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| Justin Rodriguez intercepted a pass, stopping an RPI drive. St. John Fisher athletics file photo |
St. John Fisher won the most defensive of defensive battles, Merchant Marine won on a safety, Huntingdon won its conference opener and Stevenson set up an early-season MAC showdown.
St. John Fisher kicked a field goal on its very first possession of the game, and that was it for the afternoon as the Cardinals defeated RPI 3-0. Justin Rodriguez intercepted a pass, and Kyle Vachon recorded seven tackles and broke up three passes as St. John Fisher held RPI to 220 total yards.
With just over three minutes to play in the third, Andrew Casanova sacked the RPI quarterback to cause a turnover on downs. Fisher got another in the fourth, forcing an incomplete pass. The Cardinals then looked to eat clock, taking 4:11 off before punting and then after forcing a three-and-out, taking another two minutes away from RPI. The Engineers had a final chance with 20 seconds on the clock and got to midfield on four plays, before a Hail Mary attempt fell short.
Stevenson erased a 14-10 halftime deficit and knocked off Widener, 31-14, to set up an early showdown for first place in the MAC with No. 14 Delaware Valley next week. Mustangs quarterback Ryan Sedgewick ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Stevenson (4-0, 2-0 MAC) got two sacks apiece from William Humphrey and JanMichael Finch.
Huntingdon won its third game in a row after a season-opening loss to Linfield, as the Hawks defeated Belhaven 34-21. It's the first game for Belhaven as a member of the USA South Athletic Conference. After trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Blazers (3-1) took the lead late in the third quarter when Tim Johnson hit Nygil Owens with a 25-yard touchdown pass. But Huntingdon (3-1) scored the last two TDs to come away with the win. Landon Cotney threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns.
Braden Bohannon was responsible for three touchdowns and over 250 yards of total offense to lead Lebanon Valley to a 24-19 victory over visiting Wilkes. The Dutchmen won the 50th meeting between the schools, which is also the last before Wilkes moves to the Landmark Conference in 2023. Bohannon threw for 173 yards and ran for 99 in the victory.
The safety dance continued in Division III this season, and this one was a game-winner as Merchant Marine won 9-7 on a fourth quarter safety. The Mariners (2-1) had a big defensive stand inside their own 10-yard line as Daniel Falzone and C.J. Mustain combined for a tackle for loss on fourth-and-2 from the 5. On the next possession, Cole Simmons blocked a Kean punt that went out the back of the end zone for the safety. The triple-option Mariners gained all 267 of their yeards on the ground.
Wilmington saw its 14-point lead evaporate in the second half, but quarterback Adam Dixon led a perfect two-minute drill at connected with Itika Wynn Jr. for the game-winning touchdown as the Fightin' Quaker escaped Bernlohr Stadium with a 34-31 victory at Capital. The victory, WC's fourth straight over the Comets, gives the Quakers a 3-1 record, the best start to a season since 2000, the program's first year in the OAC. Trailing 27-14 as the fourth quarter began, the Comets, on their Homecoming Weekend, rallied. The hosts took advantage of two short punts to score two touchdowns, the later being a 22-yard quarterback keeper to take a 28-27 lead midway through the quarter. Another Capital defensive stop followed, and another short punt setup the hosts at their own 44-yard line with a chance to run out the clock. Wilmington looked to have Harrison-Rawn wrapped up on a fourth-and-3, but the quarterback scampered out and gained a first down to the Quaker 21-yard line. Wilmington was forced to use all of its timeouts, but forced the field goal attempt, which was made by Tyler Terrell from 33 yards out. The offense got the ball back with 75 yards to go and 1:32 left. Dixon used his receiving corps and the sidelines to move the ball into Capital territory, and on second-and-3 from the Capital 34-yard line, Dixon launched a ball deep down the sideline that Wynn ran under for the game-winning score.
Cal Lutheran scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, while holding Pacific Lutheran scoreless in the second half, and took down the Lutes 17-14. Cal Lutheran now holds a 14-13 lead in the series. Daylen Wilson led the charge with an interception and a fumble recovery, Shaihi Baker forced two fumbles and added a sack, Arthur Orta recovered a fumble, Devon Goosby tallied two sacks and Keshaun Charles and Darrin Parhameach had a sack. Down 14-7 entering the fourth, the Kingsmen put together a seven-play, 72-yard drive capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Nick Lasher to Julio Angel. The Kingsmen never faced a third-down on the drive as they moved the ball easily down the field. On the ensuing kickoff, the Lutes fumbled, putting Cal Lu in field goal range immediately, and Daniel Burgos hit a 39-yard field goal to take the lead.
An Evan Wertz forced fumble parlayed into a 23-yard touchdown from Stephen MacDonald to Jay Mezzo sparked WPI to a 10-0 win at home against Montclair State. The Engineers held the Red Hawks to 124 yards of total offense, including forcing four fumbles. MacDonald, making his first start of the season, went 11-for-24 passing for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Hope bounced back from its Week 3 loss and helped the MIAA improve to 25-3 in non-conference play as the Flying Dutchmen soared past Northwestern 56-7. Seven players scored touchdowns for Hope as the Flying Dutchmen jumped out to a 42-0 lead at the half.