CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, August 27, 2022
The Hudson Valley Community College football program kicked off its 2022 campaign in winning fashion as they defeated Stevens Tech 10-6 on Saturday afternoon at the Outdoor Athletic Complex on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College.
The Vikings entered the season ranked fifth in the NJCAA preseason football poll with several student-athletes returning in key positions on both sides of the football. The Vikings wasted no time as they marched 61-yards down the field for an opening possession touchdown, highlighted by the 25-yard pass to Kwali Poole down the left side of the field for the easy score. The 2021 NJCAA All-American kicker, Frederick Callo, connected for a successful point-after, giving the Vikings the early 7-0 advantage.
Stevens Tech kept the Vikings off the board for the remainder of the first half, causing a pair of turnovers, both interceptions off Vikings quarterback Jordan Moran, before converting on a 25-yard touchdown pass of their own with 8:05 remaining in the half. Charles Monforte broke through the line for a block on Stevens Tech's PAT attempt. Hudson Valley held on to a narrow 7-6 advantage at the break.
In the third quarter, the Vikings put together a historic drive, a 21-play, 69-yards scoring drive, which ended with a 33-yard field goal from Callo, to extend Hudson Valley's lead over Stevens Tech 10-6, the eventual final result of the game. The 21-play drive drained nearly 11 minutes off the game clock as Stevens Tech regaining possession with 1:19 remaining in the quarter. The drive also consisted of six first downs, including five first downs following key third-down conversions to extend the drive.
The momentum continued to drift towards the Vikings, who never trailed in the game. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings defense stepped out and closed out the victory. The defense accumulated seven sacks for a loss of 46-yards, including three key sacks in the final drives of the game to keep Stevens Tech deep into their own side of the field late in the game. Angelo Cioffi, Trevor Smith and Anthony DiMeglio all made key plays down the stretch on the defensive side of the ball as the Bulldogs inched closer to a comeback victory, which was ultimately stymied by the Vikings. Smith finished the game with a team-high seven tackles, including two sacks.
As a team, the Vikings tallied 396 of total offense and 21 first downs. Moran tossed the Vikings lone touchdown to Poole and finished with 319 passing yards on 24-of-40 passing. Joshua Jean-Baptiste carried the rushing load for the Vikings with a game-high 23 carries for 53 yards. All-American receiver, Omari Hopkins finished just short of a 100-yard receiving game as he collected eight catches for 92-yards. Isaac Jean-Baptiste collected six catches for 34 yards and was instrumental in the 21-yard play drive, converting first downs for the Vikings.
Hudson Valley returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 5 when they travel west to take on Buffalo State JV in Buffalo, NY. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 2 p.m.