Hounds stop Pace; Beers sets receiving mark; Zitzmann leads NE-10 tacklers

November 4, 2006

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Assumption College's defense was the story of the game as the Greyhounds stopped Pace University, 19-0, in a Northeast-10 Conference football game here SATURDAY. The Greyhounds limited the Setters to 56 total yards overall (a record minus 38 yards rushing).

Freshman linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) led all tacklers with 3-6--9 tackles to become the first freshman in Hounds varsity history to record over 100 tackles. Zitzmann, who finished with 40-64--104 tackles, led the conference in that department. Senior defensive end JARED KELLY (Canton, MA/Xaverian) (PICTURED RIGHT) finished with two quarterback sacks (career high nine for the season) and two pressures (20 for the season).

Offensively, senior running back KEVIN L'ECUYER (Leominster, MA/Leominster) rushed 28 times for 94 yards and one touchdown, while senior placekicker MIKE TOBIN (Woburn, MA/Woburn) kicked two field goals.

Senior wide receiver JAKE BEERS (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) caught seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 51 receptions-- a new Greyhounds' single-season mark---for 685 yards (fourth-best in Hounds history).

The Greyhounds opened the scoring in the second period converting a blocked punt into a L'Ecuyer one-yard touchdown slant. Sophomore CHRIS MARTINO (Lindcroft, NJ/Middletown South) blocked the punt recovered by sophomore defensive tackle TERRY STANFORD (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) at the Setter 33.

The Hounds would convert two third-down plays into first downs---on a freshman running back LAMMAR CASH (West Haven, CT/Notre Dame) four yard off-tackle run and a freshman quarterback MARSHALL THARPE (Irvine, CA/Santa Magarita) to junior tight end JAKE LONGENECKER (Fernandina, FL/Manchester West) eight-yard reception over-the-middle. Tobin kicked the conversion.

In the third period they drove 56 yards in five plays after a 12-yard punt return by sophomore JOEY FABIANO (Westwood, MA/Westwood). Tharpe completed passes of 14 yards to Longenecker, 11 yards to freshman wide receiver DAVID CANNEY (Templeton, MA/North Middlesex) and, finally, for 29 yards to Beers for the score.

The Greyhounds Tobin kicked two field goals in the fourth period.

They drove 56 yards in 12 plays with senior quarterback JOE CORREIA (Melrose, MA/St. John's Prep) completing two passes to Beers for 14 and 29 yards-- both on third-down plays and L'Ecuyer scampering 14 yards to the Pace four. Tobin kicked a 21-yard field goal to cap the drive. Following the first career interception by freshman cornerback JASON VEGA (Lawrence, MA/Central Catholic) Tobin kicked a second field goal from 30 yards.

GREYHOUND NOTES: the Hounds defense limited the Setters to minus-38 yards rushing, a new team record, on 15 carries. The previous mark was -29 yards vs, Providence College (10-2-88) . . . Pace did not convert a third-down (0-for-12) nor a fourth-down (0-for-2) in the game and had just three first downs . . . the Hounds had a season-high six quarterback sacks . . . offensively the Hounds had 125 yards rushing, 219 yards passing for 344 total yards (second-best this season, 347 yards at Stonehill) . . .

Junior wide receiver JAKE BEERS (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) finished with seven receptions for 109 yards, this third 100-yard receiving game this year . . . for the season he had 51 receptions for 685 yards and in his career he has 108 receptions to surpass Don Kinney (106 receptions from 1985-88) for second place and trails only Eric Mauer (140 catches from 1997-2000) . . . in yardage he has 1,291 yards (third-place on the Hounds' list) passing Jason Calla (1997-99) who caught 86 for 1,284 yards . . . only Kinney (1,686 yards) and Mauer (2,166 yards) are ahead of him . . . junior tight end JAKE LONGENECKER (Fernandina, FL/Manchester West) ended with four receptions for 32 yards giving him 77 receptions for 973 career yards . . .

This is the first time in Hounds history they have four receivers with 30 or more catches . . . Beers (51 for 685 yards), Longenecker (34 for 387 yards), Canney (32 for 318 yards) and Fabiano (32 for 312 yards) . . . senior linebacker/captain PETER MILLIGAN (Melrose, MA/Melrose) (PICTURED LOWER RIGHT) finished his career with 134-133--267 tackles (11th on the career list) . . . the Greyhounds will open their conference schedule in 2007 against Stonehill College at home the weekend of September 7-8 . . .

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