Football

WNEC Downs Hartwick 48-21 in Football

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. - Quarterback Justin Walz posted 334 yards of total offense to lead Western New England to a 48-21 victory over Hartwick in football action, Saturday afternoon at Golden Bear Stadium.

Walz, who completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and two scores, added 112 yards on the ground and two more touchdowns against the Hawk defense. WNEC finished with 484 yards of total offense.
The game opened with a bang for Hartwick. Senior Lindy Crea (Binghamton, N.Y.) scooped up a loose ball on a muffed kick-off return and took it 84 yards for a touchdown. Junior kicker Ryan Boyea (Scotch Plains, N.J.) kicked the extra point to give the Hawks a 7-0 advantage 16 seconds into the contest.

Trailing 17-7, the Hawks cut the deficit to 17-14 with 4:05 remaining in the second quarter on a 19-yard score from Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) to Jack Phelan (Slingerlands, N.Y.). However, Patrick Lesko answered with a 78-yard kick-off return to bring the Golden Bears' lead back to 10. WNEC took a 24-14 advantage into intermission.

The Golden Bears opened the second half with 17 consecutive points, among which included a touchdown pass and a touchdown run by Walz to gain a 41-14 lead.

Hartwick's final score came with 2:59 left in the final quarter as Boltus connected with Corey D'Agostino (Rye, N.Y.) on an 11-yard strike to shave the deficit to 41-21. The Golden Bears tacked on an 11-yard rushing score with 10 seconds left to punctuate the victory.

Crea, who is searching for his third-consecutive NCAA Division III all-purpose yards title, accounted for 299 all-purpose yards on the afternoon. The senior rushed for 21 yards on seven carries; tallied eight receptions for 115 yards, and added 163 yards on six kick-off returns. Crea is four yards short of surpassing former Hawk standout A.J. Pittorino for the all-time lead in Hartwick history for all-purpose yards.

Boltus, a 2006 honorable mention all-Empire 8 honoree, completed 19 of 49 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Phelan caught a career-high five passes for 77 yards. Hartwick had 92 yards rushing on 27 carries, and 279 in the air for 371 total yards.

Three Hartwick players tallied double figures in tackles. Senior Joe Flaherty (Hastings, N.Y.) posted a game-high 13 stops, while Paul DeSapio (Troy, N.Y.) and Dan Martin (Fairport, N.Y.) tallied 11 and 10 tackles respectively.

The Hawks return to action, September 15 as they open their home schedule against league rival, Ithaca. The game is set for a 2:30 p.m. kick-off at Wright Stadium.