C.W. Post Football Clinches At Least A Share Of NE-10 Championship With 41-7 Victory Over Merrimack
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 29) - Freshman tailback Anthony Lazarus scored for the eighth-consecutive game to start his career, Saturday afternoon at Hickox Field, as the C.W. Post football team clinched at least a share of its third Northeast-10 Conference title in the last four years with a 41-7 victory over visiting Merrimack.
The Pioneers (7-2, 7-1 NE-10), ranked fifth in this past week's NCAA Northeast Regional rankings, clinched the share by virtue of Bentley's season-ending, 27-14 loss at Bryant. C.W. Post celebrated Senior Day before the contest, honoring its nine seniors for their dedication to the program: Adebayo Adedapo, Rob Blount, Jeremy Boyle, Chris Bretton, Steven Broecker, Darren Cappetta, Ryan Heller, Frank Kelly, and Max Rose.
C.W. Post scored 27 straight points to start the game, and raced out to a 20-0 lead with 10 points in each of the first two quarters.
Freshman kicker Andrew Kroell's 34-yard field goal with 6:05 left in the first, and 30-yard effort with 11 seconds left in the half, sandwiched a pair of Pioneers touchdowns. Heller was on the receiving end of a 34-yard touchdown pass from Blount, a Harlon Hill candidate, with 2:15 left in the opening quarter to give the hosts a 10-0 advantage.
Later, Blount (16-for-28, 165 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT; 19 rushes, 94 yards, TD), the Northeast-10's single-season and career rushing yardage leader, scored on a 34-yard scramble with 5:59 left in the opening half.
Sophomore Chris Bone caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Blount with 3:38 left in the third quarter to give the Pioneers a 27-0 advantage, before Merrimack's (4-5, 3-5 NE-10) Chris McNeil scored on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Colin Temple (13-for-27, 151 yards, TD, 3 INT) to account for their only scoring.
Lazarus (17 carries, 114 yards, TD), who has scored 16 touchdowns this year (15 rushing), punched one in on a 13-yard rumble 9:29 left in the fourth period, before senior Adebayo Adedapo ran in from four yards out with 2:23 remaining.
C.W. Post held the ball for a season-high 40:07, and the Pioneers limited the Warriors to 157 yards of total offense (nine yards rushing) and 2-for-13 on third-down conversions. Woody Aime, Javien Eason and Mike Molloy each had an interception, while Bretton recovered a fumble.
Head coach Bryan Collins and the Pioneers will clinch the NE-10 title outright if they win next Saturday's (Nov. 5) regular-season finale at Assumption. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.