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Jake Croce stiff arming opponent
35
St. Anselm STA 5-5 , 4-3
41
Winner Post POS 4-5 , 1-5
St. Anselm STA
5-5 , 4-3
35
Final
41
Post POS
4-5 , 1-5
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
STA St. Anselm 14 7 7 7 35
POS Post 14 13 14 0 41

Game Recap: Football |

Football Falls to Post, 41-35, in Season Finale

WATERBURY, Conn. – In its final game of the 2025 season, the Saint Anselm College football team was defeated by Post University, 41-35, in a non-clash at Municipal Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Highlights

  • Sophomore Jake Croce gained 213 on the ground on 19 carries, marking the sixth player in program history to rush for over 200 yards in a single game. His 200-yard performance is the first since Joe Hayman accomplished the feat, picking up 269 yards against Stonehill on Sep. 24, 2016. Croce was also responsible for 51 yards in the passing game, on three catches, to finish with 264 all-purpose yards.
  • Junior Drew Forkner was 12-for-30 with 194 yards through the air, including three touchdowns passes, with two interceptions. On the ground, Forkner picked up 38 yards.
  • Senior Jaidin Haynes was just shy of the century mark as he picked up 97 yards on four catches, including a 66-yard touchdown reception.
  • Senior Aidan Noke made a team-high nine tackles, including six solo takedowns. Junior Tanner Wolfe and senior Hugo Silsby each had seven, with Silsby also notching one pass breakup.
  • Sophomore Jason Paganis and senior Nick Johnson combined on the lone Saint Anselm sack.
  • Fifth year senior Kaleb Lewis had four kickoff returns for 113 yards, including a long of 36 yards.
  • Senior Thomas Murray had three punts for 115 yards, with a long of 51.
  • Junior Michael Guarneiri (3/3) and senior Sean Hurley (2/2) combined to convert five point after tries successfully.
  • Senior Ronan Noke was 1-for-2 with a score through the air on his lone completion.
  • The Hawks fell to 4-1 in the all-time series against the Eagles, including a season series split in 2025, with both games being played away from home.
  • Saint Anselm recorded its second consecutive 5-5 season after posting six victories in 2023.

How it Happened

On the very first play of the first drive, sophomore running back Jake Croce took a handoff from junior Drew Forkner and took it down the sideline 75 yards for a game-opening score.

The Eagles tied the game at 7-7 just 7:14 later as Israel Hiraldo rumbled in from four yards out.

Saint Anselm would regain its lead on the first play of the next drive as Forkner found senior Jaidin Haynes for a 66-yard catch-and-run for the score, making it 14-7 in favor of the guests.

With just 18 seconds left in the first, Hiraldo scored his second of the quarter, connecting with Tyler Phommachanh for a 23-yard touchdown reception.

In the middle of the second quarter, Forkner connected with Haynes for a 28-yard pickup on fourth and 15 to extend the drive. Three plays later, Forkner connected with classmate Kyle Verriest for the five-yard score, giving the Hawks a 21-14 edge following the extra point.

Following a Saint Anselm penalty on the ensuing kickoff, Post began its drive on the Hawks' 29 yard line, and Phommachanh rushed it in from 28 yards out on the second play to make it 21-20. The point after try was no good, keeping Saint Anselm in the lead.

With time winding down in the first half, Post put together a five-play, 70-yard drive as Malakai Taylor punched it in from the one yard line to give the hosts a 27-21 edge at halftime following a successful PAT.

Coming out of the locker room, it was the Eagles who struck first as Phommachanh scored his second on the ground to make it 33-21 just 6:29 into the second half.

Senior Ronan Noke found classmate Kevin McGurn in the endzone from two yards out cap off the next Saint Anselm drive with a score, cutting the Hawks' deficit to six points.

Post finished the scoring in the third quarter as Edward Bandy put together a 14-yard touchdown run to make it 41-28.

With time winding down in the fourth, Forkner connected with freshman Domingo Meade for his fourth touchdown of his rookie campaign to cut it back to a six-point game.

After Saint Anselm forced a crucial third down on the ensuing Eagles' drive, Bandy broke free for a 39-yard rush to put the game out of reach.

Up Next

The Hawks closed out their campaign with a 5-5 overall record, which included a 4-3 league ledger. Saint Anselm will hit the gridiron in the spring to prepare for the 2026 campaign.

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