Sept. 5, 2009

Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Sophomore cornerback James LaMacchia (Bronx, N.Y.) had 153 yards receiving, and junior kicker/punter Kevin Pauly (Rochester, N.Y.) kicked a school-record 46-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Marist received the opening kickoff, and after an eight-play drive that took nearly six minutes, a 36-yard punt by Pauly forced a Sacred Heart fair catch on its own six-yard line. On the Pioneers' first play from scrimmage, Bryant picked off a pass and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown. Pauly's extra point put Marist up 7-0.

Just 55 seconds into the second quarter, Pauly's 46-yard field goal gave Marist a 10-0 lead. The kick capped an eight-play drive that took 4:19 off the clock. A 12-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dale Fink, which was followed by a missed extra point, brought Sacred Heart to within 10-6 with 10:07 left until halftime.

The Red Foxes expanded their lead to 11 points when senior quarterback Chris Debowski (Fountain Valley, Calif.) found LaMacchia for a 43-yard touchdown strike with just 44 seconds remaining until halftime. Marist took that 17-6 lead into halftime.

After Marist's first possession of the second half ended in a turnover, Sacred Heart took over with the ball on the Red Foxes' 21. Fink fired a touchdown pass to tight end Dale Stripe on the next play. However, the touchdown was called back by a holding penalty, and the drive ended when Marist held on a fourth down. Sacred Heart first four drives of the second half resulted in a punt and three losses on downs.

With 1:39 left in the third quarter, junior running back Greg Whipple (Camillus, N.Y.) scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge, which put the Red Foxes up 24-6. Sacred Heart cut the Marist lead to 24-12 on a touchdown pass from Fink to fullback Brian Friedman with 3:15 remaining. However, Marist closed out the scoring on Bryant's second interception return for a touchdown in the game, a 15-yard score with 1:31 to play.

LaMacchia's 153 yards came on eight receptions. Debowski was 14-for-20 through the air for 217 yards. As a team, the Red Foxes ran for 138 yards on 39 carries, and were led by senior running back O'Neil Anderson (Dorchester, Mass.), who rolled up 81 yards on 18 carries. Whipple added 27 yards on six carries.

Defensively, senior linebacker Kevin Foley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) led the Red Foxes 11 tackles, six of which were solo. Senior linebacker Nick Andre (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) had nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, and junior linebacker Kees Coughlin (New Rochelle, N.Y.) finished with nine tackles.

Marist returns to action next Saturday, as the Red Foxes will host Drake in their first Pioneer Football League game in program history. The home opener at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field will kick off at 1 p.m. For ticket information, call the Marist Ticket Office at (845) 575-3553.

Notes: This was Marist's first win in a season opener since 2002, which also came against Sacred Heart. ... The Red Foxes are now 4-4 against Sacred Heart all-time. ... The previous Marist program record for longest field goal was set by Brett Biggs, who kicked 42-yard field goals against Canisius in both 1999 and 2000. ... Pauly's field goal was the eighth for Marist in program history of at least 40 yards, five of which were kicked by Biggs. ... LaMacchia's 153 receiving yards were the fifth-highest single game total in program history, and his eight receptions were tied for the third-highest single game total in program history. ... It was the second 200-yard passing game of Debowski's career. His career high of 321 yards came against Bryant last season.