POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist football team suffered a 23-13 loss to Drake in a Pioneer Football League (PFL) game at Tenney Stadium on Saturday in a game played through snow, which got progressively heavier throughout the game.
Drake jumped out to a 17-0 lead and held that same advantage through three quarters. However, with 17 seconds left in the third quarter, freshman Matthew Semelsberger (Ijamsville, Md.) blocked a punt which senior captain Brandon Kicklighter (Orlando, Fla.) recovered at the Drake 25. The Red Foxes took advantage of their good field position with their first score of the game six plays later, as senior quarterback Tommy Reilly (Marlton, N.J.) hit junior tight end Anthony Calcagni (Thornwood, N.Y.) with an eight-yard touchdown pass as the deficit was cut to 17-7.
Two drives later, with the Red Foxes starting at their own 20, Reilly completed a 79-yard strike to junior wideout Bartley Leneghan (North Royalton, Ohio) to set Marist up at the Drake 1. Sophomore Atiq Lucas (Coram, N.Y.) plunged in on the next play as the Red Foxes got within four at 17-13, but would come no closer.
Junior defensive end Terrence Fede (Nyack, N.Y.) led Marist with 10 tackles, including two sacks and three stops for losses. Linebackers Mike Hagemann (Vernon, N.J.) and Ryan Cronan (Hampton, N.H.) each added eight tackles apiece.
For Drake, linebacker Tyler Moorehead had seven tackles, including four-and-a-half for losses, three sacks and a forced fumble. Offensively, quarterback Mike Piatkowski was 18-for-30 for 253 yards, and his two first-half touchdown passes enabled the Bulldogs to jump out to an early lead. Running back Patrick Cashmore ran for 109 yards on 28 carries, and his fourth-quarter touchdown gave Drake a 10-point lead.
Marist fell to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the PFL; Drake improved to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in league play. The Red Foxes will close out their home schedule on Saturday, Nov. 5, when they take on Valparaiso at noon. Prior to the game, the Red Foxes will hold its annual Senior Day ceremony.
Notes: Fede now has 7.5 sacks on the season, the highest total by a Red Fox in the last eight seasons. ... The 79-yard Reilly-to-Leneghan completion was Marist's longest play this season. ... Calcagni, who led the Red Foxes with seven receptions and 66 receiving yards, scored a touchdown in his second straight game. ... Semelsberger's blocked punt was the second by Marist in as many weeks; sophomore Nick Kaszei (Brook Park, Ohio) blocked a punt at Butler on Oct. 22. ... After three straight weeks of over 100 yards rushing, Marist was held to just 34 yards on the ground. ... Today's game marked the first time Marist played at home with snow on the ground since Nov. 15, 1997 against Siena.
