COMPLETE GAME NOTES
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team will open its home slate Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. by playing host to Stonehill College in the Seventh Annual "Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk" at Grappone Stadium. It will mark the first time in program history the Hawks have played a home game under the lights. Links to live stats and live video are available on the football schedule page.
The game will be streamed live at SaintAnselmHawks.tv, with Ben Altsher handling play-by-play duties and Nick Anastos providing the color analysis.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for seniors, teens and non-Saint Anselm students with a valid ID, while admission is free for children 12-and-under, as well as Saint Anselm students, faculty and staff that have a valid ID. Saint Anselm faculty and staff with a valid ID can also admit ONE guest free of charge.
Campus Activities board will be holding its "Glow in the Dark" spirit event at the game and will be roasting marshmallows inside the stadium. In addition, CAB will be giving prizes for winners of its "That's a Wrap" contest. During halftime, students will be able to win a Pizza Market Gift Certificate by participating in a pass, punt and kick contest.
This will be the 14th meeting between the two teams, with Stonehill holding an 8-5 record, which includes seven straight wins in the series. The Skyhawks are 2-4 on the road against the Hawks and have won three straight there. The last time Saint Anselm was victorious in the series was Oct. 2, 2004 when it captured a 19-10 win at home. In the most recent meeting Nov. 5, 2011, senior Marc Wilson recorded a game-high 13 catches, including a touchdown, but the Hawks suffered a 35-7 defeat against in the sixth annual Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk at W.B. Mason Stadium.
The Hawks dropped to 1-8 on the season, including 1-6 in Northeast-10 play, while the Skyhawks upped their record to 3-7, 2-5.
After Stonehill QB Logan Meyer hooked up with John Gomes and Zaire Reiph on respective 54- and 60-yard touchdown passes in the first quarter, Wilson reeled in a pass from junior QB Mike Pierce and sprinted 14 yards up the right side before slipping inside the pylon for his fourth receiving touchdown of the year. The point-after by junior K Shea Cerio sliced the Saint Anselm deficit to 14-7 just 1:28 into the second quarter.
The Skyhawks added to their lead with 2:54 remaining in the opening half when Jamal Johnson capped an eight-play, 55-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. Michael Kielbasa's extra point made it 21-7.
Stonehill was not finished in the first half, however, as it forced a quick three-and-out before driving 50 yards in four plays with just 38 seconds coming off the clock to widen the lead to 21. Justin Willis finished off the drive with a 31-yard touchdown run with 1:02 on the clock and after a Kielbasa extra point, the Skyhawks led, 28-7.
The game stayed that way through the third quarter before a 13-yard touchdown pass from Meyer to Thomas Sullivan closed a five-play, 77-yard drive that made it 35-7 after the Kielbasa point-after just 2:55 into the fourth.
Willis rushed for 136 yards on 22 carries, while Meyer was 20-for-37 for 285 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior Kyle Hayes picked off his second pass of the season in the first quarter, while sophomore DB Ethan Sylvain pulled in his team-leading fifth interception in the third quarter.
Wilson racked up 158 yards of all-purpose offense, including 59 through the air. Pierce, who went over 2,000 yards passing for the season, was 19 of 38 for 85 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. In relief, freshman QB Stephen Cuipa was 5 of 6 for 18 yards, with his lone misfire coming on an interception late in the fourth.
Junior LB Chris Bent tallied a game-high 14 tackles, including five for a loss and a sack. Bent also recovered a fumble in the first quarter after freshman Isaac Jorgensen jarred the ball loose after Gomes made a two-yard catch. Hayes made eight stops, including 1.5 for a loss.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior RB Keith Charles racked up 194 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, but the Hawks dropped another back-and-forth game with Assumption College, 24-14, Sept. 7 in both team's Northeast-10 opener at Multi-Sport Stadium.
The Hawks dropped to 0-2 on the season, including 0-1 in the conference, while the Greyhounds evened their record at 1-1 and start 1-0 in the league.
Charles rushed 13 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns, made four catches for 37 yards and returned four kicks for 81 yards.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Assumption capped a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Tad Beuchert to take a 3-0 lead.
Saint Anselm responded just 1:24 later, driving 71 yards in just five plays before Charles ran right and into the end zone from three yards out to give the Hawks a 7-3 lead after the extra point by senior Shea Cerio. Charles set up the score with a 56-yard run that brought the Hawks down to the 5-yard line before the ball was moved half the distance to the goal when an Assumption defender grabbed his facemask.
The Greyhounds re-gained the lead with 11:19 to play in the third quarter when they moved the ball 50 yards in just three plays, with Bobby Jordan tossing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Adam Gruschow over the middle to make it 10-7 after Beuchert's point after.
The game stayed that way until the fourth quarter when Beuchert booted a 36-yard field goal with 9:17 remaining to make it 13-7.
The Hawks then put together an eight-play, 74-yard drive that lasted just 2:27 and was capped by a Charles 1-yard run. Cerio's extra point caromed in off the upright and the Hawks went up 14-13 with 6:50 to go.
Just 2:30 later, however, the Greyhounds moved the ball 75 yards in just six plays, including a 26-yard touchdown pass inside the left pylon from Jordan to Evan Butters that made it 19-14. Assumption went for two and completed it, but a penalty call erased the conversion. The Greyhounds went for it again anyway and Jordan completed a pass to the right corner of the end zone for Scott Simonson that pushed the score to 21-14.
After coming up with a pair of sacks on the ensuing drive, Assumption took over on downs at the Saint Anselm 23. Beuchert added a 34-yard field goal that sealed the game, pushing the lead to 10 with 1:04 on the clock.
Sophomore QB Stephen Cuipa went 16-for-20 for 119 yards, while junior QB Ray Doucette was 9 of 14 for 88 yards. Sophomore WR Eric Feehan, who caught nine passes for 106 yards against the Greyhounds last season, hauled in 10 catches for 91 yards.
THREE FOR ME
The Hawks have found the end zone three times in their first two games, with junior running back Keith Charles scoring all three touchdowns – a receiving score at Kutztown and a pair of rushing TDs at Assumption.
CUIPA BREAKS RECORD
Sophomore QB Stephen Cuipa broke a nearly 12-year-old record when he completed 80 percent (16-20) of his passes at Assumption on Sept. 7. The previous record was held by Keith Comeau, who connected on 76.9 percent (20-26) of his throws at Stonehill on Nov. 4, 2000.
ALL-PURPOSE BACK
Junior running back Keith Charles amassed 194 all-purpose yards at Assumption on Sept. 7. Charles rushed 13 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns, made four catches for 37 yards and returned four kickoffs for 81 yards.
PERFECT 10
Junior wide WR Eric Feehan, who broke out a year ago as the team's second leading receiver, continued his solid play with a career-best 10 catches for 91 yards at Assumption on Sept. 7.
FIRST IN
For the second straight year, junior running back Keith Charles scored Saint Anselm's first touchdown of the season. Charles caught a 25-yard touchdown pass at Kutztown on Aug. 30, one year after scampering in from two yards out at home against Kutztown on Sept. 3, 2011.
PREDICTING THE FUTURE
The Hawks were picked to finish eighth in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Aug. 20. New Haven was chosen as the favorite to win the conference after collecting seven-first place votes and point total of 63 to beat out Southern Connecticut, which earned one first-place vote and 53 total points. AIC, which received the other first-place vote, came in third with 50 points. With 41 points apiece, Bentley and Merrimack tied for the fourth-place slot, as Assumption (29) edged out Stonehill (24) for sixth place. Saint Anselm (15) and Pace (8) rounded out the poll.
LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
Saint Anselm Athletics and Pack Network will once again team up for the 2012-13 season to offer an industry-leading streaming video solution. The service will feature live event productions that include multiple cameras, an on-screen scoreboard and graphics so that fans can still be part of the action even when they can't make it to the game. And starting this season, fans can stream games live on their ipad or iphone. This season, all football, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's hockey games will be streamed live at SaintAnselmHawks.tv. The Hawks All-Access Pass, available for $69.95, gives fans the opportunity to watch not only all the live coverage of various Saint Anselm home athletic events, but also premium content not available to view without the All-Access Pass. The premium content includes an in-depth archive section of all video available. Single-event subscriptions for all live events will be available throughout the season for $6.95.
