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Jake Croce
37
Winner St. Anselm STA 1-2 , 1-0
20
American Int'l AIC 1-2 , 0-1
Winner
St. Anselm STA
1-2 , 1-0
37
Final
20
American Int'l AIC
1-2 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
STA St. Anselm 7 9 14 7 37
AIC American Int'l 0 6 8 6 20

Game Recap: Football |

Almeida, Croce Rush for Two TDs Each; Football Picks Up First Win of Season

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore Anthony Almeida (North Arlington, N.J.) and freshman Jake Croce (Point Pleasant, N.J.) each rushed for two touchdowns in just their second career games as the Saint Anselm College football team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday at American International by a final score of 37-20.

UP NEXT:

  • Saint Anselm returns home to host Southern Connecticut State on Saturday, September 28th at 1:00 p.m. from Grappone Stadium as part of Family Weekend on the Hilltop.

Score: Saint Anselm 37, American International 20
Records: Saint Anselm (1-2; 1-0 NE10); American International (1-2; 0-1 NE10)
Location: Springfield, Mass. (Ronald J. Abdow Field)
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024
Attendance: 1829

HOW IT HAPPENED:

  • Saint Anselm received the opening kickoff and put together a 10-play drive that lasted over five minutes and went well into American International territory. Sophomore quarterback Drew Forkner (Plano, Texas) accumulated 53 total yards on the drive, but the Hawks turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass at the Yellow Jackets 23-yard line.
  • On the first play of the ensuing possession, American International quarterback Cephas Williams was picked off by Saint Anselm sophomore defensive back Jon Hosney (Killingowrth, Conn.), giving the Hawks the football back in scoring range. However, Saint Anselm returned the favor after turning it over on downs once again.
  • The Yellow Jackets were then able to cross midfield and looked to be threatening after a couple of completions from Williams to Fatir Bell, but their drive ended when Anthony Posey fumbled at the Hawks 11-yard line. Fifth-year Devin Wood (Merrimack, N.H.) recovered the loose ball for the Hawks.
  • Croce made American International pay for that turnover with a 60-yard rushing touchdown at the end of the first quarter that put Saint Anselm ahead, 7-0.
  • The two teams exchanged punts to open the second quarter. The Hawks did so after an 11-play, five-plus minute drive.
  • On the next Yellow Jackets offensive series, Hawks fifth-year linebacker Jake Nadeau (Rutland, Mass.) came up with a huge sack on third down, forcing the home team to punt. Senior Chris Kamara II (Carteret, N.J.) was then able to get through the protection to block the punt and the ball bounced out of the back of the end zone for a safety to make it 9-0.
  • Saint Anselm got the ball back at midfield after a free kick from the American International 20-yard line. The Hawks were able to strike quickly with Forkner finding senior wide receiver Will Twadell (Marblehead, Mass.) on a post route for a 38-yard touchdown, which increased their lead to 16-0.
  • The Yellow Jackets put points on the board late in the first half when Williams connected with Dahvey Hicks for an one-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point was missed as the halftime score remained at 16-6.
  • American International received the kickoff to start the second half, but the Saint Anselm defense quickly got off the field after forcing a three-and-out and a punt.
  • The Hawks then strung together an eight minute, 17-play drive totaling 70 yards that resulted in another touchdown. Croce racked up 32 scrimmage yards to set the Hawks up in the red zone and a face mask penalty gave Saint Anselm first and goal, where Almeida punched it in from a couple yards out to make it 23-6.
  • On the first play of the ensuing drive for the Yellow Jackets, Williams had another pass intercepted, this time by fifth-year linebacker Alejandro Santiago (Woodbridge, N.J.). His 12-yard return set the Hawks up just outside the red zone at the 23-yard line.
  • Saint Anselm needed just two plays from there to find the end zone with Croce rushing it in from 19 yards out for his second touchdown of the afternoon, increasing the lead to 30-6.
  • American International responded nicely with an eight-play, 75 yard touchdown drive to cut into the Saint Anselm lead at the end of the third quarter. A couple of pass interference calls on the Hawks defense helped the Yellow Jackets get inside the 10-yard line and Posey finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown rush that made it 30-14 after a successful two-point conversion.
  • The Yellow Jackets defense forced another three-and-out along with a punt and got the ball back at the start of the fourth quarter. The home team proceeded to piece together an 11-play, 90-yard drive that resulted in another touchdown. Jadye Foxworth had a strong drive with 34 rushing yards and a touchdown, but the two-point attempt failed and the Hawks kept their two-possession lead at 30-20.
  • Saint Anselm got the football back with over nine minutes remaining in the game and wasted nearly seven minutes with another long, 75-yard drive. Almeida put the nail in the coffin with his second rushing score of the game, this time from 23 yards out, which made it 37-20 with two minutes left.
  • American International crossed midfield on their final drive, but could not find the end zone as Saint Anselm came away with the 17-point victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

  • Saint Anselm held a 395-322 advantage in total yards of offense. Both teams gained 22 first downs in the game.
  • The Hawks also led in the rushing yards battle, 205-121, while the Yellow Jackets slightly led in passing yards, 201-190. The Hawks rushed for over 200 yards in a single game for the first time since September 16, 2023, which also came against the Yellow Jackets.
  • There were three total turnovers in the game, all committed by American International. Two giveaways came on interceptions, while the other turnover was a lost fumble.
  • Saint Anselm punted it away three times for 125 yards (41.7 average) including two inside the 20-yard line, while American International punted four times for 122 yards (30.5 average).
  • Each side committed four penalties in the contest with the Hawks losing 50 yards and the Yellow Jackets losing 29.
  • The visiting Hawks controlled the time of possession with 34:18 spent with the ball, while the Yellow Jackets maintained possession for 23:46.
  • Saint Anselm excelled all day long on third down, converting nine times out of 14 opportunities. American International went a subpar 6-for-12 on third down.
  • Defensively, the Hawks totaled three sacks on the afternoon compared to just one made by the Yellow Jackets.
  • Forkner completed 24 of his 37 pass attempts for 190 yards and tossed his first passing touchdown of the season. Williams went 14-for-25 through the air for 166 yards, one touchdown pass, and two interceptions.
  • Croce led the way for the Hawks on the ground with 94 rushing yards on just eight carries, good for 11.8 yards per rush, along with the first two touchdowns of his career. Croce's 60-yard scamper for a score was Saint Anselm's longest rushing play from scrimmage since the 2019 season. His partner in the backfield, Almeida, also rushed for the first two scores of his career and totaled 59 rushing yards on seven attempts.
  • Twadell was the Hawks' leading receiver with four catches for 48 yards and his first career touchdown reception. Junior receiver Patrick Yesinko (Marshfield, Mass.) set a new career-best with 43 receiving yards on five catches.
  • Saint Anselm recorded four rushing touchdowns in the contest, the team's first time doing so since November 16, 2019. It is also the team's first time with two players recording two rushing touchdowns since that same date five years ago when Eric Fairweather and JC King each scored twice on the ground.
  • Running backs Foxworth and Posey each rushed for a score for the Yellow Jackets, while wide receiver Brian Lafrance hauled in four catches and totaled 81 receiving yards.
  • Three different Saint Anselm players recorded seven total tackles in the game led by Nadeau, who also tallied a sack for a loss of seven yards. Shawn Belle led the defensive effort for the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 12 tackles.
  • Santiago recorded his first career interception for the Hawks, while Hosney snagged his third pick in the last two games. Hosney's three interceptions is the most in a season by a single player since Isaiah Douglas in 2017.
  • Saint Anselm junior kicker Sean Hurley (Bayville, N.J.) made his first collegiate appearance and made all five of his extra point attempts.
  • This game marked the 29th all-time meeting between Saint Anselm and American International. The Hawks improve to 10-19 all-time against the Yellow Jackets and have won the last five meetings, their longest-active winning streak against any current opponent.

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