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NEC Football Notes (10/23)
Five NEC Teams On TSN I-AA Mid Major Top-10 Poll; San Diego Holds No. 1 Mid-Major Ranking Monmouth also notched a crucial victory over the weekend, as the Hawks won at Robert Morris, 16-7, in a battle of last week’s third and fourth-ranked teams. Monmouth moves up to No. 2 with the win and Drake’s loss, and the 7-1 Hawks will play another key game this weekend when they host No. 3 Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils moved up two places to No. 3 after beating Wagner, 27-6. Drake slipped two positions to No. 4, and Albany is up a spot to No. 5. Duquesne is at No. 6, with Robert Morris at No. 7, Stony Brook at No. 8, Davidson at No. 9 and Jacksonville at No. 10. No teams dropped out from last week’s rankings. Every team in the top 10 is in action this week, with two big games in the Northeast Conference. In addition to the contest between Monmouth and Central Connecticut State, No. 7 Robert Morris is at conference leader and No. 8 Stony Brook. NEC Football Review: Stony Brook Alone At The Top NEC, Pioneer Football League Announce Changes To Gridiron Classic The Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game that will match the champions of the two I-AA football conferences, originally was scheduled to be played November 18 at the Northeast Conference champion. However, the date of the 2006 game has been moved to December 2 to provide an opportunity for either league’s regular-season champion to participate in the NCAA I-AA Football Championship if selected as an at-large participant. In the event the regular season champion of either conference is selected to participate in the NCAA I-AA Football Championship, the two leagues agreed the second-place team from that conference will participate in the Gridiron Classic. Wagner Kicker Piotr Czech Kicks Another 54-Yard Field Goal Gensler - Playing Behind The Line Giddings Sets NCAA Fumbles Record Hairston Gears Up For Record Setting Season Palko, Caputo Set I-AA Receiving Record Quick Notes
Albany (5-3, 3-1 NEC) • Albany moved into a tie for second place in the NEC standings with a 48-0 victory against Saint Francis on Oct. 21 before a Homecoming crowd of 5,964 ... the Great Danes, who posted their largest win margin against a conference opponent, are now 23-11 in homecoming games ... Albany recorded its third-ever shutout against an NEC opponent by holding the Red Flash to 161 total yards, including 25 on the ground ... the Great Danes have limited three teams to less than 50 net rushing yards this season ... CB Ryan Chrobak (Clinton, N.Y. / Clinton Central) made a season-high nine tackles, including six unassisted, and broke up two passes to lead the defense ... Chrobak moved into 26th place on the school’s all-time tackles list with 179 ... Albany is ranked 12th nationally in total defense (260.13 ypg), 13th in rushing yards allowed (98.5 pg) and is tied for 14th in points allowed (14.75 ppg) ... FL Mike Wall (Syracuse, N.Y. / Solvay) ran back the second-half kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown ... Wall, who also blocked a punt that led to a third-quarter field goal, became the first Albany player to score on a kickoff return since Nov. 5, 1988 ... PK Jason Fralicker (North Tonawanda, N.Y. / North Tonawanda) booted a 46-yard field goal with 8:19 left in the third quarter. The kick was longest by a Great Dane since Nov. 16, 1991 and the sixth longest in school history ... Albany rushed for 300-plus yards for the second straight week, the first time that has happened in nearly two years ... TB Omar Johnson (Edgewater Park, N.J. / Burlington City) ran 13 times for 62 yards and one touchdown. Johnson is tied for ninth on the school’s all-time chart with 15 career rushing TDs ... Dieuseul Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y. / South Shore) and Justin Gannon (Sussex, N.J. / Vernon Township) added career-highs with 61 and 60 rushing yards, respectively ... Joseph scored for the first time as a collegian on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter ... Daniel Bocanegra (Daly City, Calif. / Junipero Serra) scored on a pair of 6-yard runs in the first half ... Bocanegra is the first Albany quarterback to rush for two or more TDs since Oct. 30, 2004 ... FB Dan Beigel (Clinton, N.Y. / Clinton Central) reached the end zone for the fourth time in his career on a four-yard blast in the third period ... ILB Justin Brancaccio (Rockaway, N.J. / Morris Knolls) had a career-high five tackles ... Albany scored 40-plus points for the 16th time as a I-AA program. Central Connecticut State (6-2, 2-2 NEC) • Central Connecticut improved to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in NEC play with a convincing, 27-6 victory over visiting Wagner on Saturday afternoon at New Britain. The win is the sixth straight at home for the Blue Devils, and their 12th in their last 13 home games since the start of the 2004 season. CCSU has won 10 straight home games versus NEC opponents including two this season ... CCSU has one home game remaining, the regular season finale against Stony Brook on Nov. 11 ... CCSU outgained Wagner 465-to-167 on the day, the third time in the last four games the Blue Devils have had at least 465 offensive yards ... CCSU also has 292 yards on the ground, just below their average of 292.9 yards per game which leads the country ... It was the fourth straight game and the sixth time this season the Blue Devils have rushed for at least 288 yards in a game ... CCSU has 2,343 rushing yards this season in 411 attempts, good for an average of 5.7 yards per rush ... Senior Justise Hairston (New Britain, CT/New Britain) had another impressive outing rushing 34 times for 151 yards and a touchdown. It was his sixth 100 yard rushing performance of the season and gave him 1,398 yards on the season. He is 15 yards shy of matching the school single season rushing record held by Stan House (1997 - 1,413 yards). Hairston is also 126 yards shy of matching the NEC record of 1,524 yards held by Albany’s Gary Jones. His 1,398 yards is the fifth best rushing performance in NEC history and also places him 12th on the all-time CCSU rushing list in only eight games played ... Junior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Union, NJ/Lackawanna JC) had his best performance of the season. Holmes was a perfect 10-for-10 for 173 yards and a touchdown in the victory as CCSU scored 27 straight points after trailing 6-0 at the end of the first quarter ... Holmes led the CCSU offense to a pair of scores in the second quarter including a 46-yard scoring strike on the final play of the half ... Making his fifth consecutive start, the 6-3 junior didn’t miss a pass attempt in the game and also rushed for 40 yards on 11 carries ... Senior Stefon Benson (Hyde Park, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) led all CCSU tacklers with eight stops on Saturday as the stubborn Blue Devil defense allowed only 167 total yards and a pair of first quarter field goals ... Wagner managed only 110 yards in the air and 57 on the ground in the game and averaged only 3.0 yards per play. Benson added a pair of key pass break-ups for the Blue Devils who had a total of nine on the day and an interception ... Seahawk quarterbacks were only 17-of-37 on the day as the Blue Devils did not allow a touchdown for the first time this season ... Freshman wide receiver Nick Colagiovanni (New Britain, CT/Milford Academy) caught a pair of passes for 58 yards and his first collegiate touchdown ... Colagiovanni caught the biggest pass of the day for the Blue Devils hauling in a 46-yard scoring strike on the final play of the first half giving Central Connecticut it’s first lead of the game ... With under five seconds to play, Colagiovanni streaked down the right sideline and dove in the right corner of the end zone to give CCSU the lead on the scoring play. On the second Colagiovanni is tied for the team lead with 10 catches for 196 yards and a score. Monmouth (7-1, 3-1 NEC) • Monmouth snapped Robert Morris’ five-game win streak with a 16-7 win on Saturday ... The win marked the third-straight for the Hawks, and the fourth-straight victory over Robert Morris ... MU’s 16 points marked the first time all season that Monmouth has not scored at least 17 points ... Monmouth was one play away from posting a shutout, after a MU turnover the RMU offense ran a perfect flea flicker that went for a 39-yard touchdown ... Cornerback Ayo Falae (Newark, NJ/Barringer) had a career-high eight tackles in the game, including six solo ... Monmouth redshirt freshman David Sinisi’s (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) three-yard fourth quarter touchdown run extended his streak to eight consecutive games with a score. Sinisi needs to score next week against CCSU to tie Chris Reed’s school record ... Matt Hill’s (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong) fourth quarter interception was his ninth of his career, moving him into solo position of third on MU’s career INT list (behind current Hawk David Jiles (12) and Vinnie Sasso (11) ... Monmouth’s defense held RMU to 69 rushing yards ... One reason for that is the fact that MU tossed the Colonial backs for 42 negative yards, including three sacks for –21 yards ... The Hawk defense stepped up in their own redzone late in the game when senior Jamaal McClintock (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) picked off a ball at the MU one-yard line and returning it to the 15 ... The Hawks held a slight time of possession advantage (31:45-28:15), marking the eighth time this season that MU has held an advantage in T.O.P ... Monmouth’s offense was 7-of-17 on third down, RMU was 3-of-13 ... The Hawks lead the lead in third down offense, converting 44 percent of the time ... Monmouth’s homecoming game against Central Connecticut next week will be televised on Fox Sports New York ... Sean Dennis (Westampton, NJ/Holy Cross) punted six times for 266 total yards and an average of 44.3 yards per punt. In a game that was a field position battle for all of the first half and much of the second half, Dennis pinned the Colonials inside their own 20 two times, with the ball getting downed on the 10 yard line both times. Dennis long punt of the day was a 54 yarder that came in the first quarter. Robert Morris (5-3, 3-1 NEC) • Robert Morris had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 16-7 loss to Monmouth at Joe Walton Stadium ... Turnovers were the key in the game, as RMU suffered three in the fourth quarter, allowing Monmouth to score nine points and pull out the win ... Sophomore quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shaydside) was 14-for-30 passing for 189 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions ... Junior flanker Mario Hines (Ecorse, Mich. / Ecorse) led te RMU receiving corps with four catches for 63 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter that tied the game, 7-7 ... Senior halfback Moises Hernandez (Miami, Fla. / LaSalle) paced the Colonial ground game, rushing 11 times for 56 yards, an average of 5.1 yards per carry ... Senior split end Michael Rogers (Duarte, Calif. / Citrus J.C.) added four catches for 36 yards ... Junior linebacker Chad Wengert (Kempton, Pa. / Kutztown) paced the Colonial defense with 12 tackles, while senior safety Brian Pruitt (Steubenville, Ohio / Steubenville), junior safety James Kazil (Georgetown, Pa. / South Side) and junior linebacker Jordan Howard (Uniontown, Ohio / Lake) each had 10 stops ... Senior defensive lineman Ray Gensler (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Keystone Oaks) teamed up with junior defensive lineman Kelvern Grant (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. / Hallendale) to sack Boland in the first quarter, helping Gensler establish a new RMU career record for sacks with 17.5 ... Robert Morris takes to the road for its next contest, traveling to Stony Brook, Oct. 28, for another key 1:00 p.m. NEC tilt. Sacred Heart (2-6, 1-3 NEC) • For the third consecutive week the Pioneer running attack was held in check as Sacred Heart fell to Albany, 38-21 ... SHU ran for just 20 yards against Stony Brook ... Senior QB Tyler Arciaga (Bonita, CA) set two new school records against Stony Brook for pass attempts (47) and completions (30) ... The game was his third career 300-yard passing game (311). At the conclusion of the game Arciaga also moved into first place all-time in completions (345) and attempts (591) - both records had been held by Justin Holtfreter (2000-01) ... Arciaga needs just 31 yards to become just the second SHU quarterback to pass for 4,000 career yards. Holtfreter is the other and Arciaga needs to average 158 yards passing in the next three games to pass Holtfreter's all-time mark (4,441 yards) ... Junior receiver Joey Henley (Kent, WA/Kentridge) caught his first touchdown of the season on Saturday, enroute to catching a season-high six passes ... The Pioneers had two receivers record over 100 yards, Steve Tedesco (Mission Viejo, CA/Trabuco Hills) (102) and Corey Bundy (Selden, NY/Newfield) (107) for the first time since 10/14/2000 when Doug Geoffry(120) and Dev Johnson (114) did it against Stony Brook ... Bundy caught his six TD pass of the season Saturday and 14th of his career, moving him into a tie on SHU's all-time list with Marlon Ward (2001-03) ... Sophomore punter Derek Marks (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) twice pinned Stony Brook at its own one-yard line with kicks. Saint Francis (PA) (1-7, 0-4 NEC) • Saint Franis (PA) dropped its seventh game in a row with a 48-0 shutout versus Albany last Saturday. It marks the first shutout for the Red Flash this season and first since Oct. 9, 2004 versus the Great Danes ... Saint Francis senior wide receiver Michael Caputo (Bethel Park, Pa./Seton LaSalle) passed teammate Luke Palko (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) as the Northeast Conference’s all-time leader in receptions ... Caputo had nine catches for 99 yards at Albany ... He now has 231 career catches for 3,229 yards ... He is the school and NEC all-time leaders in both categories ... Senior tailback Todd Harris (Duquesne, PA/Duquesne) was held to just 11 yards on sevenn carries after averaging 112.8 yards per game heading into the contest against Albany ... Palko has missed the past three games as a wideout and has only duties have come as a holder on PATs. Stony Brook (4-4, 4-0 NEC) • The Seawolves won their fourth straight conference game to move to 4-0 in conference play for the first time since joining the NEC ... Freshman running back Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, NY/Uniondale) totaled 129 yards on 20 carries as part of a rushing attack that piled up 257 yards on the ground ... Josh Dudash (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) was 16-of-26 for 140 yards and two TDs through the air. His interception in the first quarter was the first of the season ... Lynell Suggs (Bronx, N.Y./Lehman) and Kevin Halonski (Budd Lake, N.J./New Haven) each caught a touchdown pass ... Mike Cosentino's (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) 23-yard end-around in the fourth quarter sealed the win ... Von Bryant's (Turnersville, N.J./Penn) nine-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter broke a 21-all tie and sparked Stony Brook to 17 unanswered points ... Hasan Stewart (Hempstead, N.Y./Uniondale) led the way for SB on defense with 12 tackles ... Cory Giddings (Ocean, NJ/Ocean Township) continued his remarkable run of big plays by blocking a field goal at the end of the first half and intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter to end a Pioneers drive ... Milo Otis (Los Angeles, Calif./L.A.Southwest J.C.) picked off a Sacred Heart pass in the fourth quarter which led to a Matt Week's (Hampton Bays, N.Y./Hampton Bays) field goal to put the Seawolves up 31-21 ... Mack Graham (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) totaled 1.5 sacks on the afternoon ... The Seawolves go for five in a row, which would match the longest in-season win streak in program history, next Saturday against Robert Morris. Wagner (4-4, 0-4 NEC) • The Wagner losing skid reached four games as the team was dealt a 27-6 loss at CCSU ... Junior kicker Piotr Czech (Keyport, NJ / Keyport) was the story again accounting for all six points on two field goals ... Czech’s first field goal tied his own NEC record of 54 yards and was the second longest in I-AA this season. He then added another three-pointer from 25 yards out later in the quarter. On the season the third year specialist is 8-for-11 (.727) kicking field goals, including 3-for-4 from beyond 40 yards (53-yard miss) ... Czech is one of two kickers in I-AA to make two field goals longer than 53 yards ... Freshman LB Chris Jaeger (Sterling, VA / Potamac Falls) led everyone with 14 tackles (4 solo) while senior free safety Ian Flack (Deltona, FL / Suitland (MD)) totaled 13 stops, including eight solo ... Senior WR Chris Turner (Syracuse, NY / Henninger) caught eight passes, bringing his Wagner school record to 200 ... Wagner has not lost four straight games since the tail end of the 1990 season ... The last time the Seahawks failed to score a touchdown was a 24-0 loss at Monmouth in 2003 ... Wagner has outscored opponents 33-0 in the first quarter this season. |
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