Herbert Woodard leads Greyhounds to 51-16 win over crosstown rival Worcester State; Canney gets 100th career reception

September 4, 2009

Assumption 51, Worcester State 16

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Junior running back HERBERT WOODARD (Bridgeton, NJ/Salem) rushed 16 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns as Assumption College ran past crosstown rival Worcester State College, 51-16, in a non-conference football game FRIDAY night at John Coughlin Stadium.

The Greyhounds, who evened their record at 1-1, took advantage of five Worcester State turnovers which led to 24 first-half points. It was the first meeting between the two teams since both played in the 'club' football ranks in 1984. Worcester State is now 0-1.

Woodard, the Northeast-10 Conference rushing leader, has now rushed 34 times for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his first two games. The Greyhounds converted six of seven opportunities in the offensive red zone.

Assumption drove 65-yard in seven plays on their its possession as Woodard dominated the march, carrying six times for 42 yards including the final five off-right-tackle for the score. Freshman CORY KEMPS (Carmel, IN/Carmel) kicked the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Worcester State came right back to get on-the-board as senior running back WILL EARLEY (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) rushed six times for 28 yards as the Lancers drove 59 yards in 15 plays culminating in a 20 yard field goal by senior kicker PAT SKELTON (Dedham, MA/Catholic Memorial) to cut the gap to 7-3. Earley finished with 23 carries for 106 yards.

The Greyhounds would then scored 14 points in the second period to move to a 21-3 halftime advantage and added 30 more in the third period all unanswered to move to a commanding 51-3 lead.

Defensively, the Hounds got superb performances from newly named junior captain/defensive back BOBBY SANSOUCY (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) with 8-2--10 tackles, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble and senior middle linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) with 6-3--9 tackles, a quarterback sack for 13 yards and two pass pressures.

An interception by senior cornerback BERNARD SCOTT (Saint Petersburg, FL/Admiral Farragut) led to the first touchdown, while a pair of fumble recoveries keyed two scores---a field goal and a touchdown in the third period.

Scott started the onslaught picking off a sophomore quarterback TONY TOKARZ (Holden, MA/Wachusett) pass at the Lancer 30. Hounds junior quarterback ANDREW KUPEC (Wyckoff, NJ/Indian Hills) then found junior wide out MARCUS NICHOLS (Salem, NJ/Salem) on a six-yard scoring slant. Kemps conversion made it 21 3. An 11-yard strike from Kupec-to-Nichols and a nine-yard run up-the middle by Woodard keyed the short drive. Kupec, making his first start of 2009, finished with 13 completions in 21 attempts for 147 yards and four touchdowns---tying the Greyhounds' single-game record co-held by Matt Shaheen vs. Western New England (11/5/94) and Ryan Bonnyman at Bryant (9/28/02).

A short punt set up the final touchdown of the first half as Kupec found junior wide receiver JOHN BARKER (Avon, MA/Xaverian) on a 15-yard scoring strike in the corner of the endzone. Kemps' third conversion made it 21-3.

Kupec found Nichols for 21 yards and junior wide receiver DAVID CANNEY (Templeton, MA/Narragansett) on a seven yarder to highlight the drive. Canney's catch was the 100th of his career (101 with two receptions in the game) with the Greyhounds, just the fourth player in Assumption football history with 100 or more receptions . . . behind Jake Beers '08 (158), Eric Mauer '01 (140) and Joey Fabiano '08 (123).

The third period started promising for the Greyhounds as junior linebacker LUKE KELLIHER (Whitman, MA/Whitman-Hanson) forced a fumble and junior safety KEITH BATES (Holden, MA/Wachusett) recovered on the Lancer 32. On the second play, Woodard broke outside for 32 yards and the score and Kemps' conversion made it 28 3.

Sansoucy created the next opportunity for the Greyhounds with a fumble recovery at the Lancer 33. A 16-yard pass from Kupec to junior tight end ERIC SCHINDLER (Kenilworth, NJ/Brearley) highlighted the drive capped by Kemps' first career field goal from 27 yards out.

Sansoucy, who finished with a career-best 8-2--10 tackles, then forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff as the Greyhounds moved in for another score. Kupec rushed for 15 yards on the second pay and then found junior wide receiver MARK GATELY (Waltham, MA/Waltham) on a 20-yard crossing pattern for the score and with Kemps' conversion a 38-3 advantage.

Lancer punter Skelton was forced to run and was dropped for an 11 yard loss by Barker setting the Greyhounds up next at the Lancer 19. Kupec immediately found Canney for 19 yards and a touchdown on the first play for a 44-3 lead.

Following a short punt, the Hounds' last touchdown was all junior running back LANCE MITCHELL (Boynton Beach, FL/Pope John Paul II). Mitchell carried six straight times for all 40 yards to make it 51 3 (with Kemps' conversion).

The Lancers mustered a pair of scores in the waning moments as senior wide receiver DAVID SALVI (Bedford, MA/Bedford) scored on touchdown passes of 15 yards (from Tokarz) and seven yards from junior quarterback GIL YNOSTROZA (Billerica, MA/Billerica) on the final play of the game.

GREYHOUNDS NOTES: junior running back HERBERT WOODARD (Bridgeton, NJ/Salem) ended with 118 yards on 16 carries (7.4 average) . . . it was his seventh 100-yard game of his career (the Greyhounds' record is eight by Fran DeFalco, 1992-94) . . . he now has 1,754 yards for his career as the second-leading rusher in Hounds' intercollegiate history . . . only Hall of Famer Fran DeFalco '95 (2,289 yards) has more . . . his two touchdowns give him 132 career points as he moves into second place with 22 career TDs just behind DeFalco (33) and just ahead of Eric Mauer '01 (21) . . . he is also over the 2,000 yard mark in all-purpose yards and now has 2,291 for his career (fourth place) just three yards behind Billy DeMalia (2000-01) . . . senior middle linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) now has 118-204--322 career tackles . . . he is now fifth on the Hounds' career list behind Paul Moccia '96 (328), Chris Grogan '06 (357), Scott Stephens '93 (387) and Bill Guilfoil '95 (409) . . . he is only the second Greyhound with over 200 assists (204) behind Grogan (221) . . . senior wide receiver DAVID CANNEY (Templeton, MA/Narragansett) now has 101 career receptions for 1,303 yards in his career in just 23 games (fourth-best in Hounds' history) . . . only Jake Beers '08 (158), Eric Mauer '01 (140) and Joey Fabiano '09 (123) have more . . . in yardage he is fourth behind Mauer (2,166), Beers (1,950) and Fabiano (1,361) . . . the 30 points by the Greyhounds in the third period is the most they have scored in a single period since the 43 they amassed in the first period of a 71-21 win over Saint Anselm (9/13/07) . . . the 51 points scored by the Greyhounds is the sixth time in their history they have exceeded the half-century mark: 71 at Saint Anselm (9/15/07), 55 at W. New England (11-5-94); 51 at Curry (10-23-93); 51 at Stonehill (10 14-00) and 51 vs. Massachusetts Lowell (11-4-00).

NEXT WEEK'S GAMES: The Greyhounds host Northeast-10 Conference rival University of New Haven FRIDAY at 7 p.m., while the Lancers host crosstown rival WPI also at 7 p.m.

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