Junior running back Eddie Vachon racked up 154 all-purpose yards to lead Stonehill at #22 Glenville State tonight. |
#22 Glenville State Edges Stonehill, 21-14
McCants touchdown midway through fourth quarter spoils Skyhawks upset bid
PARKERSBURG NEWS & SENTINEL: "GSC grounds
Skyhawks"
BY Jay W. Bennett
EASTON, Mass. (August 27, 2009) - Glenville State College, ranked 22nd in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II preseason poll, scored the only touchdown of the second half to edge Stonehill College in non-conference football action at I.L. & Sue Morris Stadium tonight.
Senior quarterback James McCants (Akron, Ohio) dove in the end zone on a first and goal from the four-yard line for Glenville State, preseason favorites in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), to provide the difference. McCants finished with 152 total yards of offense for Glenville State. He was 14-for-18 through the air for 112 yards with an interception to go with 40 yards rushing on 11 attempts.
Senior wide receiver James McDonald (Washington, D.C.) hauled in six passes for 113 yards, while junior Akheem Figgs (Oakland, Calif.) added 69 yards receiving on two catches and a touchdown. Junior Brian Harden (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) rushed the ball 16 times for 67 yards, while sophomore DeAndre Johnson (Washington, D.C.) added 54 yards on 11 carries and a score.
Junior running back Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass./Blair Academy) led the Stonehill offense with 154 all-purpose yards. He ran the ball 20 times for 75 yards and a touchdown, adding three receptions for 33 yards and returned a kickoff for 46 yards.
Sophomore Danny Sagan compiled 152 yards of total offense in the first half. |
Sophomore quarterback Danny Sagan (Blairstown, N.J./Blair Academy) added 152 yards of total offense in his first collegiate start, finishing 7-for-14 through the air for 100 yards, but was intercepted twice, to go with 52 yards on six runs. Junior Kevin Brooks (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) came on in the second half and was 4-for-8 for 26 yards passing. Sophomore Oscar Alvarez (Framingham, Mass./Cushing Academy) chipped in with three catches for 45 yards.
Glenville State totaled 404 yards of total offense - 267 passing and 137 on the ground. Stonehill finished with 270 yards of offense - 144 rushing and 126 through the air. Both teams turned the ball over four times and were hampered by penalties on the night that negated big plays. The Pioneers were whistled nine times for a loss of 85 yards, while eight Skyhawk penalties resulted in a loss of 72 yards.
Senior Nicholas Monroe (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Glenville defense with nine tackles (seven solo), including two for a loss of six yards. Senior Scott Sears (Webster Springs, W.V.) added four solo tackles, including two for a loss of 11 yards, one forced fumble and recovery to go with a sack.
Senior tri-captain Greg Sanzari (Centerport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) led the Stonehill defense with ten tackles (eight solo) and a sack for a loss of 14 yards. Junior Anthony Tomasz (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) added seven stops (six solo), including one for a loss, while sophomore Matthew Ianucci (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) collected six tackles (four solo) with an interception which he returned for 22 yards. Senior Andrew Lesko (Florence, Mass./Northampton) chipped in with a pair of sacks.
Senior tri-captain Greg Sanzari led the defense with a game-high ten tackles, including a sack. |
The teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the first half. Johnson capped a nine-play 96-yard drive with a one-yard plunge with 2:25 left in the first quarter on Glenville's second possession. Stonehill answered 3:20 into the second quarter when Vachon scampered in from three yards out after the Skyhawks got the ball back on the host's four yard line after the defense tackled the Pioneers punter on fourth down.
Glenville regained the lead after the two teams swapped possession on interceptions when Figgs took a pass from sophomore Darold Hughes (New Orleans, La.) and raced in from 56 yards out on the Pioneers first play after picking off Sagan. Stonehill knotted the score again just before halftime as Sagan ran in from four yards out to cap a six-play 78-yard drive with 39-seconds left in the half.
Ianucci intercepted a McCants pass at the Stonehill 45 and returned it 22-yards to the Glenville 33 to set up Stonehill's best scoring chance of the second half. Facing a fourth and seven at the Pioneers 30, Brooks connected with Vachon who was stopped just a yard short of the first down to end the drive.
Glenville then embarked on its game-winning drive, using ten plays to march 76 yards while eating up 4:38. McCants was 3-for-3 passing for 23 yards on the drive, while rushing for another 33 yards - including a 25-yard run on a second and seven from the Stonehill 29 to set up the go-ahead four-yard plunge.
Stonehill (0-1, 0-0 NE-10) is back in action next Saturday, when it travels to Staten Island, N.Y., to battle NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Wagner University at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks open their home and Northeast-10 Conference schedule the following Friday, September 11, against defending champion American International College at 7 p.m. The game will be part of "Kickoff Weekend" at the College with several special activities planned around the night.
Glenville State (1-0, 0-0 WVIAC) also plays an NCAA FCS opponent next weekend when it visits the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga next Thursday, September 3, at 7 p.m.
