Oct. 31, 2009
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POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- The Marist football team recorded its first shutout in four seasons on Saturday, as the Red Foxes posted a 24-0 triumph over Valparaiso in a Pioneer Football League at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field. The Red Foxes improved to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in PFL play as they extended their winning streak to four for the first time since 1997.
Sophomore cornerback O'Neil Anderson (Dorchester, Mass.) ran for 101 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. The Red Foxes ran for 224 yards on the day, and held Valparaiso to just 153 yards of total offense.
Valparaiso moved into Marist territory on its first four drives of the game, but were unable to come away with points on any drive. With 4:27 remaining in the first half, Marist started a drive at its own 41. On the fifth play of the drive, a 27-yard run by senior quarterback Chris Debowski (Fountain Valley, Calif.) gave the Red Foxes first-and-goal at the Valparaiso 10. On third-and-goal for the five, Debowski found senior tight end Chris Ortner (Southington, Conn.) for a touchdown with just 33 seconds remaining in the half to give the Red Foxes a 7-0 advantage.
The Red Foxes received the second-half kickoff and started that drive at their own 30. Four consecutive runs by Anderson moved the ball to the Valparaiso 45. Then, on a third-and-five, Debowski hit sophomore wide receiver Michael Rios (Miami, Fla.) for a 37-yard gain. Two plays later, Anderson scored on a seven-yard run to put the Red Foxes up 14-0.
On the third play of Valparaiso's ensuing drive, sophomore free safety James LaMacchia (Bronx, N.Y.) gave Marist a 21-0 lead.
Valparaiso moved the ball to the Marist 18 on its ensuing drive, but a Wysocki pass was intercepted by Bryant to end the drive. Marist started its next drive with three consecutive runs of at least 20 yards - one by junior running back Greg Whipple (Camillus, N.Y.) and two by Anderson - to move the ball to the Marist 11. The drive culminated in a 28-yard field goal by freshman kicker Jason Myers (Chula Vista, Calif.) for the final points of the game.
Bryant picked off his second pass of the day in the fourth quarter.
Debowski completed six of his nine passes for 114 yards, finishing with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 38 yards on five carries. Debowski played the first three quarters before giving way to sophomore Tommy Reilly (Marlton, N.J.) in the fourth quarter.
Defensive, senior linebackers Nick Andre (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and Kevin Foley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) led the Red Foxes with nine tackles apiece. Andre had 1.5 tackles for losses, including a sack he shared with freshman defensive lineman Mike Hagemann (Vernon, N.J.).
JaVon Welch led Vaparaiso (1-7 overall, 0-5 PFL) with 12 tackles.
Marist will close out the home portion of its schedule next Saturday, when the Red Foxes host Georgetown in its final non-conference game of the year. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Prior to the game, the members of the senior class will be honored as part of the program's annual Senior Day ceremony.
Notes: Marist's last shutout was by a 27-0 score over La Salle on Oct. 8, 2005. ... Bryant had his second two-interception game of the season. His first came at Sacred Heart on Sept. 5, when he returned both for touchdowns en route to earning PFL Defensive Player of the Week honors. ... Anderson's 100-yard rushing game was his third of the season. ... Andre is now in third place in program history in career tackles with 241. ... The Red Foxes have now won six games in a row in October, dating back to last year. ... The four-game winning streak is Marist's fourth in its 32 years of varsity football. ... After being minus-10 in turnover ratio in its four games, the Red Foxes are plus-6 in turnover ratio in their four-game winning streak.
