NEC Football Review: Stony Brook Now Holds The Key
With one more week to go, only Monmouth, Albany and Stony Brook have a chance at the NEC Championship and participation in the Gridiron Classic versus the Pioneer League. The Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game that will match the champions of the two I-AA football conferences, is set for December 2.
On Saturday, Monmouth (9-1, 5-1 NEC) won its ninth game with a convincing, 54-20 victory over Saint Francis (PA) (2-8, 1-5 NEC). Hawks quarterback Brian Boland threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns, while freshman tailback David Sinisi ran off 143 yards and a score.
Albany (7-3, 5-1 NEC) knocked out Robert Morris from the championship picture with a 16-6 triumph at Joe Walton Stadium. The teams combined for just 167 total yards, but three first-half field goals (32, 40, 43) by Jason Fralicker cleared the way for the Danes.
On Staten Island, Stony Brook (5-5, 5-1 NEC) made easy work of Wagner (4-6, 0-6 NEC), toppling the Seahawks, 45-9. SBU signal caller Josh Dudash was impressive, completing 27-of-34 passes for 393 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Von Bryant rushed for three two-yard touchdowns in the first half.
At Fairfield, CT, Justise Hairston broke the NEC single-season rushing record (1,630), topping the old mark of 1,524 yards established by Albany's Gary Jones in 2003. Hairston rushed for 168 yards and two scores, leading Central Connecticut State (7-3, 3-3 NEC) to a 42-14 win over Sacred Heart (2-8, 1-5 NEC).
This Saturday, the trio of Monmouth, Albany and Stony Brook each have a chance at the NEC title, however, the Hawks and Great Danes square off against each other in the regular-season finale and the Seawolves travel to New Britain to take on Central Connecticut State. If SBU wins, the Seawolves will share the NEC crown for back-to-back seasons and advance to the Gridiron Classic. The winner of Albany-Monmouth will either win the league outright, barring a Stony Brook loss, or share the crown with SBU. Stony Brook holds the tiebreaker with Monmouth and Albany due to a 2-0 mark versus the two teams.
Five NEC Teams Remain On TSN I-AA Mid Major Top-10 Poll; San Diego Still No. 1 Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - San Diego received one of its toughest challenges of the season, but the Toreros pulled away in the second half to beat Jacksonville, 38-21, to stay undefeated and once again earn a unanimous No. 1 nod in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10. The Toreros are at 9-0 for the season and have 17 wins in a row overall, and are at No. 1 for the 11th time this season and 17th consecutive poll over the past two years. The Toreros picked up all 24 first-place votes and 240 points to earn the No. 1 spot. They have clinched a share of the Pioneer Football League title, and will try to complete an undefeated run through the league by defeating Dayton at home on Saturday.
Monmouth knocked off St. Francis (PA) and earned the No. 2 position on every ballot for the second week in a row. The Hawks are followed by No. 3 Drake and No. 4 Albany, who both kept their spots after victories. Monmouth is at Albany this weekend in a battle of teams in a three-way tie along with Stony Brook at the top of the Northeast Conference standings. Central Connecticut State is up one position 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. Stony Brook will clinch the NEC’s spot in the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 2 with a win at Central Connecticut State on Saturday.
Nine of the top ten teams are in action on Saturday, with No. 6 Duquesne having already completed its season. In addition to the matchups between top ten teams in the NEC, No. 3 Drake is at No. 10 Jacksonville in a game pitting ranked squads.
NEC, Pioneer Football League Announce Changes To Gridiron Classic
The Northeast Conference and Pioneer Football League have changed the selection procedures regarding participating teams and the date of the Gridiron Classic, the respective offices announced on Thursday.
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.
CCSU’s Hairston Sets NEC Rushing Record
Central Connecticut State tailback Justise Hairston, a transfer from Rutgers, is compiling perhaps the greatest single-season individual performance in NEC history. Currently, Hairston leads I-AA football in all-purpose yards per game (197.6), ranks second in rushing (163.0) and fifth in scoring (102 points). The senior is averaging 6.6 yards per rush and on Saturday broke the NEC single-season rushing record held by Albany’s Gary Jones, who set the mark of 1,524 in 2003. Hairston has 1,630 yards through 10 games. On the season, Hairston has 17 touchdowns, five TDs behind the NEC record of 22 set by Jones in 2002. Amazingly versus Saint Francis (PA) on Oct. 7, Hairston gained an NEC single-game record 332 yards and tied the NEC-high for touchdowns with five.
Albany (7-3, 5-1 NEC)
Last Game: Albany 16, Robert Morris 6
Next Game: Nov. 11 vs. Monmouth, 1:00 pm
• Albany won its fourth straight with a 16-6 victory at Robert Morris on Nov. 4 … the Great Danes, who have reached the seven-win mark in eight of the last 11 seasons, can earn at least a share of the NEC title with a victory against Monmouth in the regular-season finale … Albany won the 2002 championship and shared the 2003 crown … the Great Danes set the program’s Division I-AA records for sacks (10) and rushing yards allowed (minus-51) against Robert Morris … Albany’s sack total was the highest figure by a I-AA team this season … DE Andre Coleman (Buffalo, N.Y. / Burgard) registered a career-high 10 tackles and 3.5 sacks for minus-27 yards … the 6-foot-4, 290-pound senior reached the 100-career tackle plateau (105) and has 14.0 sacks as a collegian … DT Michael Dungey (Rochester, N.Y. / Irondequoit) and DT Tom Pandolf (Holbrook, N.Y. / Sachem) had two sacks apiece, while DE Mark Sheehan (Waterford, N.Y. / Catholic Central) also got to the quarterback and came up with a fourth-quarter interception … Pandolf finished with a career-high six tackles … S Dave Nicomini (Newton, N.J. / Kittatinny Regional) returned an interception 21 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, the fourth INT return for a TD by a Albany player this year … Albany opponents are averaging 4.8 points and 150.0 total yards during the team’s current four-game win streak … the Great Danes picked off a season-high four passes last week, tying the second-best total in the program’s I-AA history … CB Ryan Chrobak (Clinton, N.Y. / Clinton Central) had one of those interceptions and made seven tackles … he moved into a tie for 23rd place on the school’s all-time tackles chart with 187 … PK Jason Fralicker (North Tonawanda, N.Y. / North Tonawanda) tied a single-game record with three field goals, all in the first half, against Robert Morris … matched a standard that he equaled in this year’s season opener at Lehigh with field goals of 32, 40 and 43 yards … the junior place-kicker shattered a 21-year-old single-season mark with his 13th field goal of the season … Scott Reagan made 12 FGs in 1985 … Fralicker leads the team in scoring with 64 points, the ninth-best figure in school history … Albany’s defense is in the top-five nationally in rushing yards allowed (85.60 ypg), total defense (230.0 ypg), passing efficiency against (93.65 rating) and scoring defense (12.4 ppg) … TB Omar Johnson (Edgewater Park, N.J. / Burlington City) needs 22 yards to reach the 1,000-mark for his career … ILB Colin Disch (North Plainfield, N.J. / North Plainfield) accounted for six tackles, one INT, two PBUs and a ½ sack last Saturday … he is fourth on the all-time list with 332 career tackles.
Central Connecticut State (7-3, 3-3 NEC)
Last Game: Central Connecticut State 42, Sacred Heart 14
Next Game: Nov. 11 vs. Stony Brook, 12:00 pm
• Central Connecticut State improved to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in Northeast Conference play with its first conference road win of the season, 42-14, over Sacred Heart on Saturday. The win gives the Blue Devils at least seven victories for the third straight season for only the second time in school history (1965-67) and the 22 wins in the three seasons is the most in a three year span in the history of CCSU football ... The 42 points gives the Blue Devils 328 points on the season, a new school record. CCSU has one game remaining this season and will host Stony Brook on Saturday, November 11 on Senior Day ... The Blue Devils have a chance to play spoiler in the game as Stony Brook looks for a victory and a spot in the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 2. A loss and the Seawolves would not win a share of their second straight NEC title. The Blue Devils put up 412 yards of total offense on Saturday including 296 on the ground and had 24 first downs. With the game tied at 14-14 late in the third quarter, CCSU rattled off 28 unanswered points to win for the seventh time on the year. They scored all six touchdowns on the ground giving them 37 rushing touchdowns on the season, a new school record ... As a team CCSU has scored 46 touchdowns this year, also a new school mark. In 10 games the Blue Devils have rushed for 2,754 yards, just 102 yards shy of the school record set in 1972. The Blue Devil defense forced three more turnovers in the win over Sacred Heart giving them 22 take-aways on the season. They have allowed only 160 points on the season including only 73 in the first half ... Senior running back Justise Hairston (New Britain, CT/New Britain) rushed 28 times for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns in another record breaking day for the Rutgers transfer. Hairston, who broke the Central Connecticut single season rushing record last week in a loss to Albany, now has 1,630 yards on the year through 10 games, passing Albany's Gary Jones who rushed for 1,524 yards during the 2003 season. Hairston's yardage total is the best in the country as he continues to average an impressive 6.6 yards per carry this season. Entering Saturday's season finale versus Stony Brook, Hairston is only 70 yards shy of becoming just the 32nd player in NCAA I-AA history to rush for 1,700 yards in a single season. He could become the first player in Northeast Conference history to lead the nation in rushing. He currently averages 163.0 yards per game. In Saturday's victory Hairston had a 54-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter giving him six scoring plays of 50+ yards on the season. He also has 35 rushes of 10 or more yards on the year ... Senior defensive end Terry Dunn (Norwich, CT/Norwich Free Academy) had an impressive game on the defensive line for the Blue Devils, posting five tackles, three for a loss and a team-high three sacks in the win over Sacred Heart on Saturday. Dunn and the Blue Devil defense held Sacred Heart to -4 yards rushing in the first half and only 51 in the entire game. The Pioneers managed only 188 yards of total offense on the day and turned the ball over three times.
Monmouth (9-1, 5-1 NEC)
Last Game: Monmouth 54, Saint Francis (PA) 20
Next Game: Nov. 11 at Albany, 1:00 pm
• Monmouth kept it’s NEC post-season hopes alive with a 54-20 win over Saint Francis PA at home on Saturday … despite being up only 28-20 going into halftime, the Hawks avenged last year’s loss to the Red Flash by out-scoring their opponents 26-0 in the final two quarters … three different Hawks set records in the game, including redshirt freshman David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) scoring in his 10th straight game, a new MU record … three different senior running backs scored in their final regular season home game at Kessler Field, including Rob Lutz (New Cumberland, PA/Trinity), Walter Carter (Salem, NJ/Salem) and Leonard Brice (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg/Hutchinson CC) … senior wide receiver Adam San Miguel (North Bergen, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) set the MU record for catches in a season with a five-catch 128 yard performance, including a 57-yard touchdown … San Miguel now has 66 catches in the 2006 season … the game was his third 100-yard receiving game this season … senior defensive back David Jiles grabbed his 12th career interception, setting a new Monmouth record for career picks … the interception, which he returned for a 38-yard touchdown, came late in the second quarter and put the Hawks up 28-13 … Monmouth lost the time of possession battle for the first time this season, as the Red Flash owned a 35:26 to 23:15 advantage in the contest … Monmouth had eight different players score in the game, including three wide receivers, four running backs and a defensive back … Monmouth was a perfect five-for-five in redzone scoring, marking the fourth time this season that the Hawks have scored on all redzone opportunities … senior quarterback Brian Boland (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) was 70% throwing the ball and had 237 yards including a trio of passing touchdowns … Boland was not sacked in the game … senior defensive end Erik Yngstrom (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) picked up his team-leading fourth sack of the year, moving him within 2.5 of tying MU career record holder Jason Gmitter’s 25.5. Boland was 12-of-17 (.705) passing for 237 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Saturday’s game. Boland also had six rushes for 19 yards in the contest. The senior is now 32-8 all-time as the starting quarterback for the Blue & White. Boland leads the conference’s second best passing attack, averaging 205 yards per game in 2006 ... Anthony Addonizio (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) finished with 14 tackles against the Red Flash, including 11 solo stops (leading all players). Addonizio also registered a quarterback hurry and had two tackles-for-a-loss against St. Francis. After Saint Francis closed the game to 28-20 going into halftime, Addonizio anchored a defense that shutout the Red Flash in the second half. The Red Flahs had the ball just four times in the final 30 minutes, with their possessions ending twice on failed fourth-down attempts, once on a lost fumble and once on a punt. Addonizio is second on the team in total tackles with 67, including 41 solo tackles (15th in the NEC).
Robert Morris (6-4, 4-2 NEC)
Last Game: Albany 16, Robert Morris 6
Next Game: Nov. 11 at Sacred Heart, 12:30 pm
• Robert Morris fell to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in NEC play with a 16-6 defeat at home to Albany ... For the second straight season RMU finished with a 2-3 record at its new home in Joe Walton Stadium ... Sophomore quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shaydside) was sacked 10 times on the afternoon, the most sacks given up by a Colonial club in single-game school history ... The Colonials cracked the scoreboard and avoided being shutout at home for the first time in school history when Cwalinski connected with freshman wide receiver Frankie Probst (Lock Haven, Pa. / Lock Haven) for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 2:19 to play ... It marked the first receiving touchdown for Probst on his career ... Cwalinski finished 12-for-30 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted four times ... The Colonial run game never got going, as their stable of running backs combined to post a total of 15 yards rushing on 20 carries ... RMU was held to -51 yards rushing thanks to Albany's 10 sacks ... Defensively for Robert Morris, senior linebacker Jeff Rommes (Gibsonia, Pa. / Deer Lakes) and senior defensive lineman Matt Brunck (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel) each finished with 10 tackles ... Senior defensive lineman Ray Gensler (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Keystone Oaks) tied the RMU single-season school record with 11 sacks thanks to one and-a-half against Albany and pushed his career total to 19 ... Gensler finished with nine tackles ... Rommes moved into the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris for tackles, as his 10 gives him 213 takedowns, which is tied with former defensive back Dante Payne (1994-97) for ninth all-time * Combined Robert Morris and Albany converted only four of 30 third-down opportunities ... RMU closes out its 2006 campaign when it travels to Fairfield, Conn., for a 1:00 p.m. NEC tilt at Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart (2-8, 1-5 NEC)
Last Game: Central Connecticut State 42, Sacred Heart 14
Next Game: Nov. 11 vs. Robert Morris, 12:30 pm
• Sacred Heart fell to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in NEC play with a 42-14 loss to intra-state rival Central Connecticut State at Fairfield on Saturday ... Freshman receiver Steve Tedesco (Mission Viejo, CA/Trabuco Hills) caught a touchdown pass for the fourth consecutive game on Saturday ... Senior quarterback Tyler Arciaga (Bonita, CA) is 163 yards in his final game to become SHU's all-time leader in passing yards. He currently has 4,279, trailing Justin Holtfreter's 4,481 ... Senior linebacker John Corto (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) had 12 tackles against CCSU and now has 292 career stops. He is just two tackles shy of moving into second all-time at SHU ahead of Bill Johnston (1991-94) ... Corto has registered double-digit tackles in five games ... The Pioneers complete the 2006 season with a home contest next Saturday, Nov. 11 against Robert Morris. Kickoff is set for 12:30 pm.
Saint Francis (PA) (2-8, 1-5 NEC)
Last Game: Monmouth 54, Saint Francis (PA) 20
Next Game: Nov. 11 vs. Wagner, 1:00 pm
• Saint Francis (PA) fell to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in NEC action with a 54-20 loss to Monmouth on Saturday ... Senior tailback Todd Harris (Duquesne, PA/Duquesne) became the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in two different seasons. He rushed for 1,052 yards in 2005, and has 1,047 yards with one game remaining this year. Harris needs 128 rushing yards on Saturday to break the single-season school mark ... Harris’ rushing touchdown non Saturday gave him nine for the season, tying the single-season school record. He owns the career record with 18 ... Harris will graduate third on the NEC’s all-time rushing list, behind Wagner’s Rick Sarille (4,460) and Robert Morris’ Sam Dorsett (3,841) ... Senior quarterback Anthony Doria (Pittsburgh, PA/Seton LaSalle) threw two touchdown passes, marking the 19th time in his career he has thrown for at least two TDs in a game ... Senior wide receiver Michael Caputo (Bethel Park, Pa./Seton LaSalle) caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, the 30th TD reception of his career. It was the 14th 100-yard receiving game of his career, and third this season ... Monmouth was giving up just 251.7 yards of total offense per game entering Saturday, but the Red Flash gained 262 yards in the first half alone ... Saint Francis will celebrate Homecoming and Senior Day against Wagner on Nov. 11. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm.
Stony Brook (5-5, 5-1 NEC)
Last Game: Stony Brook 45, Wagner 9
Next Game: Nov. 11 at Central Connecticut State, 12:00 pm
• Stony Brook improved to 5-1 in conference play with a 45-9 win over Wagner and now controls its own destiny in its quest for back-to-back NEC titles. A win over Central Connecticut State on Saturday would give Stony Brook at least a share of the championship and earn them the right to host the inaugural Gridiron Classic on December 2 against the winner of the Pioneer League ... Against Wagner, Josh Dudash (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) led the way, completing 27-of-34 passes for 393 yards and a TD, 283 yards came in the first half ... Dwayne Eley (Bowie, Md./Gonzaga) caught seven passes for 106 yards and tight end Kevin Halonski (Budd Lake, NJ/New Haven) had six catches for 97 yards ... Lynell Suggs (Bronx, N.Y./Lehman) posted a 12-yard TD reception in the second quarter and finished with five catches for 76 yards ... Von Bryant (Turnersville, N.J./UPenn) rushed for 57 yards on 21 carries and had three rushing touchdowns ... Steve Austin (Tequesta, Fla./W.T. Dwyer) and Aaron Hale (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) closed out the scoring with rushing scores in the final quarter ... Adam Cooper (San Diego, Calif./Grossmont College) recorded his second interception of the year ... Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) led all defenders with six tackles, part of a defense that held Wagner to only 148 yards of total offense ... the Seawolves face Central Connecticut at noon on Saturday, November 11.
Wagner (4-6, 0-6 NEC)
Last Game: Stony Brook 45, Wagner 9
Next Game: Nov. 11 at Saint Francis (PA), 1:00 pm
• Wagner was handed a 45-9 loss by visiting Stony Brook on Saturday ... The loss was the sixth straight for the Seahawks, accounting for the longest skid since the 1977 season (prior to start of Walt Hameline’s head coaching career) ... Junior Jason Butler (Syracuse, NY/Henninger) accounted for 138 all-purpose yards in the game, including a 91 yards kickoff return for a TD. The return was the first by a Wagner player since Mark Jepson took one back 87 yards for a score on 10/25/03 at Robert Morris ... In the process Butler also went over 1,000 all-purpose yards for the season (1,021) ... Senior linebacker Ein Williams (Neptune, NJ / Neptune) posted a career high 16 tackles ... The Seahawks were 6-0 all-time vesus Stony Brook on Staten Island.