Football Rallies in Last-Minute Drive to Beat Saint Anselm, 41-40
Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Nov. 1, 2013) - Trailing 40-34 in the final seconds of the game, red-shirt junior quarterback
Steven Laurino (Boise, Idaho) hit sophomore tight end
Sean Binckes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass, as the LIU Post football team came back to defeat Saint Anselm, 41-40, Friday evening at Grappone Stadium in Manchester, N.H.
The Binckes touchdown reception, which was one of four on the night, was the conclusion of a seven-play, 93-yard drive that began on the LIU seven-yard line. Binckes had a nine-catch evening for 99 yards. Red-shirt senior wideout
Joe Botti (Holtsville, N.Y.) finished with eight catches for a game-high 117 yards, while red-shirt freshman wide receiver
Michael Richardson (West Babylon, N.Y.) hauled in five balls for 109 yards.
The game saw a total of seven lead changes. A 28-yard field goal by Shane Grayson (Ormond Beach, Fla.) opened up the scoring for Saint Anselm (0-9, 0-8 NE-10), before LIU Post (4-5, 3-5 NE-10) responded with a pair of TD's on back-to-back series to grab a 14-3 first-quarter edge. The Laurino-Binckes combination teamed up for a 13- and 14-yard pass in the end zone just 1:58 apart. Those two plays were sandwiched by a Hawks' punt, after a quick three-and-out.
The tide started to turn in the second quarter, when senior halfback Keith Charles (Laurel, Md.) rushed for an 11-yard score, and added an 83-yard TD catch on consecutive possessions to put Saint A's back ahead, 16-14. The hosts, despite the trading of another touchdown by both squads, would maintain a two-point cushion (23-21), until the waning seconds of the period.
Following a Pioneer timeout at the five-second mark, senior kicker
Karsten Viste (Randaberg, Norway) drilled a 42-yard field goal to put his squad up 24-23 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the visitors extended their lead to eight (31-23), when junior
Tyler Heuer (Oceanside, N.Y.) threw a 14-yard strike to Binckes with 6:10 left. That would not hold up for long, as Saint Anselm quickly cut the deficit to one, via a 73-yard pass from Yianni Gavalas (Manhasset, N.Y.) to Justin Bernard (Cambridge, Mass.) on the ensuing drive. Gavalas completed 27-of-39 for 430 yards and three scores in the tilt.
During the final 15-minute session, a Viste 26-yard kick through the uprights just four seconds in made it 34-30. However, a subsequent three-yard touchdown run by Charles, coupled with a Grayson 28-yard field goal, shot Saint Anselm back in front, and set the stage for Laurino's late heroics.
The Hawks still had one last chance to win it though. But, a second-and-10 pass at the LIU 49-yard line was intercepted by Richardson in front of the goal line to end it.
Laurino was 30-of-53 through the air for 429 yards and four touchdowns. He also racked up 101 yards on the ground, off 18 keepers. Red-shirt freshman running back
Mike Williams (Westbury, N.Y.) contributed 91 yards on 16 carries. Defensively, senior linebacker
Rob Bright (East Meadow, N.Y.) registered 15 tackles. Freshman defensive back
Ryan Renfroe (Oakdale, N.Y.) collected 11 tackles, and sophomore linebacker
Julian Santiago (Selden, N.Y.) accrued 10 tackles, along with a pass break-up.
Head Coach
Bryan Collins and the Pioneers now round out the regular season next Saturday (Nov. 9) at home versus Assumption. The opening kickoff is set for noon.