Laham Sets Receiving Touchdown Record in 58-34 Loss to AIC
NORTH ANDOVER, MA - Chris Laham (Westwood, MA)
set the school record with his 24th and 25th
career receiving touchdowns, but the Merrimack football team lost
to visiting AIC 58-34 Saturday night in the season opening
non-conference game in front of 1,376 fans at Warrior Field.
The 92 combined points are the most in a Northeast-10 game since
2005 when Southern Connecticut and Bryant combined for 112 points.
Trailing 6-0 in the first, Laham caught a 46-yard pass from
James Suozzo (Everett, MA), lunging to make the
catch, his first of the season and first in nearly 11 months after
missing the final seven games of 2008 with an injury, to give the
Warriors the early 7-6 lead and etch his name into the Merrimack
record book.
"Going into the game coming back from my injury I knew I could
do some things personally with records," said Laham, "But we have a
lot of team goals, too. The main reason I came back was because we
had a lot of young kids and we want to try and get a championship."
But AIC took over from there, forcing four early turnovers while
controlling the ball for 22 of the 30 minutes in the first half.
They racked up 287 total yards in the first half, including 163 on
the ground and 103 from Jermayne Capdeville.
The visitors led 26-7 late in the half, but Suozzo and Laham
gave the hosts some momentum heading into the locker room as the
wide out caught a 24-yard pass with 11-seconds remaining for his
second touchdown of the game and 25th receiving score of
his career to cut the lead to 13 at 26-13 at halftime.
Opening the second half with an 11-play, 84-yard drive, Suozzo
cut the lead to one score, rushing into the end zone on fourth and
goal at the one.
The Yellow Jackets answered right back, as Kertis Hussey brought
in two touchdown passes from Rob Parent to extend the lead to 38-20
at the end of the third quarter.
Suozzo found the end zone from six-yards out to begin the
fourth, but once again, AIC responded, as Davon LaGrier caught a
26-yard pass from Parent, which capped a six-play, 70-yard drive
that took just 2:01 and extended the lead back to 11 at 38-27.
Merrimack's sophomore quarterback scored for the third time in
the second half from 11-yards out with 10:26 remaining in
regulation, but Parent and Hussey connected again, this time from
33-yards out, putting the game away for the defending conference
champions, who improved to 2-0 with the victory.
The Yellow Jackets racked up 572 total yards, led by 363 passing
yards from Parent, who completed 21-of-32 passes for four
touchdowns. Hussey, who had three scores, caught eight balls for
131 yards, while Matt Brown caught four passes for 92 yards.
Capdeville anchored the rushing attack with 109 yards on 21
carries.
Suozzo finished 15-for-33 with 188 yards passing and two
touchdowns but also threw four interceptions. He rushed for 82
yards and three scores on the ground. Anthony Smalls
(Natick, MA) rushed for 114 yards in his first game as a
sophomore and had 67 return yards on special teams. Laham caught
three passes for 57 yards, while Patrick Easley (Tulsa,
OK) had a team-best four catches for 56 yards.
Laham, who has 27 career touchdowns (25 receiving, 2 special
teams), needs one more to tie the school record for career
touchdowns set by Calvin Bryant.
The Warriors (0-1) continue a season-opening three-game home
stand against Husson University next Saturday at 1 p.m.
