Senior Colin Markus returned and matched a career-high with 34 carries as he finished with a season-high 172 yards today. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Skyhawks claim "Ol' Bronze Hawk" for 12th-straight year behind balanced effort
BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Stonehill defeats Saint Anselm for sixth victory"
EASTON, Mass. (October 31, 2015) – Stonehill College scored touchdowns on all four possessions of the first half to open an 18 point lead and made it stand the rest of the way in claiming a 12th-straight win over Saint Anselm College with a 35-24 victory in the "Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk" on Senior Day at Timothy J. Coughlin '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.
Senior running back Colin Markus (Monroe, Connecticut/Masuk) returned to the lineup and powered a Stonehill offense which posted 400 total yards with a career-high matching 34 carries for a season-best 172 yards (5.1 yds/att) as the Skyhawks pounded out 230 yards on the ground as a team. Sophomore quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania/The Hill School) completed 13-of-20 passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, while adding another 21 yards on five carries for 191 total yards on the afternoon.
Three of Foltz's touchdowns went to freshman tight end Kaleb Lutton (Middletown, Connecticut/Xavier) whose three receptions for the afternoon were all in the end zone for 25 yards, posting his third three touchdown effort of the season. Senior Cody Page (Sylmar, California/Notre Dame) added four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore running back Dylan Brown (Tinton Falls, New Jersey/Monmouth Regional) chipped in with a rushing touchdown on six carries for 19 yards.
Senior Steve Grzywavcz became the program's all-time leading scorer with 205 career points this afternoon. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Senior kicker Steve Grzywacz (Manchester, New Hampshire/Manchester Central) converted all five extra point attempts on the afternoon for Stonehill, giving him 205 career points to surpass the program's career scoring record of 204 points by former running back Eddie Vachon '11. Grzywacz now holds the school career marks for PATs (109), field goals made (32) and scoring.
Sophomore Nick Bona (Peabody, Massachusetts/Bishop Fenwick) led the Stonehill defense with a career-high ten tackles (five solo), a fumble recovery and pass breakup. Senior Anthony Masucci (East Haven, Connecticut/Notre Dame-West Haven) added nine stops (four solo), including 0.5 for a loss of a yard, while sophomore Justin Kaffenberger (Monroe, New York/Monroe-Woodbury) registered nine tackles (four solo), including 1.0 for a loss of six yards and a forced fumble. Junior O'Shea Bell (Bronx, New York/The Taft School) snared an interception to go with three tackles (one solo).
Freshman Eric Fairweather (Londonderry, New Hampshire) accounted for 344 of Saint Anselm's 388 total yards this afternoon. He posted 177 rushing yards on 18 carries with a touchdown, while completing 15-of-26 passes for 167 yards and a score. Freshman Kyle Hill (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) had seven receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown for the Hawks, while junior Joe Hayman (Brandywine, Maryland) chipped in with a rushing touchdown.
Sophomore Eric Mercer (Melrose, Mass.) led the Saint Anselm defense with nine tackles (two solo), while sophomore Devin Hemeon (Gloucester, Massachusetts) added seven stops (three solo). Junior Josh Garrett (Riviera Beach, Florida) contributed six tackles (five solo), including a forced fumble, fumble recovery and pass breakup.
Sophomore Matt Foltz totaled 191 total yards with four touchdown passes today. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Saint Anselm opened the scoring on the opening possession just three plays into the game as Fairweather ran a draw up the middle of the field for a 53-yard touchdown run after just 49-seconds. Stonehill responded with an 11 play, 66-yard drive that consumed 5:34, capped by Page's first career touchdown catch off an 11-yard pass from Foltz on third down with 8:37 remaining in the quarter. The Skyhawks, which converted on 10-of-13 third down attempts for the afternoon, converted twice on its opening drive.
Stonehill forced a three and out and then posted an eight play, 81-yard touchdown drive capped by a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone by Lutton off a four yard pass from Foltz with 3:29 left in the opening quarter. Markus set up the touchdown with a big 41-yard run down the right sideline. Saint Anselm capped the 24-point opening stanza with a 25-yard field goal from senior Shane Grayson (Ormond Beach, Florida) with 11-seconds left.
Stonehill kept charging in the second frame as Brown punched the ball in from a yard out at the end of another 11 play drive over 61 yards in 4:56. The Skyhawks stretched their lead to 28-10 after another Saint Anselm three and out as Lutton and Foltz connected for another four yard touchdown pass with 43-seconds to play in the half to cap a 13 play, 79-yard drive that ate a mammoth 8:09 off the clock. The Skyhawks converted four times on third down during that possession.
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Stonehill was held off the scoreboard on the opening possession of the second half, but extended its lead to 35-10 with 1:07 remaining in the third quarter. Lutton caught his third touchdown pass of the afternoon with a 17-yard reception from Foltz at the end of a five play, 65-yard drive.
Saint Anselm crept back into the game with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. Hayman scored on a one yard rush less than three minutes into the frame and then Fairweather connected with Hill for a nine yard touchdown pass with 6:12 remaining. The Hawks got a fumble on the second play after the second touchdown, but Stonehill answered by forcing and recovering a fumble of its own five plays later with 3:55 left and was able to run the clock out from there.
Stonehill (6-3, 5-3 NE-10) closes out the regular season next Saturday when it visits Northeast-10 leaders Assumption College at 1 p.m. Saint Anselm (2-7, 2-6 NE-10) hosts the University of New Haven next Saturday at noon.
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