Football Gets Second Straight Road Win 21-16 over Stonehill
EASTON, MA – Freshman James Suozzo threw
for three touchdowns while junior tailback Richard
Johnson rushed for 114 yards as visiting Merrimack
defeated Stonehill College 21-16 Saturday afternoon.
Suozzo threw for 245 yards on 27-of-40 passing, while Johnson
rushed 114 yards on 26 carries.
Merrimack trailed 10-7 at half but stormed back as Suozzo found
Ryan DiGregorio and Jeremiah
Watts for third quarter touchdowns to pull ahead 21-10. It
was Watts’ second score of the game, as earlier he and Suozzo
connected on a 17-yard pass in the second quarter to tie the score
at seven.
The Warrior defense stymied the Skyhawk offense in the second half
as Stonehill had just two offensive drives of over 30 total yards
in the final 30 minutes. One of those drives resulted in a late
touchdown, while the other was erased on a fumble recovered by
J.D. Wild. Bernard Cooper added a first-half
interception, which nullified another drive as Stonehill had
marched down the field 73 yards after starting at its own seven
yard line. Senior All-American Andrew Jackson also
picked up an interception, as the Warriors forced four
turnovers.
Merrimack added five sacks, led by two from senior Joe
Jolicoeur. Wilson Perjuste, Tony Johnson, and
Shane Brown each tallied one each with Brown
leading the team with nine tackles.
Watts added to his team lead in receptions as he pulled in seven
catches for 85 yards and two scores. Johnson also contributed eight
receptions for 52 yards out of the backfield, while DiGregorio
totaled five catches for 50 yards. Suozzo added 60 rushing yards,
including a 30-yard run.
Merrimack (5-3, 4-2 NE-10) takes on unbeaten and 21st ranked
American International on Saturday at Warrior Field at 1 p.m. in a
big conference matchup. The Warriors will honor its class of 2009
before the game as part of Senior Day.
