Senior Gordon McLeod posted career-highs with ten receptions for 132 yards with a touchdown today. (PHOTO BY Chuck Bitner) |
Ten points off special teams leads Greyhounds to 17-0 halftime lead
WORCESTER, Mass. (November 7, 2015) – Assumption College, ranked 21st in the d2football.com poll and receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll, rode a 17-0 halftime lead to a 28-14 victory over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference football action at Multi-Sport Stadium this afternoon.
Stonehill (6-4, 5-4 NE-10) will now be seeded fourth for next weekend's NE-10 Championship Weekend and will visit third-seeded Merrimack College on Saturday at 1 p.m. Assumption (9-1, 8-1 NE-10) will host second-seeded University of New Haven for the NE-10 Championship next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Sophomore quarterback Brendan Tobey (Lynn, Massachusetts/Malden Catholic) completed 18-of-34 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 21 yards on six carries. Freshman Deonte Harris (Baltimore, Maryland/Archbishop Curley) posted 126 all-purpose yards, including seven receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Ashton Grant (Manchester, Connecticut/Manchester) added six catches for 83 yards and a score.
Special teams play led to ten points for Assumption as a 21-yard field goal by sophomore Cole Tracy (Camarillo, California/Newbury Park) followed a Stonehill fumble deep in their own territory on a punt attempt for a 10-0 Greyhounds lead. Assumption stretched its lead to 17-0 when junior Jarrod Casey (Milford, Massachusetts/Bridgton Academy) blocked a punt at the Stonehill three that was recovered by junior Darnell Butler (Hudson, Massachusetts/Hudson) for a touchdown.
Senior safety Anthony Masucci led the defense with nine tackles, including the 200th of his career. (PHOTO BY SportsPix) |
Casey led the Assumption defense with ten tackles (seven solo), including 2.0 for a loss of seven yards with a pass breakup and the blocked kick. Junior Nick Valenti (Troy, New York/Troy) added nine stops (one solo), while junior Andrew Benson (East Bridgewater, Massachusetts/East Bridgewater) contributed an interception, four tackles (three solo), and a pass breakup.
Senior wide receiver Gordon McLeod (Weymouth, Massachusetts/BC High) led Stonehill with a career-high ten receptions for a career-best 132 yards and a touchdown. The yardage moves him into fifth place on the program's career list with 1,890 yards (142 receptions), while his 15 touchdown catches rank sixth all-time.
Sophomore quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania/The Hill School) completed 18-of-39 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown, becoming just the second quarterback in program history with over 2,000 yards passing in a single season. Foltz's 2,009 yards this season ranks third on the program's single-season list behind two seasons by Logan Meyer '14 in 2012 and 2013. Foltz also moves within three touchdowns of Meyer's single-season record of 26 in 2013.
Senior running back Colin Markus (Monroe, Connecticut/Masuk) chipped in with 14 carries for 47 yards and a score, moving into third place all-time at Stonehill with 16 career touchdown runs.
Senior Colin Markus posted his 16th career touchdown run. (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
Senior safety Anthony Masucci (East Haven, Connecticut/Notre Dame-West Haven) led the Stonehill defense with nine tackles (two solo), including the 200th of his career, while junior safety Justin Kaffenberger (Monroe, New York/Monroe-Woodbury) posted seven stops (three solo) and a fumble recovery. Junior linebacker Anthony Leggio (Commack, New York/Saint Anthony's) contributed six tackles (four solo), including 0.5 for a loss of two, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, while junior corner O'Shea Bell (Bronx, New York/The Taft School) chipped in with an interception in the end zone and two tackles (one solo).
Stonehill trailed 17-0 at the half, aided by the ten points off special teams mishaps, but got back in the game by scoring the lone touchdown of the third quarter when Foltz connected with McLeod for a seven yard touchdown pass with 9:16 left in the stanza seven plays after Leggio forced and recovered a Harris fumble on a punt return at the Assumption 38. The Greyhounds settled for a 38-yard Tracy field goal 1:57 into the fourth quarter to push the lead back to 13.
Stonehill followed that with an 11 play, 69-yard scoring drive capped by Markus' three yard touchdown run with 7:53 still to play that pulled the Skyhawks within six (20-14). Foltz and McLeod combined for a 42-yard passing play on fourth and 15 at the Greyhounds 47 to set up the score.
The comeback stalled there as Assumption answered with a quick five play scoring drive that covered 58 yards and was capped by a 32 yard touchdown pass from Tobey to Harris with 4:47 remaining, extending the lead to 14 when Harris rushed the ball in for the two point conversion. Stonehill marched down the field on its next possession, but Foltz was intercepted by Benson at the goal line with two minutes remaining to clinch the victory for Assumption.
Both teams were slow to get going on offense, with Stonehill unable to take advantage of an Assumption fumble at midfield on the opening drive. Assumption followed with an eight play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a seven yard touchdown toss by Tobey to Grant with 8:28 remaining in the quarter. The lead grew to ten with Casey's first field goal of the afternoon just three minutes later off the Stonehill fumble on a punt try deep in Skyhawks territory, and then the second quarter touchdown return off a blocked punt provided Assumption with its 17-0 halftime lead.
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