CONTACT: Steven Mullen (518) 629-8063
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, September 18, 2004
The Hudson Valley Community College football team overcame five turnovers in the first 18 minutes to defeat Dean College, 23-12, in the Northeast Football Conference opener for both colleges earlier today in Troy.
Hudson Valley improves to 2-1 on the season, and with Nassau Community College's 13-12 loss to Erie Community College today, is in first place in the East Division of the conference with a 1-0 conference mark. Dean falls to 0-2 and 0-1 in the conference. The Vikings will travel to Nassau next Saturday, September 25 for a 5 p.m. contest.
Despite only gaining 38 yards of total offense in the opening half, Dean went into the locker room at halftime with a 12-3 lead.
The Bulldogs took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when slot back DuJuan Johnson (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry High School) scored from 14 yards out on a screen pass. The drive was set up when Hudson Valley fumbled the ball on its own 13 yard line.
Dean's stretched its lead to 12-0 when defensive lineman Seamus McLaughlin (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield High School) picked up a Hudson Valley fumble and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown.
Neither team was able to generate much offense in the game, which was played on sloppy field.
The Vikings gained 227 yards of total offense while holding Dean to just 111 yards.
Sophomore quarterback Jonah Chappell (Brownfield, ME/Fryeburg Academy) connected on 12 of 23 passes for 107 yards to lead the Hudson Valley offense.
Freshman Rashad Howard (Newport News, VA/Heritage High School) caught five passes for 34 yards, but more importantly, gave the Vikings their first touchdown with a 56-yard punt return early in the third quarter that cut Hudson Valley's deficit to 12-9.
Hudson Valley took 16-12 lead, with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter, on a 14 yard touchdown run by freshman Dane Samuels (Clarkstown/Clarkstown High School). The run capped off a seven-play, 55-yard drive. Samuels finished the day with 19 carries for 85 yards.
Freshman Ervin Battle-Baldwin (Richmond, VA/Huguenot High School) ran it in from 15 yards away to put the game out of reach for Dean with 3:11 remaining in the game.
Dean struggled to move the ball on Hudson Valley's defense all day. Hudson Valley sophomore defensive end Jonal St. Dic (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth High School) made 12 tackles, including six stops behind the line of scrimmage, forced a fumble, and recovered two fumbles. Sophomore linebacker Javon Sistrunk (New York/Progress High School) contributed 11 tackles and an interception.
