WALTHAM, Mass. – Freshman QB Yianni Gavalas (Manhasset, N.Y.), junior WR Justin Bernard (Cambridge, Mass.), junior WR Ahkeen Williams (DeWitt, N.Y.) and senior RB Keith Charles (Laurel, Md.) all broke records with monster days, but the ninth-seeded Saint Anselm College football team fell to sixth-seeded Bentley University, 56-41, in a Northeast-10 Championship Weekend slugfest Saturday afternoon at Bentley Field.
The Hawks wrap up their season at 1-10, while the Falcons finish at 6-5.
Gavalas completed a program-record 51 passes on 74 attempts, which matched the school record, for a career-high 559 yards and four touchdowns. The passing yardage is the second most in a single game in program history. Bernard, meanwhile, became the first Hawk ever to reach 3,000 yards receiving as he caught 11 passes for 171 yards. Bernard, who ended the day with 3,140 career receiving yards, broke his own record for receiving yards in a season as he finished with 1,146. Williams produced his best game of the season as he caught a career-high 14 balls for 158 yards and matched Bernard's school record with three touchdown catches. Charles ran 12 times for 41 yards and two touchdowns, made five catches for 58 yards and returned five kicks for 65 yards as he captured Marc Wilson's all-time all-purpose yard mark with 5,687 yards.
Saint Anselm, as a team, set new single-season marks in the game for total touchdowns (45) completions/catches (330), passing/receiving yards (3,431), total offense (4,471) and all-purpose yards (6,237). The 613 yards of total offense in the game for the Hawks is the second most ever in program history, while the Falcons did set a school record with 694 yards of total offense.
After a Gavalas fumble on the opening series of the game killed a Saint Anselm drive into Bentley territory, the Falcons capitalized and drove 57 yards in five plays with Martin Bannerman strolling in from four yards out for the score. Michael Baron added the extra point and Bentley led 7-0 just 4:18 in.
Saint Anselm answered immediately with an eight-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by a 7-yard touchdown catch-and-run from Gavalas to Williams. Sophomore K/P Shane Grayson (Ormond Beach, Fla.) added the extra point and the game was tied at 7-all with 8:11 left in the opening quarter.
The early slugfest continued as Bentley completed a 10-play, 82-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak by QB Danny Guadagnoli. Baron's kick put the Falcons on top, 14-7, with 2:50 remaining in the first.
After forcing the Hawks to punt on the ensuing drive, Bentley took advantage of the short field with Guadagnoli connecting with Ken Kozar on a 39-yard pass play down the left sideline and then a 13-yard touchdown in the back left of the end zone to complete a two-play, 52-yard drive. Baron's PAT made it 21-7 just six seconds into the second quarter.
Gavalas and the offense moved the ball with ease on the following drive as they went 70 yards in eight plays, with the Gavalas-to-Williams connection again finishing things off. Gavalas stuffed a pass into traffic from five yards out and Williams was able to snatch the football and rip it away from a hoard of Bentley defenders for the score. Grayson's boot cut the Saint Anselm deficit to 21-14 with 12:49 to go in the second.
Bentley found the answer again on the ensuing drive as a 60-yard reverse from Mike Gardiner polished off a four-play, 77-yard drive that made it 28-14 after the Baron PAT with 10:36 on the clock in the second stanza.
Williams matched the school record with his third touchdown catch of the day on the next drive from 31 yards out. Williams made the catch around the 10-yard line and made a nifty cutback to elude a would-be tackler and ease into the end zone. Grayson's extra point hit the left upright and the Hawks were down 28-20 with 8:33 left.
Bentley answered back just one play and 19 seconds later as Guadagnoli aired one out to Jeff Hill for a 77-yard touchdown that made it 35-20 following Baron's kick.
After the teams traded a handful of punts, Guadagnoli found Hill again inside the right pylon from 26 yards out to complete an eight-play, 74-yard drive with just 30 seconds on the clock. Baron added the point-after and the Falcons led 42-20.
Bentley opened the second half by moving 73 yards in seven plays with Guadagnoli throwing an 18-yard strike to Kozar to push the lead to 49-20 just 3:37 into the second half.
The Hawks answered as Charles finished off a six-play, 69-yard drive with a 1-yard dive into the end zone to slice the Bentley lead to 49-27 with 9:28 remaining in the third quarter. Charles ran for six yards on the second play of the drive to capture the all-purpose record.
Some trickery from the Falcons gave them a 56-27 lead with 3:32 left in the third as they used the hook-and-ladder to perfection. Guadagnoli hit Chris Calvanese for 10 yards before he pitched it to Gardiner, who brought it the final 30 for the score.
Saint Anselm would not go away, however, as Charles plowed his way in from five yards out to help the Hawks keep pace at 56-34 1:33 before the end of the third.
With Bentley looking to add to its lead midway through the fourth quarter, junior DB Matt Yopp (Bristol, Conn.) stripped Guadagnoli and junior LB Isaac Jorgensen (Eldersburg, Md.) fell on the ball at the Saint Anselm 39-yard line. The Hawks could not capitalize, however, as Gavalas' fourth-and-goal pass from the Bentley 4-yard line, intended for Williams, was knocked away.
The Saint Anselm defense held, however, and forced Bentley to punt out of the back of its own end zone. After taking over at their own 47, the Hawks went 53 yards in seven plays, with Gavalas finding junior WR Brandon Gomes (Providence, R.I.) from 10 yards out to trim the Bentley lead to 56-41 with 2:53 to go.
Gomes finished with 10 catches for 93 yards and the score, while Jorgensen and Yopp totaled nine and seven tackles, respectively, to lead the Hawks.
Guadagnoli set school records for passing yards and total offense in a game as he went 30 of 43 for 510 yards and five touchdowns, in addition to rushing seven times for 42 yards and another score.
Charles wraps up his Saint Anselm career as its all-time leader in all-purpose yards, total touchdowns (42), rushing touchdowns (30), total points scored (252), kick returns (95) and kick return yards (1,890), as well as second in rushing yards (2,179) and rushing attempts (550) and third in receptions (153) and receiving yards (1,618). Charles performances in all-purpose yards (2,295), total touchdowns (19), rushing touchdowns (14) and total points scored (114) are all the most in a single season at Saint Anselm.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
