WORCESTER -- Madden Lowe (Stafford, VA) threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, as Catholic football won its second-straight NEWMAC game with a 30-7 victory on the road at WPI on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (4-2 overall) start NEWMAC play 2-0 for the first time in program history, while WPI falls to 1-5 on the season, 0-2 in NEWMAC action.
Catholic stymied the WPI offense through three quarters, building a 23-0 advantage. WPI broke through with a five-yard Zachary Levy (Bellingham, MA) run in the fourth quarter, but Catholic scored on its next possession to seal the victory.
The Cardinals did most of their damage through the air, as Lowe finished 38-for-49 with four scores and one interception. Preston Jeffrey (Smithfield, VA) led the receiving corps with nine receptions for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Owen Shields (Chalfont, PA) had four receptions for 57 yards with Mark Cheffers (Winchendon, MA) making eight catches for 56 yards. Sam Cornacchione (Mooresville, NC) caught five passes with one touchdown, while Huey Bodger (Woodbridge, VA) caught his first career touchdown, a six-yard score.
The WPI defense held Catholic to just 45 rush yards on the day, led by Jake Letourneau (Little Compton, RI) who had nine tackles and Zachary Carney (North Easton, MA), Blake Bragaw (Niantic, CT), and Ethan Catania (Amesbury, MA) who had eight stops each. Nica Hesel (Downingtown, PA) had a pair of sacks, while Frankie Polito (Shrewsbury, MA) had a goal line interception.
Offensively for WPI, Levy rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries with Brandon Winn (Tewksbury, MA) adding 25 yards on eight attempts. Brendan Olexa (Hatboro, PA) was 12-for-25 for 105 yards with three interceptions, as Joe Coutcher (West Greenwich, RI) led the receivers with 33 yards on two catches.
Catholic opened the scoring on its first possession of the game, a nine play, 61-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard field goal off the foot of Fabrizio Reilly (Chevy Chase, MD). That put the Cardinals up 3-0 where it would stay after one.
The visitors extended the lead early in the second quarter as a Lowe to Jeffrey 54-yard touchdown put Catholic up 10-0. Another Lowe to Jeffrey connection later in the quarter, this one a 15-yard strike following a Kyle Egan (Downingtown, PA) interception, had the Cardinals leading 17-0 at the half.
A quiet third quarter saw just one score, an 18-yard touchdown reception from Cornacchion, giving the Cardinals a 23-0 advantage.
WPI broke through in the fourth quarter with an eight-play 65-yard drive that saw Levy score from five yards out to cut the lead to 23-7. Levy had 45 yards on the ground during the drive, which spanned the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth.
Catholic answered on the next possession, as Lowe found Bodger from six yards out to put them up 30-7 with 8:01 remaining. WPI's final possession ended on a Gabe Aparicio (Miami, FL) interception and the Cardinals ran out the clock to cement the victory.
WPI has a bye week before returning to action on Saturday, October 23, hosting Springfield in NEWMAC action beginning at noon. Catholic hosts NEWMAC rival Coast Guard on Saturday for Homecoming, with kick-off slated for 1pm.