Scott touchdown with 19-seconds to play lifts Red Flash to NEC win

BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Stonehill Football Drops to 2-3 on the Season"

Murphy led the Skyhawks defense with a season-high ten tackles, two pass breakups and a QB hurry (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

EASTON, Mass. (September 30, 2023) – Saint Francis University capped an 11-play drive over the final three minutes with a touchdown run with 19-seconds to play to secure a 15-10 triumph over Stonehill College in a Northeast Conference football matchup on Timothy J. Coughlin, '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.

Junior running back Deondre Scott scored on a one-yard plunge on second and goal to cap the deciding 11-play, 75-yard game-winning drive with 19-seconds remaining to lift Saint Francis to its first win of the season in a defensive battle. The touchdown answered a 51-yard field goal by Stonehill senior Perry Shelbred with 3:38 remaining that pushed the Skyhawks in front by a point.

Shelbred booted a 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter - his second field goal of 50-plus yards this season (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

Scott finished with 59-yards on 14 carries as Saint Francis posted 180 yards on the ground from its 309 yards of total offense on the afternoon. Junior Damon Horton totaled a team-high 72 yards on 14 carries for the Red Flash, while classmate Dawson Snyder caught 11 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Freshman Carter Glassmyer led a Saint Francis defense that limited Stonehill to 260 total yards with a game-high 13 tackles (11 solo), including 2.5 tackles for a loss of five yards, and 1.0 sacks. Classmate Mercury Swaim added five stops (four solo), including 1.5 sacks for a loss of six yards, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

Senior linebacker Sam Murphy led a solid defensive effort from Stonehill with a season-high ten tackles (three solo), two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. Senior Micah Brown added nine stops (five solo) and a forced fumble, while classmate Anthony LaMonica totaled six tackles (five solo), including 2.0 for a loss of three yards and a pass breakup.

Senior Cameron Alves scored the lone Stonehill touchdown on the afternoon, finishing with 26 yards on six receptions, while classmate Tom Comella finished with a game-high 121 all-purpose yards, carrying the ball a career-high 24 times for a season-best 93 yards. 

FIRST QUARTER

• Saint Francis took advantage of Stonehill's first turnover since the second quarter of its week one matchup with New Hampshire with a 23-yard field goal from sophomore Mac Plummer with 4:38 remaining.
• Freshman Blye Hill intercepted the ball at the Stonehill 18, and the Red Flash pushed the ball to the one-yard line, before the drive stalled on fourth and goal, thanks in part to a costly Saint Francis penalty to settle for the field goal.

SECOND QUARTER

• LaMonica had six tackles, including 2.0 for loss and a breakup (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

  Both teams missed field goal tries in the quarter as Saint Francis carried the narrow three-point lead into halftime as the teams combined to turn the ball over three times in the frame.

THIRD QUARTER

• Stonehill produced its best drive of the afternoon to take its first lead, with its tenth double-digit play possession of the season on its first possession of the second half, covering 86 yards in 14 plays, capped by Alves' 15-yard touchdown catch from junior quarterback Ashur Carraha on third and goal.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Saint Francis opened a fourth quarter in which the teams combined for 15 points with a 17-yard touchdown by Snyder from junior quarterback Cole Doyle 3:05 in.
• Shelbred's 51-yard field goal with 3:38 remaining nosed Stonehill back into the lead by a point, but the Red Flash was able to drive down the field on the ensuing drive that covered 75-yards in 3:19 and 11 plays leading to Scott's go-ahead touchdown.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill and Saint Francis combined for 569 yards of total offense in the contest – 207 of which coming in the fourth quarter alone.
• The two teams combined to record 11 pass breakups and four interceptions on the day, with Murphy and sophomore Moses Seide each leading Stonehill with two apiece as the Skyhawks defense broke up seven passes and intercepted their first two passes of the season, with Seide producing his first career interception.

• Comella rushed the ball a career-high 24 times for a season-best 93 yards, finishing with a game-high 121 all-purpose yards (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

  Stonehill had played turnover free for three-straight games before Saint Francis' first quarter interception that led to its go-ahead field goal.
• This afternoon marked the second meeting all-time between the two programs – both of which have been decided by less than a touchdown after Saint Francis notched a 17-13 triumph in Loretto, Pennsylvania, last year on its way to the NEC Championship – its closest margin of victory in Conference play last fall.
• Shelbred's 51-yard field goal is his second of 50-plus yards this season after he delivered a game-winning and school-record matching 52-yard kick in Stonehill's 33-30 win at Central Connecticut State University to open Conference play in week two.

Up Next:

Stonehill (2-3, 1-1 NEC) is back in action next Saturday, when it visits Merrimack College for an NEC matchup that will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of the NEC's Game of the Week broadcast package at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return to W.B. Mason Stadium on October 21, to host Sacred Heart University on Homecoming Weekend for NEC play at 1 p.m. Saint Francis (1-4, 1-1 NEC) returns home to host Wagner College on Thursday, October 12, at 7 p.m.

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