PAXTON, Mass.—The Husson University football team scored on their first offensive play of the game and would not look back, using a 26-0 first quarter to propel them to a 46-7 win against the AMCATS of Anna Maria College in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) action on Saturday.
With the win, Husson remains flawless in league play with a 2-0 ECFC record and a 3-1 overall record. Anna Maria falls to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in league action.
THE SERIES
The win marks the third-straight for the Eagles in the eight-game series with the AMCATS; the Eagles now hold a 6-2 overall record against Anna Maria.
SMITH RUSHES FOR 258 YARDS
Sophomore running back John Smith (Fayetteville, Ga.) totaled 258 rushing yards with a long of 64 and scored three touchdowns on the day. He totaled 26 carries and averaged 9.9 yards per carry.
His long of 64 yards came on Husson's first play from the line of scrimmage. Following a three-and-out by the AMCATS, their 38-yard punt was returned eight yards by Deon Wiggins (Bridgeport, Conn.) to Husson's 36 yard line. From there, Smith found a gap in the AMCATS' defense and broke free for the uncontested 64-yard touchdown run.
Smith also scored the second and third touchdowns for Husson in the first quarter, including a 24-yard run at the 7:47 mark and a five-yard run at the 7:02 mark to put the Eagles up 20-0.
FIRST QUARTER FURY
Despite having on 4:55 of possession in the first quarter, the Eagles totaled four touchdowns and 169 yards of offense in the 15 minute frame.
The final touchdown of the first quarter was scored by quarterback Joe Seccareccia (Bangor, Maine) on a two-yard run. Two first quarter missed extra-points set the score at 26-0 entering the second quarter.
Anna Maria gave the ball away on three turnovers in the first quarter. A fumble at 10:16 set Husson up for their second touchdown, while two interceptions at 7:33 and 2:26 resulted in Husson touchdowns on the Eagles' ensuing drives.
SCORING SLOWS
The Eagles added single touchdowns in each of the remaining quarters and held a 46-0 lead with 12:38 left to play in in the fourth quarter. All three touchdowns were scored in the air.
Seccareccia found Robenson Saintard (North Port, Fla.) for a 32-yard completion in the second quarter to five the Eagles a 33-0 halftime lead. Seccareccia hit Kadeem Edge (Boston, Mass.) for a 50-yard completion in the third quarter and found Wiggins for a six-yard score in the fourth quarter.
AMCAT TOUCHDOWN
With 5:22 left in the game, Anna Maria blocked Husson's punt attempt in the end zone, and freshman Joseph D'Onofrio (Everett, Mass.) jumped on the ball to break up the Eagles' shutout. Freshman kicker Francis Cole (Maspeth, N.Y.) buried his extra point attempt.
The AMCATS had an opportunity for a first-half field goal, but the 27-yard attempt, kicked as time expired in the second quarter, was blocked by the Husson defense.
HUSSON OFFENSE
The Husson offense totaled 491 yards in the victory, 270 of which came on the run. As a team, the Husson running backs averaged 6.4 yards per carry and got their team eight rushing first downs. Husson saw 17 first downs in total, including eight in the air and two off of penalties.
Seccareccia completed 10 of 20 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Saintard was his top receiver, making four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. Edge added 60 yards on two catches, while Joe Farrell caught a 44-yard ball.
AMCAT OFFENSE
Anna Maria was held to 131 offensive yards and 10 first downs on the day. 72 yards came in the air, while 59 yards were clocked on the ground. Senior running back Christopher Bettano (Tewksbury, Mass.) rushed for 32 yards on 14 carries, while freshman Austin Paygai (West Warwick, R.I.) had a team-long of 23 yards.
Quarterback Malik Faison (Bowie, Md.) completed five of 21 pass attempts on the day for 53 yards.
DEFENSE
Bryant Wade (Fairfield, Maine) paced the Eagles with eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the day. Kenny Sweet (Portland, Maine) added dix tackles, while Luke Washburn (Litchfield, Maine) and Tarik Smith (Plantation, Fla.) finished with two sacks each on the day. As a unit, the Eagles held the AMCATS scoreless for nearly 55 minutes of action and limited the hosts to 2.0 yards per offensive play.
The AMCAT defense saw a game-high 11 tackles from senior linebacker Mike Sinto (Long Beach, N.Y.). Junior defensive back Dylan Copeland (Haverhill, Mass.) also had a solid defensive day, tallying nine tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception.
MARZIALE MIRACLES
Junior punter Stefano Marziale (Cranston, R.I.) punted for 366 yards today on nine attempts. He averaged 40.7 yards per punt with a long of 65 and one punt that landed inside the 20.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Saintard and Wiggins both totaled over 100 yards each for the Eagles on special teams. Saintard finished with 57 receiving yards and 51 kick return yards, while Wiggins had 18 receiving yards and 85 punt return yards.
For Anna Maria, D'Onofrio led the effort with 91 kick return yards.
WHAT'S NEXT
The AMCATS hit the road for the next two weekends, traveling to Mount Ida next weekend for a 1:00 p.m. and following that up with a battle at Norwich on Oct. 24th at 1:30 p.m.