Easton, Mass. – The Merrimack College football team battled with Stonehill College in a low scoring affair that ended with a seven-point victory for the Warriors. With the victory, Merrimack stayed undefeated in Northeast Conference (NEC) play heading into their bye week.
Victor Dawson was the leader on the group for the Warriors with 83 yards. His counterpart in the back field,
Tyvon Edmonds Jr. ran for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Rodney Samson was once again the leader in tackles for Merrimack, getting 10.
Donte Williams finished with nine tackles, including a sack and a half. Williams also had the pick in the end zone to seal the deal for Merrimack as time expired.
The Essentials
Score: Stonehill 10,
Merrimack 17
Records: Merrimack (7-2) | Stonehill (3-3)
How It Happened
- The game started of with four punt, two from each team. The Skyhawks then went on a six-play drive, knocking down a 28-yard field goal to take the lead. The score at the end of the first was 3-0 Stonehill. On their first dive of the second quarter, Stonehill scored the first touchdown of the afternoon on a 50-yard touchdown pass. The score put the Skyhawks up double digits. With 40 seconds to go in the first half, Merrimack got the ball at their own 40. The Warrior offense marched down to the Stonehill 18-yard line. Lliam Davis knocked down a 35-yard field goal as time expired. The Warriors trailed by seven heading into the locker rooms.
- On the first drive of the second half, Merrimack exploded down the field using 13 plays to score its first touchdown of the afternoon. Edmonds Jr. scampered into the endzone on a 24-yard run up the middle, tying the game for the Warriors. With 2:31 on the clock the Skyhawks lined up to punt the ball. Kendal Sims infiltrated the Stonehill backfield and blocked the punt. Tre Jordan III scooped up the ball and scored, giving Merrimack a one score lead. The Warriors heading into the fourth up by seven. Both teams battled in the fourth quarter, not allowing either to score. The Skyhawks got the ball back on their own 46 with 1:28 remaining and not timeouts. They were able to advance the ball to the Merrimack 27 for one final play. Williams snatched the ball out of the air for his first interception of the season, giving the Warriors the win.
Notes & Numbers
- The blocked punt by Sims is the second in two games for the Merrimack punt defense.
- Samson now has 68 total tackles on the season. This number ranks him in the top five in the FCS.
- Jordan Riggs had a career-high two sacks in the victory.
Up next
The Warriors jump on the bye next week. The squad then heads to Central Connecticut State University for the second to last NEC game of the season. Kick off is set for noon and can be seen on NEC Front Row.
--
