Sprint Football Falls to Defending CSFL Champion Army 41-12
Ryan O'Kelly with 179 yards passing and 2 TDs for the Ravens
ASHBURNHAM, Mass. (September 28, 2013) – James Wartski passed for 252 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday to lead Army to a 41-12 win over the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team at Arthur Hurd Field in Ashburnham, Mass. The defending Collegiate Sprint Football League champion Black Knights improved to 3-0, while the Ravens fell to 1-2.
The Black Knights rang up 453 yards of total offense, including getting 97 yards on the ground from running back Marqus Burrell.
Franklin Pierce produced 291 yards of offense, led by freshman quarterback Ryan O’Kelly (West Warwick, R.I.), who threw for 179 yards and two scores, while also rushing for 83 yards – highlighted by a brilliant 66 yarder in the first quarter as the Ravens hung tough in the early going.
O’Kelly’s 20-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Michael Holdridge (Peru, N.Y.) with 4:14 remaining in the first quarter answered an earlier touchdown by Army and brought the Ravens to within 7-6.
However, a rash of miscues over the first two quarters haunted the Ravens, including a blocked field goal, a missed extra point, and a roughing the passer call right before halftime which enabled Army to tack on a field goal to open up a 20-6 lead at the intermission.
The Black Knights went to the air early in the third quarter and scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives, while forcing the Ravens into a pair of interceptions to open up a 41-6 lead. Army’s three scores in the quarter came on a pair of Zachary Woods’ TD grabs from Wartski (18 and 4 yards), and a one-yard run by Jesse Shackelford.
O’Kelly and Holdridge hooked up once again in the fourth on a 17-yard touchdown pass, which capped the scoring. Holdridge finished with three catches for 44 yards, while rookie receiver Brandon Knight (Bronx, NY.) added three grabs for a team-high 63 yards.
Sophomore defensive lineman Nick Trochalakis (Rochester, N.H.) led the Ravens defense with a team-high tying eight tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for loss. Classmate Connor Rogowsky (Nashua, N.H.) also chipped in with eight stops.
Jake Steckler paced Army with nine tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Thomas White also had a pair of sacks for the Black Knights.
Franklin Pierce returns to action next Friday when the Ravens travel to face Princeton at 7 p.m. in New Jersey.
For more information on Franklin Pierce sprint football, please visit the team’s page at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce sprint football apparel can do so on the athletic department’s online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)