CONTACT: Steve Mullen (518) 629-8063
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, September 28, 2002
http://www.hvcc.edu
Hudson Valley Community College used a "bend, but don't break" defense and got an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Larry Starks (Watervliet/Watervliet) to defeat Dean Junior College 19-10 earlier today at LaSalle Institute. The win improves Hudson Valley's record to 2-2 and 1-1 in the Northeast Football Conference while Dean drops to 1-3 and 0-1 in the NFC.
Dean penetrated the red-zone on five different occasions but was only able punch it in once as the Vikings defense came away with several big stops including a forced fumble at the 10-yard line by Robert Holt (Edison, NJ/J.F. Kennedy) with 5:30 remaining in the contest. Linebacker Audwin Davis (Tuckahoe/Tuckahoe) recovered the fumble and Hudson Valley controlled the ball until the final horn.
Emmanuel Marc (Spring Valley/Spring Valley) rushed for 111 yards on only 10 carries to lead the Hudson Valley attack. Marc scored on a 36-yard run with 2:39 remaining in the third quarter to give the Vikings a nine-point cushion that they never relinquished.
Starks, who also had a 73-yard punt return in the game, finished with 40 yards on 12 carries. Thirty-four of his yards came on a second-quarter drive that led to a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ryan Gribulis (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley), which gave Hudson Valley a 13-3 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs amassed 364 yards of total offense, led by quarterback James Brown (Taunton, MA/Taunton), who passed for 115 yards and rushed for 59 more. He completed 11-of-18 passes, but his lone interception by defensive back Antoine Cunningham (East Orange, NJ/Clifford J. Scott) stalled a late second quarter drive at the Hudson Valley three-yard line.
Dean opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 25-yard field goal from Tom Gabriel (Wareham, MA/Wareham) but Starks' return on the ensuing kickoff gave the Vikings the lead for good.
Hudson Valley returns to action next Saturday, October 5, when it travels to SUNY Canton for a 1 p.m. game.
