Box Score
MONTCLAIR, NJ – The Montclair State University football team defeated Rowan University, 30-14 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday.
Montclair State improves to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference. Rowan has a 7-2 record and a 6-2 NJAC mark.
Red Hawks’ quarterback Tom Fischer (fr. Livingston, NJ/Livingston) completed 15 of 28 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Omar Sevilla (sr. North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) had five receptions for 69 yards. Wide outs Jeff Papcun (jr. Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) and Dan Keegan (fr. Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) both had three grabs for 48 and 44 yards respectively. Running back Jeff Bliss (jr. New Milford, NJ/New Milford) rushed for 53 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Kicker Marco Capozzoli (jr. Bloomfield, NJ/St. Joseph’s) made three field goals in four attempts.
Linebacker Cornell Hunt (sr. North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) compiled 10 tackles and one fumble recovery. Defensive lineman Chris Merkle (jr. Nutley, NJ/Nutley) totaled nine stops, two tackles for a loss (-7 yards), one sack (-5 yards), one interception and recovered one fumble. Defensive backs Jesse Shenker (jr. Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.) and Saladeen McGrady (sr. West Orange, NJ/West Orange) each had one interception, while linebacker Dan Krainski (sr. Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville) forced a fumble. Defensive back Taylor Bonner (jr. Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) blocked a punt.
For Rowan, quarterback Frank Wilczynski (jr. Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook) threw for 190 yards and a touchdown, completing 14 of 36 attempts. He also ran for 78 yards on 15 rushes. Wide receiver Davon Edwards (sr. Whitesboro, NJ/Middle Twp.) made six catches for 108 yards. Tight end Derek Piccini (jr. Ridgefield, NJ/Ridgefield Mem.) added four receptions for 46 yards. Wideout Travis Warker (fr. Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) had a 15 yard touchdown grab. Superback Ryan Leafey (jr. Westville, NJ/Deptford) carried the ball 16 times for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Drew Yezzi (jr. Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Reg.) recorded a game-high 12 tackles. He also had one tackle for a loss (-2 yards) and an interception. Safety Jimmy DiPaolo (sr. N. Plainfield, NJ/N. Plainfield) posted 10 tackles and one pass breakup. Linebacker Lafayette Crawford (so. Blackwood, NJ/Highland Reg.) contributed with eight stops. Cornerback Malcolm Dock (jr. Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg) had one interception. Linebacker Moe Ghotok (fr. Northvale, NJ/Northern Valley Old Tappan) forced a fumble and defensive lineman Frank Olexson (fr. Monroe Twp., NJ/Monroe Twp.) recovered one.
In the first quarter, Montclair State went ahead 3-0 after a 41 yard field goal by Capozzoli at 10:18. Bliss ran for 14 yards on five touches and Fischer threw a 32 yard pass to Keegan to set up the score. Capozzoli added a 32 yard field at 7:08. The Red Hawks started on the Profs’ 42 yard line following a fumble recovery by Hunt. Bliss added a seven yard touchdown carry at 7:17 in the second. A roughing the punter penalty on fourth down gave Montclair State a first down on Rowan’s 48 yard line. After an 11 yard defensive pass interference call, running back Chris D’Andrea (so. Union, NJ/Union) had two rushes for 17 yards. With 41 seconds left, Fischer connected with tight end Jeremy Mercer (sr. Leonardo, NJ/Middletown S.) for a 25 yard touchdown pass. It was the only play in the drive after the Red Hawks took over on the Profs’ 25 following a blocked punt by Bonner. Montclair State led 20-0 at the intermission.
At 7:47 in the third, Wilczynski threw a 15 yard TD pass to Warker. In the drive, Wilczynski completed five of five passes for 53 yards. Leafey tacked on an eight yard touchdown run at 3:16 to cut the deficit to six points (20-14). After a short punt, Rowan started on its own 49 yard line. Leafey had four carries for 22 yards. The Red Hawks answered with a 23 yard field goal by Capozzoli at 8:04 in the fourth period. Shenker intercepted a pass by Wilczynski to give Montclair State the ball. Fischer threw for 69 yards, completing four of six attempts. Bliss added a five yard touchdown scamper with 41 second remaining to seal the victory. Merkle recovered Wilczynski’s fumble on the Rowan 10 yard line with 2:14 on the clock. Bliss scored on his second consecutive five yard run.
Rowan ends the regular season at The College of New Jersey on Saturday, November 15 at noon. Montclair State plays at Kean University on Saturday at 1 p.m.
