Moreno, Jean each find end zone

MANSFIELD, Pa. (October 18, 2014) – Senior quarterback Derek Reddy (Natick, Mass.) rushed for 128 yards and three scores and added another 60 yards through the air on Saturday afternoon, to lead the way for the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team in a 36-15 win over Mansfield in Collegiate Sprint Football League play at Karl Van Norman Field. Senior quarterback Mike Maniscalco went 26-for-48 for 357 yards and two touchdowns in defeat for Mansfield.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-3, while Mansfield falls to 0-5 and has now lost 11 straight after winning its 2013 season opener against Princeton.

Already leading 14-8, Franklin Pierce took control of the game with scoring drives late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. In the third, Mansfield sophomore wide receiver Kurt Logan was dropped in the backfield and fumbled the football at his own 34-yard line. Senior linebacker Ben Whitney (Peru, N.Y.) recovered the loose ball for the Ravens, who began their drive from the Mansfield 25.

Franklin Pierce needed just three plays and 90 seconds to find the end zone. Freshman running back Demitri Moreno (Alhambra, Calif.) ripped off 21 yards on the first play of the drive, but was stuffed on the next play on first-and-goal. Reddy finished things off himself with a one-yard touchdown rush and then completed a pass to sophomore running back Andrew Jean (Irvington, N.J.) on the successful two-point conversion try.

The Ravens again capitalized on a Mansfield turnover early in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 29-8. After a 58-yard punt by Reddy was downed at the Mansfield 18, Maniscalco dropped back to pass on first-and-10. His pass never found its intended target however, as it was picked off by freshman defensive back Paul Tancredi (Mountain Home, Idaho) at the 30 and returned to the Mountaineers' four-yard line, setting up first-and-goal. This time, Franklin Pierce needed just one play, as Moreno immediately plunged four yards into the end zone.

Mansfield would close the gap to 29-15 when Maniscalco hit senior wideout Jeremy Estremera for a 24-yard touchdown strike to cap a six-play, 51-yard drive with 11:07 to play in the fourth quarter. Just over six minutes later, the Ravens answered as Reddy broke off a 45-yard touchdown rush with 4:57 to play, to cap the scoring and create the 36-15 final.

Earlier in the day, Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 14-0 lead with a pair of first-quarter scores. After Mansfield went three-and-out on the game's opening possession, the Ravens took over at their own 36-yard line. On the crimson and grey's first play from scrimmage, Moreno ripped off a 30-yard rush across midfield and down to the Mansfield 34. Three plays later, on third-and-four, Moreno chalked up 12 more yards to move the chains and keep the drive alive. After Moreno was stuffed on first-and-10, Reddy rushed 12 yards to the four-yard line and the senior capped the eight-play, 64-yard drive himself two plays later, with a three-yard touchdown run.

Mansfield picked up one first down on its next drive, but then ran out of steam at its own 32, where the Mountaineers faced fourth-and-15. Sophomore punter Paul Harrison had his punt blocked and the Ravens were able to fall on the ball at the Mansfield 22, setting up a short field for the offense. Jean picked up six yards on first down, but Reddy lost one on second down, before hitting junior wideout Michael Holdridge (Peru, N.Y.) for four yards on third-and-five at the 17. The Ravens kept the offense on the field on fourth-and-one and were rewarded, as Jean rushed for four yards to keep the drive going. Reddy picked up six yards on first-and-goal before Jean slashed into the end zone from three yards out to cap the drive.

Mansfield's defense got the Mountaineers on the board early in the second quarter after the offense put together a 10-play, 60-yard drive, but turned the ball over on downs. Maniscalco hit Estremera on fourth-and-goal from the one, but the pass lost two yards. Franklin Pierce took over at its own three-yard line, but Moreno lost two yards on first-and-10, and a pass fell incomplete on second down, setting up third-and-12 at the one. A delay-of-game penalty pushed the Ravens even closer to their own goal line, before Reddy was sacked for a safety by senior linebacker Christian Sookdeo on third-and-long.

The ensuing free kick went out of bounds at midfield, and the solid field position set up Mansfield's only first-half touchdown drive. After freshman running back Leron Strothers converted a two-yard rush on third-and-two to keep the drive from going three-and-out, Maniscalco hit Estremera for 12 yards and then found sophomore wideout Eddie Larcom for a 28-yard touchdown strike. Harrison's point-after attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 14-8 heading into halftime.

Reddy was Franklin Pierce's most significant offensive threat on the day, highlighted by his 128 rushing yards on 19 carries, as he averaged 6.7 yards per rush. Moreno added 85 more yards on 18 carries to average 4.7 yards per carry. Mansfield was credited with just 27 rushes, and six of those were sacks of Maniscalco, as the Mountaineers never got anything going on the ground. Strothers was the team's leading rusher, but he netted just 20 yards on 10 carries.

Reddy attempted just 12 passes, completing six of them, and threw one interception. The six completions went for 60 yards and he was sacked once. Maniscalco, on the other hand, went to the air routinely. He finished 26-of-48 and also threw an interception, but was able to throw for 357 yards and two touchdowns.

Moreno had three catches for 34 yards to go with his rushing performance, while Holdridge added two catches for 23 yards for the Ravens. Logan led Mansfield with eight catches for 150 yards, including a long of 75. Estremera also finished with eight catches, as he added 87 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker James Willette (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) led all players with 11 tackles (nine solo). He added 1.5 tackles for loss, including one sack, and forced a fumble along the way. Sophomore Josh Castro (Nashua, N.H.) added 10 tackles (nine solo), three tackles for loss and one sack, while forcing a fumble as well. For Mansfield, sophomore defensive back Kyle Post and junior defensive back Mike Bucek finished with seven solo tackles each. The former added an interception, while the latter picked up one tackle for loss.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 25, when they return home to host Navy. Kickoff is set for noon at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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).