THE BASICS:
- Score: Stonehill 31, Assumption 20
- Record: Stonehill (2-8, 1-7 NE10), Assumption (6-4, 6-3 NE10),
- Location: Easton, Mass. (W.B. Mason Stadium)
- The Lead: Assumption trailed 14-10 at the half and then 24-20 entering the fourth, but turned it over twice in the final quarter as the Hounds dropped their season finale to Stonehill on the road by a 31-20 margin on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Neither team was able to put points on the board in the first, though Assumption did fumble inside Stonehill territory. The Skyhawks broke through with 13:57 left in the half, on a 25-yard rushing touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Deonte Harris (Middle River, Md. / Archbishop Curley) fielded the kick inside his own endzone and took it back a school-record 100 yards to even the score up at 7-7.
- Stonehill took back the lead with 3:38 left in the half on a one-yard touchdown run. The Hounds were able to answer before the half as Jacob Tondel (Webster, Mass. / Shepherd Hill) connected on a 28-yard field goal for the 14-10 deficit.
- In the third both teams committed turnovers, but it was Stonehill who scored first as a 44-yard field goal with 6:12 left provided a 17-10 advantage. Marc Monks (Annandale, N.J. / North Hunterdon) found Deonte Harris for the 40-yard touchdown just two plays later to tie the game at 17 apiece.
- The Skyhawks answered with a touchdown at 3:44 of the third for a 24-17 lead. The Hounds came back with a 29-yard field goal from Tondel to pull within four at 24-20 with just 55 seconds left in the third, but gave up a touchdown on Stonehill's ensuing drive to fall behind 31-20. Assumption's final two drives ended in turnovers as Stonehill came away with the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Assumption had 326 yards of offense, compared to 437 for the Skyhawks, who rushed for 267 on the ground. The Hounds did hold them to 3 of 11 on third down, but had five turnovers in the contest and lost the time of possession battle.
- Monks was 7-for-13 for 123 yards and one touchdown with one interception to lead the offense, while Joseph Kellum (Mt. Laurel, N.J. / Lenape Regional) rushed nine times for 70 yards. Khaleed Exum-Strong (Norwichtown, Conn. / Norwich Free Academy) rushed seven times for 58 yards.
- Harris caught three passes for 69 yards and one score while also returning three kickoffs for 153 yards with a touchdown. His kickoff return touchdown gave him 14 return touchdowns in his career, breaking the NCAA All-Division record of 13 set by three different players. The 100-yard return also tied the school record, set by Tom Bourdon in 1978. He also finished his career with school records for total career touchdowns (45) and all-purpose yards (6,173).
- Defensively, Bryce Jacob (Paramus, N.J. / Paramus) led the team with a career-high 16 tackles, while Joe Kim (Edison, N.J. / Edison) added 12 and Elijah Riley (Hartford, Conn. / Northwest Catholic) posted ten stops. Kaleb Silva (Revere, Mass. / Revere) and Joe Bruno (Old Forge, Pa. / Old Forge) both had nine apiece in their final game for the Hounds.
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