LORETTO, Pa. (Oct. 28, 2006) – The Saint Francis defense held Sacred Heart to a remarkable five total yards of offense on its final five offensive series, and the Red Flash offense scored 14 unanswered points, to snap a seven-game losing streak with a 21-14 victory in a Northeast Conference battle on Saturday at DeGol Field.
Overall, the Pioneers mustered just 77 yards of total offense in the second half.
Senior quarterback Anthony Doria (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton LaSalle) and senior running back Todd Harris (Duquesne, Pa. / Duquesne) both reached career milestones in the win. Doria became the first player in school, and Northeast Conference, history to pass for 8,000 career yards, and Harris became just the fifth back in conference history to rush for 3,000 career yards.
The Saint Francis defense sacked Pioneers quarterback Tyler Arciaga four times and intercepted him in the end zone to thwart a scoring drive with under one minute remaining in the first half. The defense had given up at least seven points in 18 of the previous 19 quarters it had played before shutting Sacred Heart down in the second half.
Doria finished the day 12-of-23 for 183 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and Harris had 119 yards on 30 carries in a workmanlike effort. Doria now has 8,090 career passing yards, and Harris passed the 3,000-yard mark on his final carry of the game to help run out the clock. He now has 3,002 career rushing yards.
The Red Flash improved to 2-7 overall with the win, and 1-4 in the NEC. They will hit the road for a 1 p.m. contest at Monmouth next Saturday.
Also for Saint Francis, sophomore wide receiver Antoine Rivera (Willingboro, N.J. / Willingboro) had a game-high 91 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Sacred Heart jumped out in front 7-0 with a 10-play, 71-yard drive on its first offensive series of the ballgame. The Pioneers executed two third-down plays on the drive to keep it alive before Arciaga hit Steve Tedesco for a 25-yard touchdown strike on a 4th-and-7 play to jump on top of the Red Flash.
Despite a disheartening 48-0 defeat at Albany a week ago and an early 7-0 deficit, Saint Francis responded with a scoring drive of its own on the very next series. Doria showed his composure and directed his offense on an 11-play, 61-yard drive in 6 minutes, 14 seconds before hitting senior wide receiver Michael Caputo (Bethel Park, Pa. / Seton LaSalle) with a 15-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the first quarter to tie the ballgame. The touchdown reception was the 29th of Caputo’s career, and his 30th overall touchdown, both of which are school records.
However, the Pioneers would regain the lead with the very next drive – the first of the second quarter. They marched 86 yards in 15 plays, and took a 14-7 lead on an Arciaga 5-yard strike to Joey Henley with 8:24 left in the first quarter.
But the Saint Francis defense frustrated Sacred Heart over the final 36:36 of the game. And the Red Flash didn’t take long to tie the ballgame at 14-14. Doria hit Rivera for nine yards, Harris rushed for six yards, then Doria hit Caputo for 12 yards before an incomplete pass. Doria felt pressure on a Sacred Heart pass rush, but got rid of the ball and hit Harris on a 16-yard screen pass to set up a 33-yard touchdown strike to Rivera on the very next play. With 6:17 left in the second quarter, Saint Francis was tied with the Pioneers 14-14. The 36-yard touchdown pass put Doria over the 8,000 career passing yards mark.
The two teams played scoreless football for the final 6:17 of the first half. But not without the help of Saint Francis sophomore defensive back Terrance Long (San Diego, Calif. / Madison), who intercepted an Arciaga pass in the end zone with 33 seconds remaining. Long and Sacred Heart wide receiver Joey Henley appeared to come down with the ball together, but Long muscled the ball away to prevent the touchdown.
Another Red Flash defensive stand came at the beginning of the second half. The Pioneers marched down field on a six minute drive and had a first and goal from the Saint Francis seven yard line. However, junior defensive back Antawn Coleman (Braddock, Pa. / Woodland Hills), Long and freshman defensive back Joshua Bentley (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Schenley) broke up three consecutive passes, respectively, to force a 24-yard field goal attempt. Joe Schroeder’s attempt sailed wide left to keep the game at 14-14.
The Red Flash inserted speedy running back Anthony Richards (Parlin, N.J. / Cardinal McCarrick) on the first drive of the second half, following Sacred Heart’s failed field goal attempt, and the move paid immediate dividends.
The first offensive play from scrimmage in the second half was a Richard’s rush for 27 yards to the SFU 47-yard line. Doria hit Caputo for eight yards, and Richards ran for three yards for another first down. Doria then threw a perfect strike to Rivera for a 36-yard gain to put the Red Flash in a 1st-and-goal situation at the Sacred Heart six yard-line. Doria then connected with senior Maurice Sales (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Peabody) for his first touchdown reception in two seasons.
Junior kicker Adam Sciulli (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic) nailed the PAT to give Saint Francis a 21-14 lead with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter. It was the first lead for the Red Flash since a 21-14 lead against LaSalle on Sept. 23 – a span of five games and 285 minutes played.
Sacred Heart went three-and-out on its next four possessions before its final offensive series in which it had four plays for minus 10 yards. On this last drive, Arciaga hit Steve Tedesco for a 57-yard touchdown strike that was called back because of a holding call. After the holding call, junior linebacker Fehi Sevelo (Kaneohe, Hawaii / Damion Memorial) sacked Arciaga for an 11-yard loss. Arciaga threw incomplete on his next two pass attempts, forcing a 4th-and-31 from the Sacred Heart 22-yard line, and a punt that set up Saint Francis’ final offensive series.
Harris the ball seven times for 37 yards on the final drive, as the Red Flash held the ball for eight plays and 26 yards over the final 4:29.
In total, the Red Flash defense held Sacred Heart to five total yards on its last five offense series – a total of 16 plays.
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