CONTACT: Steve Mullen (518) 629-8063
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, September 25, 2004
Adam Tanalski kicked a 25-yard field goal as time expired to lift Nassau Community College to a 24-21 win over Hudson Valley Community College in Northeast Football Conference action on Saturday night in Garden City.
Hudson Valley falls to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play, and will return home to host eighth-ranked Erie Community College at noon on Saturday, October 2. Nassau, ranked No. 15 in the NJCAA poll, improves its record to 3-1 and 2-1 in the conference.
Nassau got a 33-yard touchdown run from Joseph Williams and a 15-yard touchdown reception by T.J. Sonnenburg to take a 14-0 lead into halftime. Williams finished the game with 137 rushing yards on 34 carries.
Hudson Valley got on the board early in the third quarter when freshman linebacker Malcolm King, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, FL/James Hubert Blake High School) picked up a Nassau fumble and rumbled 38 yards for the score.
The Vikings momentum didn't last long as Nassau quarterback Bryan Shea hit Apollo Story with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the Lions next offensive play to give the them a 21-7 lead. Shea completed 11 of 26 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns on the day.
Freshman Rashad Howard (Newport News, VA/Heritage High School) cut the Vikings deficit to 21-14 with 12:47 remaining in the game when he fielded a punt at the Hudson Valley 15 yard line and broke through for an 85 yard punt return for a touchdown. It was the longest punt return for a touchdown in Hudson Valley history and the second week in a row that Howard has scored on a punt return.
The Vikings then tied the game with 4:54 remaining in the contest on a five-yard run by freshman Ervin Battle-Baldwin (Richmond, VA/Huguenot High School). The five-play, 32-yard drive was set up when Hudson Valley's defense stopped the Lions at their own 13 yard line and Howard returned the Nassau punt 11 yards to the 32 yard line.
Unable to move the ball on its next possession, Nassau received a break when Jimmy Cunneen's punt was downed on the Hudson Valley seven yard line.
Hudson Valley was unable to get a first down and had to punt it to the lions, which drove the ball 29 yards over the final 1:26 seconds to set up the game-winning field goal.
Hudson Valley sophomore quarterback Jonah Chappell (Brownfield, ME/Fryeburg Academy) completed 12 of 21 passes for 104 yards. Freshman Ricky Johnson (Newport News, VA/Huguenot High School) caught seven passes for 68 yards.
Sophomore Damion Malott (Akron, OH/Akron North High School) led the Hudson Valley defense with 13 tackles and one interception. Sophomore Javon Sistrunk (New York/Progress High School) added 11 tackles.