No. 22 Football Overruns Union, 55-27
Boxscore
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 16, 2002 – Springfield College sophomore quarterback
Ryan Sylvia (Marion, Mass.) rushed for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries to lead the 22nd-ranked Pride to a 55-27 win over Union (N.Y.) in the regular-season finale for both teams at Benedum Field this afternoon.
SC (8-1) established a school record with 688 yards of total offense, eclipsing a 662-yard performance against UMass-Dartmouth on Sept. 8, 2000. The Pride’s 586 rushing yards tied a school record originally set against Cortland (N.Y.) State on Oct. 28, 2000.
The Pride now awaits who and where it will play in the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament. The selection of the 28-team field is tomorrow at 4 p.m. This is SC’s third trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1998.
Sylvia, who also threw a 14-yard touchdown pass, was one of three SC backs to break the 100-yard mark. Sophomore fullback
Tim Lutgens (Greenwich, N.Y) ran for 124 yards and two TDs, and sophomore
Kevin Domurat (Forestdale, Mass.) added 100 yards and a score.
SC spotted Union a 7-0 lead before running off 17-straight points. Lutgens raced 30 yards to put the Pride on the board with 8:00 left in the first quarter, and Domurat scored on a 40-yard jaunt to put SC up 14-7 just over two minutes later.
In the second quarter, junior place kicker
Greg Switaj (Ridgewood, N.J.) drilled a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-7. Union sophomore Chris Nappi (Scotia, N.Y.) returned the ensuing kick-off 78 yards to close the gap to three (17-14), but touchdown runs by Sylvia (four yards) and Lutgens (41 yards) pushed SC’s advantage 31-14.
The Pride took control in the third quarter. Sophomore
Michael Judge (Chatham, N.J.) hit senior split end
Farrand Violette (Houston, Texas) with a 57-yard TD pass 1:07 into the second half, and Sylvia followed his 57-yard rush with a one-yard TD run with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter to make it 45-20. With 1:47 left in the third quarter, Sylvia hooked up with senior tight end
Jeff Barry (Concord, N.H.) for a 14-yard TD pass.
SC junior defensive end
Jason MacDonald (Brewster, Mass.) recorded three sacks and nine tackles.
Team Links
Head Coach Mike DeLong
Michael C. “Mike” DeLong ’74 enters his 32nd season as a head football coach in the fall of 2013. He enters his 30th year at Springfield College alone. For the past 28 years, he has been the head coach at Springfield, his alma mater. Mike had also been the head coach at Maine Maritime in Castine, Maine in 1979 and 1980.
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Contact Head Coach Mike Delong
E-Mail | Phone: 413.748.3156
