Manchester, N.H. (August 29) -- Saint Anselm
came up just short on its final drive of the game as visiting
Kutztown came away with a 17-13 victory at a rainy Grappone Stadium
on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.
Kutztown used a long run by Dontay Wilson (Stamford,
Conn.) on the first play of the game to get down into the
red zone before that drive was stopped short by an interception
from Saint Anselm junior captain Mark Colantonio
(Londonderry, N.H.). Colantonio took advantage of the
second Kutztown turnover of the quarter with just over three
minutes left in the period, picking up a fumble near midfield and
taking it down into the red zone for the Hawks.
Freshman quarterback Michael Pierce (Andover,
Mass.) struck with 3:01 left in the period as he found
sophomore Marc Wilson (Farmington, Conn.) across
the middle for a 12-yard touchdown score and a 7-0 lead.
The Hawks kept the Golden Bears off the board until late in the
first half before Matt Dineen (Wilmington, Del.)
booted a 27-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the period for
a 7-3 Saint Anselm lead at the break. The Golden Bears dominated
the time of possession in the opening half, 20:14-9:46, but it was
the Hawks that held the halftime lead.
The Golden Bears took the lead early in the third quarter as
Wilson rumbled in from the one-yard line to put Kutztown in front
by a 10-7 score with 10:18 left in the period. The TD score capped
off a seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive that took 3:32 off the
clock.
Saint Anselm answered back with a score of its own though late
in the third quarter. After a penalty negated what would have been
a first down in Kutztown territory, Pierce connected on a 54-yard
scoring pass to Wilson on third down to take a 13-10 led with nine
seconds left in the quarter. Wilson caught the ball, spun off a
pair of defenders who collided, and tip toed the sideline and into
the end zone for his second receiving TD of the game. Prior to that
drive, Kutztown had held the Hawks without a first down on six
straight drives since the team's first-quarter touchdown.
Kutztown's Wilson rattled off his second touchdown of the game
with 9:29 left on the clock as he went up the middle and outran the
Hawk defense for a 77-yard touchdown score and a 17-13 lead for the
visitors.
On the ensuing drive for Saint Anselm, the Hawks used a 37-yard
reception by Chris Chapman (Bronx, N.Y.) to get
the Hawks inside the red zone. A fourth-down pass interference
penalty kept the drive going and the Hawks moved inside the 10-yard
line. On second down, Austin Wakinekoa (Walanae,
Hawaii) was fighting for extra yardage and had the ball
knocked out, which resulted in it going out of the back of the end
zone for a Kutztown touchback with under six minutes left.
The Hawks got the ball back and drove into Kutztown territory
before Saint Anselm was stopped on a fourth-down play in the final
minute to seal the win for the Golden Bears. Kutztown now leads the
all-time series with Saint Anselm by a 2-0 margin.
For the Hawks, Pierce led the way with a 257-yard, two-touchdown
afternoon as he completed 15-of-30 pass attempts. Wilson caught six
passes for 105 yards and two touchdown scores. Defensively, senior
All-America candidate Dan Bohenek (Bridgewater,
Mass.) and freshman Ethan Sylvain (E. Montpelier,
Vt.) each finished with 11 tackles to lead the Hawks.
For the Golden Bears, Wilson had a career-high 174 yards and two
scores, while Shane Martin (New Holland, Pa.)
completed 13-of-20 passes for 135 yards at quarterback.
The Hawks drop to 0-1 overall, while Kutztown improves to 1-0.
Saint Anselm is back in action on Saturday, September 5th as the
Hawks host in-state rival Plymouth State for a 1 p.m. start at
Grappone Stadium. Kutztown returns to action on Saturday, September
5 as the Golden Bears travel to Clarion for a 6 p.m. start.
