Greyhound football gets past C.W. Post, 31-24, in wild Northeast-10 Conference shootout

November 3, 2007

ASSUMPTION 31, L.I.U.-C.W. POST 24

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Freshman running back HERB WOODARD (Salem, NJ/Salem) scored a touchdown on a four-year run with 1:55 remaining to lift Assumption College past L.I.U.-C.W. Post, 31-24, in a Northeast-10 Conference football game here FRIDAY night.

The Greyhounds in winning for the first time in nine meetings with C.W. Post moved to a seemingly comfortable 17-3 halftime lead only to have the Pioneers scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third period to tie the game at 17-17. Pioneers junior quarterback NICK GEORGETTI (Holbrook, NY/St. John the Baptist) completed 12-of-12 passes to set up a pair of junior PAUL JENNINGS (Jamaica, NY/Holy Cross) touchdown runs of two and five yards.

In the process junior quarterback TAYLOR HUMPHREY (Lafayette, CA/Miramonte) continued to rewrite the Hounds' record book. He has completed a record 162 passes in 303 attempts (second most to Chad Carges' 305 in 2000) for 2,122 yards to become the first Greyhound to pass for over 2,000 yards in a season. He also became the first with over 2,000 yards of total offense... now at 2,177 yards with a game remaining next Saturday at Pace.

Also, the Greyhounds' dynamic pass catching duo of senior JAKE BEERS (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) (48 receptions, 603 yards) and sophomore DAVID CANNEY (Templeton, MA/Narragansett) (58 receptions, 846 yards) continued their record book revisions.

On defense, sophomore middle linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins, FL) joined the 200-tackle club, the first sophomore to reach that total in Hounds' history. With his 4-9--13 tackle performance to lead the team he now has 36-65-101 tackles . . . he led the Northeast-10 Conference last year with 40-64--104 tackles becoming the first to reach triple figures as a first-year player. He is now the first with over 100 tackles in each of his first two seasons.

In addition senior defensive end JARED KELLY (Canton, MA/Xaverian) (87 108--195) and junior safety CHRIS MARTINO (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) (98 97--195) are approaching the 200-tackle mark.

On the second series the Greyhounds drove 59 yards in six plays. Woodard started with a seven-yard run off-right tackle, Humphrey connected with Beers for 13 yards, to freshman tight end ERIC SCHINDLER (Kenilworth, NJ/Brearley) for 43 yards, to freshman wide receiver DOMINIQUE PRICE (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) for eight yards and finally eight more to Beers for the touchdown on an acrobatic catch in the back corner of the end zone. Senior placekicker JON EISELE (Lower Gwynedd, PA/Vermont Academy) kicked the conversion.

After the Pioneers stopped the Hounds on a fourth-down play as sophomore tackle PETER CORRIGAN (Hamburg, NJ/Pope John XXIII) stuffed freshman MATT SIDEBOTTOM (Franklin, MA/Franklin). Georgetti then completed five-of-six passes for 39 yards to set up junior ANDREW KROELL (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) 47-yard field goal.

Senior cornerback MIKE MOONAN (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) picked off Georgetti and sped 45 yards for a touchdown with 5:07 left in the half. Eisele's conversion made it 14-3 Greyhounds. After a short punt the Greyhounds moved in for another score, a 31-yard field goal by Eisele. Two Humphrey rushes for nine and 16 yards (the second on a third down play) highlighted the drive to make it 17-3.

The Pioneers came out flying in the third period with Georgetti leading the way. He completed five straight passes---four to senior wide receiver CHRIS BONE (Inwood, NY/Lawrence) for 30 yards. Jennings capped the eight-play, 58-yard drive with a two-yard dive for the score. Kroell kicked the conversion.

After stopping the Greyhounds the Pioneers drove 75 yards in seven plays to tie the game. Georghetti completed five straight passes (three to Bone for 31 yards) before Jennings scampered 15 yards and then five for the score. Kroell's conversion made it 17-17.

Two series later the Greyhounds struck quickly as Humphrey fired a 62-yard strike to Canney for a score (Eisele kicked the conversion). Georghetti then got it right back with three straight completions . . . 34 yards to junior wide out VAUGHN DIXON (Queens, NY/Hancock), 11 to junior running back JOE DICKSON (Elmont, NY/Schenectady) and finally 47 more to Dixon for the score. Kroell's conversion made it 24-24.

The game then came down to each team having one last drive.

The Greyhounds drove 74 yards in 11 plays to take the lead and then took turns at making big defensive plays to hold off C.W. Post.

Humphrey connected with junior wide receiver JOEY FABIANO (Westwood, MA/Westwood) on a 39-yard pass down-the-middle to the Post 16. With the Greyhounds on the seven-yard line, thanks to a Woodard seven-yard scamper, and lining up a 24-yard field goal to get the lead, Post was guilty of a too-many-men-on the-field penalty giving the Hounds a first-and-goal inside the five. Woodard scored on second down from four yards out. Eisele's conversion gave the Hounds a seven-point cushion.

Post then came back down the field. Georghetti completed two quick passes to Dickson for nine and seven yards and then a third for 10 yards to junior wide out SHELDON NUNN (Inwood, NY/Lawrence).

On a third-and-six play from the Assumption 32, freshman safety KEITH BATES (Holden, MA/Wachusett) leveled Dickson at the 10-yard line for a incompletion. Georghetti then found Dickson for six yards and a measurement for a first down. A big Zitzmann hit kept him from breaking it for six points.

The Kelly brothers, JARED KELLY and JOSH KELLY (Canton, MA/Xaverian) then combined to stop Georghetti on a keeper. Moonan made a touchdown saving deflection at the five and senior cornerback MATT KLASKIN (Norfolk, MA/Xaverian) tipped the next pass away in the end zone with the Kelly brothers harassing Georghetti on the final play of the game.

GREYHOUND NOTES: the team combined for 41 first downs (Assumption 19, C.W. Post 22) . . . 660 yards passing and 866 yards of total offense . . . the Greyhounds had six quarterback sacks and eight pressures. Defensively three Greyhounds reached double-figures in tackles: sophomore middle linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) (4-9--13) (his sixth double figure game this year!), junior safety CHRIS MARTINO (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) (1-10--11) and freshman safety KEITH BATES (Holden, MA/Wachusett) (6 4--10).

NEXT WEEK: the Greyhounds (now 3-7 overall and 2-6 in the conference) complete their season at Northeast-10 Conference rival Pace University Saturday at 12 noon . . . C.W. Post (now 3-6 overall and 3-5 in the conference) is at home vs. Merrimack also at 12 noon.

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