Nov. 7, 2009

Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- With one second remaining, freshman kicker Jason Myers (Chula Vista, Calif.) hit a 37-yard field goal to lift the Marist football team to a 23-21 triumph over Georgetown on Senior Day at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field. The Red Foxes have now won five consecutive games for the first time in their 32-year varsity history, and clinched their first winning season since 2005 as they improved to 6-3.

Senior wide receiver James LaMacchia (Bronx, N.Y.) caught seven passes for 105 yards, giving him the program's single-season record for receiving yards (933) as he also tied the single-season program record for receptions (56). Both of the previous records were set by Guy Smith in 2003. Sophomore running back Ryan Dinnebeil (River Vale, N.J.) scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half for Marist, giving him a team-leading seven for the season.

With 54 seconds to play, Georgetown took a 21-20 lead on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Scott Darby to Brandon Floyd and an extra point by Jose-Pablo Buerba. The Red Foxes started their final drive at their own 24 with 49 seconds left and two timeouts remaining. On the first play of the drive, senior quarterback Chris Debowski (Fountain Valley, Calif.) found LaMacchia for a 31-yard gain to the Georgetown 45. On the next play, Debowski completed an eight-yard pass to senior wide receiver Joseph DeSimone (Bronx, N.Y.), and a 15-yard face mask penalty moved the ball to the Georgetown 22.

After an incomplete pass, Debowski ran for two yards to the Georgetown 20, and the Red Foxes stopped the clock with 10 seconds left. On third-and-eight, senior running back O'Neil Anderson (Dorchester, Mass.) was stopped for no gain, but moved the ball to the center of the field as the Red Foxes used their final timeout with five seconds remaining. Myers' 37-yard field goal - the longest of his career - split the uprights with one second left, and the Red Foxes made the tackle on the ensuing kickoff to preserve the victory.

Georgetown scored on its opening drive just 4:03 into the contest, punctuating a nine-play, 66-yard march with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Darby to Brian Josephs. However, the Red Foxes then scored 20 unanswered points on Dinnebeil's three touchdown runs, which came from 10, seven and three yards out. Dinnebeil led the Red Foxes in rushing with a career-high 79 yards on eight carries, and he had a career-high 43-yard run on the final play of the third quarter.

Marist still held a 20-7 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Georgetown cut it to 20-14 on a 14-yard scoring strike from Darby to Robert Lane with 6:25 to play. After forcing a three-and-out, Georgetown turned the ball over on downs with 3:04 remaining. The Hoyas forced another three-and-out, but junior punter Kevin Pauly (Rochester, N.Y.) pinned Georgetown at its own six with 1:49 to go. The Hoyas' 94-yard march down the field to take the lead took just five plays and 55 seconds.

For Marist, senior Khori Witter (Dorchester, Mass.) ran for 64 yards on six carries. The Red Foxes ran for 172 yards as a team, and held Georgetown to 98. Debowski was 10-for-19 for 144 yards and an interception. Defensively, senior linebacker Kevin Foley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) led the way with 11 tackles, and senior linebacker Nick Andre (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) added 10 stops, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup. Senior cornerback Kwame Carlor (Southbridge, Mass.) and sophomore cornerback Jaquan Bryant (St. Albans, N.Y.) each had interceptions, and Carlor finished with nine tackles.

For Georgetown (0-9), Darby finished with 368 yards of total offense. He was 31-for-57 for 289 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through the air, and he led the Hoyas with 79 yards on 14 carries on the ground. Keerom Lawrence had a team-high nine receptions for 67 yards, and Floyd had a team-high 110 yards receiving on four receptions. Defensively, Chris Rau led the Hoyas with 11 tackles.

Marist will return to Pioneer Football League play next Saturday, when the Red Foxes travel to Davidson. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.