Football

Phelan Leads `Wick Over Becker

WORCESTER, MASS. - Jack Phelan (Slingerlands, N.Y.) caught five touchdown passes from Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) to lead Hartwick to a convincing 61-32 victory over Becker College, Saturday evening.

Phelan tallied a career-high 11 receptions for 212 yards, while Boltus completed 19 of 41 passes for 347 yards in the win. Senior Lindy Crea (Binghamton, N.Y.) scored two touchdowns and posted a season-high 183 yards rushing on 23 carries. The offenses combined to generate 1,122 yards, or 6.56 yards per play. The Hartwick Hawk offense registered 645 yards (296 rushing, 349 passing), while Becker Hawks accumulated 477 (3754 passing, 103 rushing). Hartwick averaged 8.4 yards in its 77 plays from scrimmage.

After holding a 7-6 lead after the first quarter, the Hawks exploded for 33 second-quarter points to take a 40-26 lead at intermission. Hartwick outscored Becker 21-6 in the second half. The Hawks drew first blood at 7:31 of the first quarter as Phelan caught his first scoring passes from Boltus, a 10-yard pass. The Becker Hawks answered at 5:15 of the first as Karrone Stanley hooked up with Jacques Faublas on a 20-yard scoring strike. The two-point conversion failed. Becker Stanley's one-yard run gave Becker a 12-7 lead at 14:58 of the second quarter. Again, the Hawks missed the two-point conversion. It didn't take Hartwick long to regain the lead, 20 seconds to be exact. At 14:38, Boltus connected with Phelan on a 45-yard scoring strike to cap off a three-play, 60-yard drive. Moments later at 11:45, the tandem struck again for its third touchdown of the evening by finishing a seven-play 63-yard drive on a 24-yard pass. The extra point failed.

Training by eight, Becker tied the game at 10:50 after Ryan Mercado caught a seven-yard pass from Stanley and then the B-Hawks converted the two-point play. Hartwick took the lead for good 40 second later at 27-20 as Phelan caught a 29-yard pass from Boltus at 10:10. After the Hawks extended their advantage to 33-20 on an 11-yard strike to Joe Rocco (Oneida, N.Y.) at 7:33, Phelan grabbed his last touchdown reception of the evening, a 25-yard strike from Boltus at 1:36 to give Hartwick what appeared to be a comfortable 40-20 lead with less than two minutes left before intermission. Becker answered as D'Andre Stringe took the kick-off back 80 yards to bring the B-Hawks back within 14 points.

Hartwick got touchdowns from Ryan Yetto (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) and Crea in the third quarter. Yetto crossed the line with a five-yard run at 9:28, while Crea ripped off a 57-yard scoring run at 1:18. The senior ended the scoring at 13:46 of the fourth quarter with a one-yard plunge.

Stringe led the Becker rushing attack with 96 yards on 16 attempts, while Levi Smith caught 11 passes for 167 yards.

Defensively for Hartwick, Ivan Servais (Auburn, N.Y.) tallied a season-high nine tackles to pace the Hawks, while Dan Contrastano (Hastings, N.Y.) chipped in seven stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss. Corey Rolling (Uniondale, N.Y.), Zachary Kerzner (Sayville, N.Y.), and Jordan Alger (Norwich, N.Y.) intercepted passes for Hartwick.

The Hawks, now 4-2 overall, return to action next Saturday as they host Mount Ida during Homecoming Weekend. Kick-off at Wright Stadium is set for 2 p.m.