Lazarus Sets Career-High With 222 Yards, Pioneers Gain 584 Yards Offense In 38-7 Win At AIC
Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Oct. 22) - Freshman tailback Anthony Lazarus carried 22 times for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns Saturday afternoon at John Homer Miller Field, as the visiting C.W. Post football team won its 300th game in the program's 49-year history (300-176-5 all-time) with a 38-7 victory at Northeast-10 Conference foe, American International College .
Additionally, senior Pioneers quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Rob Blount , who gained 57 yards rushing on nine carries, entered the Northeast-10 Conference record books for both single-season and career rushing yardage by a quarterback. The Inwood, N.Y. native now has a conference single-season-record 629 yards on the ground in 2005, which is 15 yards better than former Bryant standout Robert Graham's 614 markers in the 2002 campaign. Blount's career rushing total is now at 1,297 (1,280 as a quarterback) in his illustrious career; the latter total bests Tony Granieri's 1,272 yards amassed on the ground from 1999-2002 at Bryant.
After the two teams threw interceptions on their first passes of the contest, Lazarus broke a career-best 90-yard touchdown run up the middle to put C.W. Post (6-2, 6-1 NE-10), ranked fourth in last week's NCAA Northeast Region rankings and winners of 12 consecutive NE-10 road games, up by a 7-0 count just 1:47 into the game.
The host Yellow Jackets (3-4, 3-4 NE-10), ranked 10th in the Northeast Region entering the contest, took advantage of a fumbled punt return by C.W. Post and knotted the game at 7-7 when Marlon Beckles (21 carries, 90 yards) was on the receiving end of a five-yard scoring pass in the right flat from Shane Murphy (11-of-26, 132 yds., INT).
From there, the Pioneers would run off 31 unanswered points to close out the game, beginning when Lazarus reached paydirt from four yards away with 43 seconds left in the half to give C.W. Post a 14-7 halftime lead.
Following a career-high 37-yard field goal by Andrew Kroell 3:48 into the second half, senior Adebayo Adedapo (eight carries, 60 yds.) scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns with 7:58 left in the third quarter from two yards away. Adedapo's 10-yard scoring jaunt with 6:24 left in the game came 5:17 after Darren Cappetta's 15-yard rushing touchdown.
Blount overcame interceptions on his first two throws of the day to finish the afternoon 18-for-30 for 189 yards. Sophomore Chris Bone had his second-straight 100-yard receiving day, reeling in eight passes for 103 yards. Cappetta gained 56 yards on just seven carries, as the Pioneers (584-219 advantage in total offense) gained 395 yards rushing on 47 carries. Four different Pioneers notched sacks, including Frank Kelly (five solo tackles) and Chris Bretton , who each notched 2.0 tackles for loss.
Head coach Bryan Collins's Pioneers are back in action for their home finale next Saturday (Oct. 29), when C.W. Post will play host to Merrimack on Senior Day. The contest, which will be video webcast through the Northeast-10 Conference web site (www.northeast10.org) as part of its Game of the Week package, is scheduled for 12 Noon.