Football Rallies for Convincing Win in Season-Opener

CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, August 24, 2024

The Hudson Valley Community College football program used a late fourth quarter run to pull away from and defeat Thaddeus Stevens 27-8 in the Vikings season-opener on Saturday afternoon at the Outdoor Athletic Complex on the campus of HVCC.

Coach Jones has the Vikings off to a 1-0 start for the fourth consecutive season and have moved to 4-0 against the Bulldogs and 4-1 in season-opener games during his tenure leading the football program.

Hudson Valley trailed Thaddeus Stevens 8-0 at the end of the first quarter because of an 18-yard touchdown pass to Donald Cole by Jacob Condo. Condo converted a successful two-point conversion to push the 8-0 early advantage on the Vikings.

In the second quarter, the Vikings pushed back as they completed an 8-play, 79-yard drive over the course of five minutes. With 1:54 remaining until halftime, Cameron Harbaugh found Joshua Peguero in the left corner of the south endzone for a 22-yard touchdown. A successful point-after by Joshua DuBray had Hudson Valley trailing 8-7 at the break.

Coming out of the break, the two programs traded possessions with the Vikings ultimately breaking away halfway through the fourth quarter to win the game. Hudson Valley put together a quick-hitting score following a 44-yard pass to Damien Santiago from Harbaugh. Another Stevens penalty placed the Vikings at the 10-yard line and Harbaugh immediately found Bo Catherwood on the other side of a right-side wheel route for a score. Catherwood's receiving touchdown put the Vikings up 13-8.

Two minutes later, the Vikings defense stepped up in a big way as they forced Thaddeus Stevens to punt from deep within their own field. As a result, the Vikings jumped the snap and Bruce Wilcher picked up loose ball from a blocked punt and danced into the endzone for a three-yard score. Hudson Valley now had full control of the game, leading 20-8.

In the final possession, Treshawn Patterson helped the Vikings march down the field as he collected a team-high 28 rushing yards on four attempts during the drive. The successful running scheme allowed for Cameron Harbaugh to launch a deep pass to Demetrius Williams on a play action for 50-yards down the right side of the field. The offense was now running on all cylinders. Harbaugh finished the game 16-of-24 with 257 passing yards and two touchdowns on the game. Williams closed out the game with a game-high 79 receiving yards on four receptions.

With less than a minute left, the Vikings rewarded Patterson with a two-yard rushing touchdown to push the lead up to 27-8. Stevens closed out the game with a kneel and the Vikings were victorious.

Defensively, the Vikings caused two turnovers, both interceptions. Xavier (Zay) McLean grabbed a pick in the endzone to bring a potential scoring drive by Stevens to a screeching halt. Mikai Ramsey-Middleton also grabbed a game-winning pick with under five minutes to go in the game with the Vikings leading 20-8. The interception by Ramsey-Middleton set up the final scoring drive by the Vikings.

Benjamin Hall had a nice game as he finished with a team-leading nine tackles, including two tackles for loss. Caleb Blane was near the quarterback all game, resulting in 1.5 sacks for a loss of 12 yards and three tackles for loss.

Up next for the Vikings is a western road trip to play Buffalo State JV on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. in Buffalo, NY.