Greyhounds drop 42-21 decision to Division I-A Sacred Heart in football opener

August 30, 2008

Sacred Heart 42, Assumption 21

FAIRFIELD, Conn. --- Senior running back EVIN JONES (Pennsauken, NJ/Roman Catholic, PA) rushed 22 times for 210 yards and four touchdowns as Division I-A Sacred Heart University came-from-behind to defeat Assumption College, 42-21, in the football opener for both teams here SATURDAY night at Campus Field.

Jones scored on runs of 5, 50, 9 and 42 yards as the Pioneers erased an early 14-0 deficit with a devastating ground game that ate up 279 yards on 32 carries . . . an average of 8.7 yards-per-rush.

The Greyhounds moved to an early 14-0 advantage.

Freshman punter GREG NOWAK (Oak Bluff, FL/Wellington), who punted for a Greyhound team-record 50.3 yards-per-kick---outdistancing the previous mark set by MIKE O'DONNELL (Rochdale, MA/Leicester) of 48.6 set versus Lowell, November 5, 1977---boomed his first-career kick 50-yards. Sophomore defensive back KEITH BATES (Holden, MA/Wachusett) recovered the ensuing fumble at the Sacred Heart 23 setting the stage for the first Greyhound touchdown. Junior DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) jarred the ball loose from the Pioneer's deep man, STEVE TEDESCO (Mission Viejo, CA/Trabuco Hills).

After the drive stalled, the Greyhounds then ran a fake field goal play to perfection as sophomore D.B. HASEOTES (North Attleboro, MA/Moses Brown), the holder, passed to a wide open senior wide receiver JOEY FABIANO (Westwood, MA/Westwood) 31 yards for a touchdown. Freshman ZACK OKOLOWITCZ (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) kicked the conversion for a 7-0 lead with 11:19 left in the period.

In the second period, the Greyhounds drove 75 yards in 13 plays with a sophomore running back LANCE MITCHELL (Boynton Beach, FL/Pope John Paul II) capping the march from seven yards out on a right slant.

Sophomore wide receiver DOMINIQUE PRICE (Worcester, MA/Holy Name), who caught a career-high seven passes for 78 yards, had two receptions in the drive for 13 yards and 20 yards, while Mitchell contributed a 15-yard run around right end. Okolowitcz converted for a 14-0 margin.

On the next series, Hounds' sophomore quarterback JOSH RATACIK (Manchester, NH/Central) was intercepted on a controversal play---the ball appeared to have bounced before the catch---by the Pioneers' senior cornerback RISHARD BROWN (Miami, FL/Palmetto). Sacred Heart then drove 39 yards in seven plays with sophomore quarterback DALE FINK (Swansea, IL/Althoff Catholic) tossing a 10-yard scoring strike to sophomore wide receiver TODD WASHINGTON (Groton, CT/Fitch). Junior JOE SCHROEDER (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) kicked the conversion with just eight seconds left in the second period.

The Pioneers dominated the third period scoring three touchdowns as Jones started the uprising by capping a six-play, 39-yard drive with a five-yard scamper around right end. Freshman running back/returner GERRY COLES (Southington, CT/Southington) contributed a 43-yard return of the kickoff to the Assumption 39---touchdown-saving tackle by kicker Okolowitcz. A 19-yard scamper by Jones and a 10-yard pass play from Fink-to-Patterson set up the score to tie the game (14-14) just 2:18 into the second half.

After a 52-yard punt by Nowak, the Pioneers drove 80 yards in six plays, with Jones taking care of the final 50 on a run right up-the-middle, to take the lead for the first time at 21-14. Coles dashed 68 yards on the next possession and Jones capped a 59-yard, eight-play drive with a nine-yard run up-the-middle early in the fourth period for a 35-21 lead.

With 2:08 left Jones rushed 42 yards on a broken play to account for the final.

GREYHOUND NOTES: senior defensive back CHRIS MARTINO (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) finished with a game-high 8-3--11 tackles . . . junior linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) ended with 6-4--10 tackles and a forced fumble . . . Zitzmann now has an amazing 14 career games with 10 or more tackles in the 21 he has participated . . . sophomore defensive back KEITH BATES (Holden, MA/Wachusett) ended with 3-5--8 tackles . . . senior linebacker DAN HICKEY (Auburn, MA/Auburn) had his first career interception in the first period to stop a Sacred Heart drive inside the 10 and nearly had a second moments later . . . sophomore quarterback JOSH RATACIK (Manchester, NH/Central) finished 19-for-38 for 190 yards in his first start . . . despite rushing for just 35 yards, Hounds' sophomore HERBERT WOODARD went over the 1,000-yard mark for his career and now has 1,001 . . .

NEXT WEEK: the Greyhounds are at Northeast-10 Conference rival Pace University (Pleasantville, NY) next Saturday with a 12 noon kickoff . . . Sacred Heart hosts Bentley College Saturday at 6 p.m.

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