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Jeff Cuqua and Dana Burris both had huge days in the loss to Bentley. |
North Easton, Mass. - A valiant comeback effort by a depleted Stonehill squad came up short on the game's final drive as Bentley escaped with a 24-17 win over the host Skyhawks at W.B. Mason Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Down 24-17 with 44 seconds left and 80 yards to go, backup quarterback Jon Kaloyanides (Cranston, R.I.) used his running backs and the sidelines effectively to move Stonehill to its own 40 yard line before connecting with wideout David Pringle (West Haven, Conn.) for 33 yards, putting the Skyhawks deep into Falcon territory with less than 15 seconds to go.
Two plays later, the comeback bid was ended when Bentley defensive back Paul Tetzel stepped in front of a pass at the goal line that was intended for J.J. Niamkey (Quincy, Mass.) and returned it 24 yards to seal the win for the Falcons.
The Skyhawks, who suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season, fall to third place in the Northeast-10, a game behind Bentley, who leapfrogged Stonehill into second place with its fifth win of the season.
Bentley got on the board first with an impressive nine play, 74 yard drive that ate up 4:03 on the clock and was capped by a one yard Nick Riordan plunge.
The Skyhawks answered right back, when Niamkey broke through traffic on a 45 yard kickoff return and set up Stonehill with excellent field position at the Bentley 46. A 35- yard scamper by freshman Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass.) had the ball in the red zone and three plays later, Cruz Parsons (Signal Hill, Calif.) floated a perfect pass in the right corner of the endzone for Niamkey to run under and even the score.
After each team's quarterback was sacked on fourth down on back-to-back drives, Bentley put together a 14-play, 55-yard drive that saw them convert three, third downs along the way, and eventually get in the endzone, this time courtesy of a one yard run from Luis Cotto.
Special teams played a part in the Skyhawks next score when Dana Burris (Boston, Mass.) returned a punt 23 yards deep into Bentley territory. Runs by Parsons and junior Jeffery Payne (West Haven, Conn.) set up Brett Perrone's (Southington, Conn.) 36 yard field goal with six seconds left in the half.
Neither team did much on their first possessions coming out of the lockerroom, but Kaloyanides, who started the second half for an injured Parsons, had a short pass picked off by Nate Burdick, and his subsequent return had the Falcons on the Skyhawk seven yard line.
It took Falcon quarterback John White two plays to convert the turnover into points, as he found Jehan Murphy wide open in the middle of the endzone, upping the Falcon lead to 21-10.
A Stonehill three-and-out was followed by another 14-play Bentley drive, but on third and one, the Skyhawk defense came up big, as junior Michael Greene (Plainview, N.Y.) stopped Cotto behind the line of scrimmage to force a field goal. Tyler McNamara was true from 32 yards out, setting a new Conference record with his 11th conversion this season, giving Bentley a two touchdown advantage.
With a little more than four minutes gone in the fourth quarter, a 17-yard punt return by speedster Torrey Price (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.), gave Stonehill possession on the Bentley side of the field again. Payne ripped off huge chunks of yardage on the ground, moving the Skyhawks to the Falcon 21 on third and four. Kaloynides then hit Niamkey for 16 yards down to the five and Payne used back to back carries to score his team leading fifth touchdown of the season, trimming the lead to 24-17.
After Stonehill stopped Bentley on fourth and two when White tripped following the quarterback-center exchange, Kaloyanides moved the Skyhawks close to midfield when he was hit from behind by the combination of Ilya Wortman and Vaughn Cole, who forced the ball loose. Cole returned it 13 yards to the Stonehill 24.
The Stonehill defense held again, however, forcing a field goal try by McNamara that sailed wide left, setting up the final drive.
Both teams were effective on the ground, as Cotto led all rushers with 27 carries for 104 yards, while Vachon had 10 carries and 74 yards and Payne, who proved to be effective down the stretch, rushed 13 times for 62 yards.
Bentley's Tetzel produced an excellent all-around performance with 143 all-purpose yards two interceptions and three tackles. Niamkey was just as impressive, totaling 133 all-purpose yards and a touchdown catch.
Jeff Cuqua (Walpole, Mass.) had a game-high 11 tackles for the Skyhawks, two of them for loss and an interception, while Greg Sanzari (Centerport, N.Y.) and Clark Leger (Waltham, Mass.) added nine and eight tackles, respectively.
Stonehill returns to action next Saturday, when it visits Southern Connecticut. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.