April 2, 2011
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - On Friday night, the Marist football team played its annual spring game at Tenney Stadium. With the football team split in half, many players displayed much improved play. The White team, led by junior Jaquan Bryant (St. Albans, N.Y.) defeated the Red team 23-21. Teams were drafted on Thursday.
"This provides game-like conditions for some of the guys who haven't had that yet," Marist head coach Jim Parady said. "It's an opportunity to see what people can do in a bit more of a pressure situation."
Bryant's 75-yard punt return early in the first quarter set up a one-yard touchdown run by junior Calvin McCoy (Bronx, N.Y.) to give White a 7-0 lead with 10:07 remaining. Less than four minutes later, Bryant corralled the first of his two interceptions.
Red responded when junior Ryan Dinnebeil (River Vale, N.J.) scored on a four-yard touchdown with 12:54 remaining in the second quarter. Red then gained a 14-7 advantage when sophomore quarterback Anthony Varrichione (Medway, Mass.) led an efficient drive which concluded with a 14-yard touchdown pass to freshman Brennen Dodd (Lexington, N.C.). White knotted the score at 14 when freshman quarterback Chuckie Looney hit freshman Armani Martin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 0:48 remaining in the half.
With 4:09 remaining in the third quarter, senior Kevin Pauly (Rochester, N.Y.) broke the tie in with a 36-yard field goal, giving White a 17-14 lead. At 7:16 mark of the fourth quarter, Looney hit Martin for the duo's second touchdown connection of the night. After a missed extra point, White held a 23-14 advantage. A four-yard touchdown run by junior Timothy Moller (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) cut the lead to 23-21 with 4:00 remaining. However, on Red's final drive, sophomore safety Nick Mainiero (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.) intercepted a pass to preserve White's two-point victory.
"We still have four more weeks in our off season program," Parady said. "We'll look at the tape, see what we need to do better, and hopefully improve before we send these guys home for the summer."
