CONTACT: R. Sean Coffey, (518) 629-7898, r.coffey@hvcc.edu
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010
The Hudson Valley Community College football team (1-4, 1-3) defeated Erie Community College (1-4, 1-2) in a defensive battle, 9-7, on Saturday, Oct. 2 in Troy, NY. The win was the first for the Vikings in 2010 and the first career win for interim head coach Jason Houghtaling.
The Hudson Valley defense kept the Vikings in the ball game in the first half as they picked off two Erie passes inside the red zone to prevent eventual Erie scores. The first interception was made by James Seay (Potomac/ Washington, DC) who gained 50 yards after the catch. The second interception was picked off at the goal line by Darryl Haley (Woodbridge/ Woodbridge, VA). The half ended with Hudson Valley leading 3-0.
The second half began poorly for the Vikings as they were picked off during their second drive of the half. The interception gave the Kats of Erie great field position and they capitalized on their first play to score on a 23-yard run. The Vikings, now trailing 7-3, marched down the field and picked up another three points on David Fox's (Tamarac/ Troy) second field goal of the day.
Erie began the fourth quarter with the ball and drove to the Hudson Valley 32-yard line. The Kats elected to go for it on fourth-and-nine and were unsuccessful. On the ensuing Viking possession, Benjamin Tucker (Joppatowne/Aberdeen, MD) connected with Jhmad Thomas (Woodrow Wilson/ Camden, NJ) on a 63-yard passing play that brought the Vikings down to the Erie 4-yard line. The Vikings failed to punch it in for their first touchdown of the day and settled for another Fox field goal to take the lead 9-7. The game was left in the hands of the Hudson Valley defense and they succeeded as they forced and recovered a fumble and turned the Kats over on downs to hold onto the 9-7 victory.
Hudson Valley running back Kenny Youngs (Lansingburgh/ Lansingburgh) had a great day on the ground, rushing for 105 yards on 20 carries that included a 62-yard run. Defensively, Sidiq Soulemana (DeWitt Clinton/Bronx) led the Vikings with nine tackles, including seven solo. Michael Peart (Poughkeepsie/Poughkeepsie) and Seay added seven solo tackles as well.
The Vikings will try for back-to-back wins next weekend as they host Nassau County Community College on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m.