Rogowsky scores on fumble recovery

RINDGE, N.H. (October 3, 2015) – Senior running back D.J. MacDonald (Mattapoisett, Mass.) rushed for 172 yards and two scores on Saturday afternoon to lead the way for the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team on Homecoming at Sodexo Field. The performance helped pave the way for a 38-0 whitewashing of Post in Collegiate Sprint Football League play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 1-2 (1-2 CSFL), while Post falls to 0-3 (0-3 CSFL).

After an illegal block penalty saw Post go backwards six yards on its opening possession, the Ravens took control of the ball for the first time at their own 25. MacDonald carried the ball six times for 26 yards on the ensuing nine-play, 56-yard scoring drive. After he was ultimately stopped for no gain on third-and-three, sophomore kicker Kyle Salucco (Exeter, N.H.).

The next time it got the ball, Franklin Pierce would take over from its own six-yard line late in the first quarter, after a 46-yard punt by Post junior Jarrick Sharp. MacDonald was given the ball nine more times on what turned into a 19-play, 87-yard drive. However, the Ravens would not come away with any points on the drive, as MacDonald fumbled the football on his ninth carry of the drive, after what appeared to be a shaky exchange with senior quarterback Derek Reddy (Natick, Mass.). Post junior defensive back Eric Perry fell on the football to procure the second-quarter turnover.

Post then went backwards five yards as it went three-and-out and was forced to punt from its own 2-yard line. After the snap one-hopped to Sharp, he collected the football and got the punt off, but it went off the side of his foot and out-of-bounds for a net punt of just 10 yards, leaving Franklin Pierce with first-and-10 at the 12. MacDonald lost three yards on first down, but then gained seven on second down before Reddy hit senior wideout Shawn DeCost (Nashua, N.H.) for an eight-yard touchdown strike to push the lead to 10-0.

On just the second play of the next drive, Post sophomore running back Rafael Dominguez put the ball on the ground and freshman defensive back Trevon Gray (Middletown, R.I.) recovered the fumble to give Franklin Pierce great field position again, as its drive started from the Post 25-yard line. Reddy had a 12-yard rush on the first play of the drive, which ultimately set up a six-yard touchdown rush by MacDonald to push the lead to 17-0 with 3:37 remaining in the first half.

On the first possession of the second half, the Ravens drove nine plays and 94 yards -- from their own 3-yard line all the way down to the Post 3-yard line -- including a 75-yard rush from MacDonald. Going for the game's knockout blow, Franklin Pierce went for it on fourth-and-goal from the three, but Reddy's pass to senior wideout Jahlil Dean (Maple Shade, N.J.) was broken up by junior defensive back T.J. Piland to force the turnover on downs.

Ultimately however, said knockout blow would come on the very next play, after junior quarterback Greg Volpe hit freshman wideout Alex Jackson on the left side for eight yards. However, Jackson then lost the football at his own 11-yard line, when he was hit by Gray. Senior defensive back Connor Rogowsky (Nashua, N.H.) scooped up the ball at the 10-yard line and ran it back for a touchdown to stretch the lead to 24-0.

Later in the third quarter, a 16-yard pass from Reddy to freshman running back Shannon Edwards (Spanaway, Wash.) set up a two-yard touchdown rush for MacDonald. Franklin Pierce capped the scoring in the fourth quarter with a four-yard touchdown rush from Edwards to create the 38-0 final.

For Franklin Pierce, McDonald averaged 6.4 yards-per-carry on his 172-yard rushing day, while Edwards added 57 more yards and a score. Reddy went 9-for-16 through the air on the day for 100 yards and a touchdown, without being sacked. Freshman running back Jack Mahoney (Hudson, N.H.) finished as the team's leading receiver, with three catches for 48 yards.

Defensively, junior linebacker Josh Castro (Nashua, N.H.) was a part of a team-high eight tackles on the day (six solo), including two for loss totaling 10 yards. The Ravens picked up three sacks on the day for 18 yards, including a pair by sophomore defensive lineman Demitri Moreno (Alhambra, Calif.) totaling 12 yards.

For Post, freshman running back Malcolm Ware led the team with 35 rushing yards on eight carries (4.4 yards/carry). Volpe went 11-for-16 and threw for 71 yards on the afternoon, while being sacked twice. Sharp had four catches for 19 yards, while junior tight end Rocco Guerrera had a team-best 25 receiving yards on two catches.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Christopher Leggio figured in on 10.5 tackles (seven solo) to lead the way for the Eagles. In all, Post collected four tackles for loss totaling nine yards.

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, Oct. 9, when they travel to Navy. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce sprint football apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).