FOOTBALL SLIDES PAST STONEHILL 28-6
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 4, 2006) - Marlon
Beckles (Brooklyn, N.Y.) carried 29 times for 134 yards
and a pair of touchdowns as American International College posted a
28-6 win over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 football Saturday
afternoon at John Homer Miller Field. With the win, the
Yellow Jackets improve to 6-3 overall and in Northeast-10 play,
recording their highest victory total since the 2001 season, while
the Skyhawks close out their campaign at 1-9 (1-8 NE-10).
Beckles surpassed the 4,000 yard rushing mark for his career Saturday and has now run for 4,097 career yards. His 1,377 yards this season are the fourth-highest single season total in AIC history. The win also sewed up a perfect 4-0 home mark for the Yellow Jackets this season, its first unbeaten season at John Homer Miller Field since 2001.
AIC opened the scoring with 8:03 left in the first quarter when Beckles capped a nine play, 63 yard drive with a seven yard run to make it 6-0, as the Yellow Jackets' two-point conversion attempt failed. Stonehill would halve the lead 56 seconds into the second quarter when Sean Donahue (Plymouth, N.H.) connected on a 33-yard field goal to make it 6-3.
The Yellow Jackets would respond on their next possession with a eight play, 68 yard drive that was capped by a 20-yard run by Beckles to make it 12-3, as another two-point conversion failed. That would be the score until just over three minutes into the second half, when Stonehill took advantage of a Jared Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) fumble in AIC territory and Donahue would eventually boot his second field goal of the game, a 36-yarder to make it 12-6.
Jon Thorpe (East Longmeadow,
Mass.) would score AIC's next touchdown, capping a 10 play, 80 yard
drive with a run from nine yards out. A completion on the PAT
from Corbin to Kertis Hussey (Paterson, N.J.)
would make it 20-6 with 3:16 left in the third quarter.
Terrence Holley (Bronx, N.Y.) scored the Yellow Jackets' final touchdown with 9:16 remaining when he picked up a fumble by Cliff Mason II (Santa Ana, Calif.) and ran it in 24 yards for the score. Another completion to Hussey on the PAT try would account for the final score.
AIC limited Stonehill to just 149 yards of offense, all on the ground, as the Skyhawks were 0-9 through the air. Holley finished with 11 tackles (four solo), including 2.5 for a loss. Carlos Cataquet (Brockton, Mass.) also had eight stops, while Mike Rafferty (Wheatley Heights, N.Y.) had six stops, including 2.5 for a loss, and forced the late fumble that led to the Holley score. Mike DeBye (Burlington, Mass.) led the Skyhawks with 11 stops, while Jared Zanello (Walpole, Mass.) had nine tackles.
Corbin was 9-19 passing for 157 yards. Hussey recorded three catches for AIC. Paul Stone (Somerville, Mass.) led Stonehill in rushing, carrying 15 times for 94 yards. Mason II rushed 12 times for 49 yards on the afternoon.
AIC wraps up the 2006 regular season Saturday,
November 11, when it travels to Bentley College for a
non-conference game kicking off at 1:00.