Football Concludes Regular Season vs. Stonehill on Senior Day Saturday
MERRIMACK, STONEHILL MEET IN SENIOR DAY SHOWDOWN AT MARTONE-MEJAIL FIELD
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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – With a chance to finish the regular season with seven wins for the first time since 2009, the Merrimack College football team welcomes first-place Stonehill College to Martone-Mejail Field for a Senior Day showdown this Saturday in North Andover.
The Basics
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 | 1 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (6-3, 5-3 NE-10) | Stonehill (7-2, 7-1 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
Last Time Out: Merrimack 31, Assumption 21
In a back-and-forth, action-packed battle pitting one of the nation's top offensive units against one of the league's best defenses, Merrimack never trailed from start to finish and used back-to-back scoring drives early in the fourth quarter to put the game away, as the Warriors posted an impressive 31-21 road victory over Assumption on Saturday afternoon at the Multi-Sport Stadium in Worcester, Mass.
Compiling what turned out to be one of its complete efforts on both sides of the ball in 2013, Merrimack sprinted out to an early 10-0 lead with 8:45 to go in the second quarter before running into a bit of bad luck on a blocked field goal that resulted in Assumption's first touchdown of the game to close out the first half with the Warriors on top, 10-7.
Full recap from last Saturday available here!
Last Season vs. Stonehill (Stonehill 22, Merrimack 20)
Leading by one at halftime, 14-13, Merrimack and Stonehill battled back-and-forth in a defensive NE-10 showdown, but costly turnovers down the stretch allowed the Skyhawks to boot a game-winning, 24-yard field goal in the final three minutes of regulation, as the Warriors fell, 22-20, on the road last Oct. 13, 2012, at W.B. Mason Stadium.
Three second-half fumbles cost Merrimack the game, with the final fumble late in regulation leading directly to Stonehill's game-winning field goal with 3:46 remaining in the game that put the hosts on top by two the rest of the way.
Senior Joe Clancy produced his fifth 300-plus passing performance of the season, going 39-for-61 for 312 yards and one touchdown. Clancy also scampered for a 27-yard rushing touchdown run in the second half of play. Senior All-American Isaiah Voegeli continued his impressive play, totaling 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, while classmate Jimon Hill enjoyed his best receiving day of his career, finishing the game tied for the team lead with 10 catches for 80 yards.
The Class of 2014
At the conclusion of Saturday's contest, head coach Dan Curran and the Merrimack Athletic Department will honor Merrimack's 18-member Senior Class, which includes Artis Holt, Shane Ferguson, Jimmy Holland, Joe Clancy, Anthony Moore, Colin Hay, Quinn McDonough, Devante Parker, Vincent Gallo, Matt Tripicchio, Conor Larkin, Matt LaRovere, Mark Hefford, Sam Novicki, Clay McRae, Michael Hubbard, Frank Antetomaso and Greg Devine.
The Warriors:
- Have won a season-high three straight games and five of their last six contests since starting the year 1-2
- Have an opportunity to finish with seven wins for the first time since the 2009 campaign, when the program claimed its second Northeast-10 Conference Championship
- Also have an opportunity with a win Saturday to claim the program's 100th victory in school history
- Boast gaudy offensive numbers, including a conference-leading 42.3 points per game, 401.6 passing yards per game, and 525.2 total yards per game
- Boast the best third-down percentage (50%) and fourth-best red zone touchdown percentage (69%) in the NE-10
The Skyhawks:
- Picked seventh in the 2013 NE-10 Preseason Coaches Poll
- Enter Saturday's showdown in the midst of a four-game winning streak and have won seven of their last eight since falling to nationally ranked Bloomsburg in its season-opener
- Will play in the NE-10 Championship against AIC no matter what happens Saturday
- Rank third in scoring defense (25.1 ppg) and fourth in scoring offense (30.9 ppg)
- Logan Meyer has passed for 25 touchdowns with just eight interceptions this season, while his favorite target, receiver Nate Robitaille, leads the NE-10 with 1,027 receiving yards and ranks second with 10 TDs
- On the ground, Jamal Johnson averages 82.1 yards per game (3rd in NE-10), while Brian Harrington leads the league with 118 tackles and averages a league-best 13.1 stops per game
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