FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2014
GAME HIGHLIGHTS BELOW
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - In search of its first title since returning to the NE-10 a year ago, the LIU Post football team captured the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Saturday with a 58-25 win over American International at Ronald J. Abdow Field.
Scoreless through one quarter of play, the green and gold capitalized on a Ryan Renfroe interception in American Int'l (8-3) territory. Five plays following the pick, redshirt senior quarterback Steven Laurino completed a screen pass to David White, who took the ball 20 yards into the end zone for the contest's opening score.
The Yellow Jackets then went on a tear, reeling off 16 unanswered points, to grab a nine-point edge (16-7) late in the second quarter. The Pioneers, however, (8-3) managed to score three key points before halftime.
Starting at their own 31-yard line, the visitors drove down to the American Int'l 6. With time winding down, senior kicker Karsten Viste drilled a 22-yard field goal to close the gap to 16-10 at the break.
The latter half belonged to LIU Post, as it outscored the opposition by an overwhelming 48-9 count. After forcing a three-and-out by American Int'l, the green and gold put up seven points on their first series of the third quarter to re-gain the lead. Laurino dialed his own number on six of the 14 plays in the drive, capped off by a two-yard keeper for the touchdown. The possession started with a 25-yard hook-up from Laurino to Shane Hubbard.
Though the Yellow Jackets responded with a touchdown of their own to go back in front (23-17), the Pioneers would not be denied of hoisting the championship trophy.
LIU Post went on to score touchdowns on its next three possessions to grab a commanding 37-25 advantage. The run was bookended by 25- and five-yard touchdown passes to Kamron Palmer. A 28-yard strike from Laurino to Hubbard in the end zone, on a third-and-10, sandwiched those two scoring drives.
Leading by two possessions, the visitors did not take their foot off the gas. On the Pioneers' first snap of the fourth quarter, Laurino found Palmer for a third time for six, this time, on a 72-yard deep ball. That made it a 44-25 game.
It didn't take long for LIU Post to get the ball back and score again. A surprise onside kick on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by the Pioneers at the American Int'l 21-yard line. Three plays into that series, red-shirt sophomore running back Mike Williams ran the ball in from 10 yards out to seal the victory.
Laurino continued his stellar finish to a collegiate career and capped it off by being named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship game (pictured). He completed 30-of-57 passes for a season-high 413 yards and five touchdowns. He scampered for 61 yards and a score as well. White (55 yards rushing) and Williams (44 yards rushing) also picked up touchdowns on the ground.
In the receiving department, Hubbard made 10 catches for a career-high 172 yards and a TD, while Palmer hauled in five balls for 118 yards and three scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Brunetti led the green and gold with 10 tackles (nine solo). Sophomore defensive back Jared Chester (one forced fumble) and freshman defensive back Richard Wright (two pass break-ups) had nine tackles apiece. Junior defensive back Jhaleel Oswald totaled eight tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.
Head Coach Bryan Collins and his LIU Post squad now await word on a potential bid to the NCAA Division II Championship. The selection show will be aired Sunday (Nov. 16) at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Reporting for this release provided by the LIU Post Athletics Communications staff
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
– #NE10 –
