Jr. (North Arlington, New Jersey/Saint Joseph Regional) rushed the ball a career-high 24 times for a career-best 135 yards and a score. It marks the second-straight 100-yard game for Kearns, Jr., who rushed for 105 yards in the 2016 finale at Bentley University. Senior Kevin Dick (Tewksbury, Massachusetts/Tewksbury Memorial) and sophomore Zac Pungitore (Norwood, Massachusetts/Norwood) each chipped in with touchdown catches as Foltz connected with seven different receivers for the day.
Senior safety Nick Bona (Peabody, Massachusetts/Bishop Fenwick) paced a Stonehill defense which held Bloomsburg to just 94 rushing yards, with nine tackles, including six solo, with 2.0 tackles for a loss of five yards and two pass breakups. Junior Jerel Archer (Reisterstown, Maryland/The Boys' Latin School of Maryland) added a career-high matching seven stops, including six solo, with a breakup, while classmate Billy Wingo (Gwynn Oak, Maryland/The Boys' Latin School of Maryland) chipped in seven tackles, four solo, with 1.5 sacks for a loss of 12.
Jamiel caught seven passes for 120 yards and a TD. (PHOTO COURTESY Bloomsburg Athletic Communication) |
Senior quarterback Chris Palubinsky (Ringtown, Pennsylvania/Shenandoah Valley) led the Bloomsburg offense by completing 19-of-37 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, but two sacks. Sophomore Jay Popson (Mountain Top, Pennsylvania/Crestwood) caught seven passes for 121 yards, while classmate Qmac Quiteh (Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania/Pocono Mountain West) rushed the ball 15 times for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Senior Ezra Ranco (Trappe, Pennsylvania/Perkiomen Valley) led the Bloomsburg defense with eight tackles, just one solo, including 1.5 tackles for a loss of eight yards, 1.0 sacks for a loss of seven and a pass breakup. Classmate Scott Beltz (Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania/Pen Argyl) added seven stops, including two solo, while junior Nate Monroe (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania/Bishop McDevitt) chipped in six tackles and a fumble recovery.
Stonehill scored on its first three possessions to stake out a 17-0 lead as Foltz connected with Jamiel for a 63-yard touchdown pass on third down and eight 1:13 into the contest. Foltz capped a 13-play, 61-yard drive on the Skyhawks next possession with a 15-yard catch and run to Pungitore for the latter's first career touchdown with 8:45 remaining in the frame. Haite delivered a 25-yard field goal with 6:03 on the clock after a punt out of bounds gave the visitors great starting field position.
Bloomsburg got on the board on its last possession of the opening quarter with a four-yard Palubinsky touchdown toss to senior Aaron Allison (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Frankford) with two minutes left. Haite pushed the Stonehill lead to 13 with a 31-yard field goal three minutes into the second quarter, but Bloomsburg pulled within 20-14 after the opening possession of the third quarter as Quiteh scampered into the end zone at the end of a 13-play, 80-yard drive.
Haite stretched Stonehill's lead to 23-14 with his third field goal of the afternoon from 44-yards with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter. Senior Andy Steck (Port Jefferson Station, New York/Comsewogue) set up the Skyhawks first touchdown since the opening quarter with a blocked punt, the fourth blocked kick of his career, as Foltz scored on a one-yard keeper after three plays.
Stonehill appeared poised to seal its second-straight victory at Bloomsburg, when Kearns, Jr., scored on a six-yard run four minutes unto the fourth for a 37-14 advantage, but Palubinsky connected with Allen for a 17-yard touchdown toss on the ensuing possession to keep the Huskies in the game. The Skyhawks had an answer of their own, however, as Foltz capped their scoring with a 26-yard touchdown pass with 5:12 on the clock. The Huskies capped the scoring on the afternoon with a six-yard Palubinsky touchdown run with 3:14 left, before Stonehill was able to run off the clock from there.
Stonehill (1-0, 0-0 NE10) is back in action next Saturday, September 9, when it hosts Southern Connecticut State University for its home and Northeast-10 Conference opener at W.B. Mason Stadium at 6 p.m. Bloomsburg (0-1, 0-0 PSAC) visits Clarion University next Saturday at 1 p.m.
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