MANCHESTER, NH (Sep. 23) -- Rick Haering led the deep-rushing offense of the Pioneers with 109 yards on 18 carries and the EFC's leading rusher Ian Smart added 72 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns as C.W. Post downed a much improved Saint Anselm College football team 34-14 at Grappone Stadium.

It was the home opener, for Saint Anselm which dropped to 0-3 overall on the season and 0-2 in EFC play. The Pioneers improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the EFC.

Host Saint Anselm, which struggled in its two previous games, showed more poise, and stayed close to a Pioneers squad favored to win the division and possibly the EFC title. The Hawks led 7-0 after one quarter, a trailed 20-14 midway through the third before the depth and talent of the Pioneers pulled away.

As they had done in their first two games, C.W. Post relied on it's strong running game to establish control. Still, Saint Anselm was able to hold the Pioneers to a combined 193 yards on the ground. Quaterback Lenny Lupo finished just 8-14 for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Saint Anselm's running game again struggled, managing just 23 yards on the ground, but quarterback Keith Comeau (Marblehead, Mass.) showed development, throwing his best game of the season, finishing 22 of 34 with two touchdowns. While Comeau was intercepted three times, two came off deflections.

Junior tight end Aaron Dufour (Attleboro, Mass.), a newcomer to the Hawks this season, led the team with seven catches for 37 yards whole Jeff Farragher (Clinton, Mass.), Pat Partin (Stoughton, Mass.), Travis Pelletier (Deerfield, NH) and Peter Kelley (Melrose, Mass.) all added three each. Farragher and Pelletier snagged touchdown passes of seven and 15 yards, respectively.

John Cipot led the Pioneers with three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Saint Anselm showed early poise, taking the opening drive 69 yards on 13 plays ending with Comeau finding Farragher from seven yards out. Comeau was six of seven on the series and Saint Anselm had a 7-0 lead 5:47 into the game.

The Pioneers answered early in the second as Smart scored on a 27 yard run for a 7-6 game, and took the lead for good when Leroy Braithwaite returned a punt 78 yards with 1:25 to go in the half for a 13-7 game.

But Saint Anselm didn't let the Pioneers off easily, despite giving the ball away with a costly turnover. Jeff Dandurand's punt was blocked by Scott Martin at the Saint Anselm 14 and brought down to the five by Paul Grippo. One play later, Smart smashed in from five yards for a 20-7 game.

the Hawks answered with a nifty seven play, 53 yard drive ending with Comeau's strike to Pelletier. A key to the drive was a 17 yard pass play from Comeau to Farragher on third and four at the Pioneer 47 that kept the drive alive.

But C.W. post pulled away for good late in the third with a eight play, 80 yard drive ending with Lupo hitting Cipot from three yards out for a 27-14 game.

The Post defense, ranked first in the league, harassed Comeau all day, sacking Comeau eight times, with Rich Ricketts leading the way with four. William Yarocki and Prague Robert added two each.

Justine Peledge (Wakefield, Mass.) led Saint Anselm defensively with 13 tackles, while Shaun St. Onge (Wolfeboro, NH) added 11. Geoff Raby (Attleboro, Mass.) added nine tackles and a sack while Lance Flagg (Simsbury, Conn.) added eight tackles, and two sacks.

The Hawks look for their first win next Saturday at Assumption College beginning at 1:00 p.m.