Football 10/15/2011 12:00:00 AM

Football Wins Third Straight, 54-19 at Stevenson

(box score)

Widener took control of things late in the first half and cruised to its third straight victory, a 54-19 Middle Atlantic Conference triumph at Stevenson in Owings Mills, MD.

With the game tied 13-13 late in the first half, Widener (6-1, 4-1 MAC) got arguably the game's biggest break when Stevenson quarterback C.J. Hopson was scrambling and senior Chris Cottrell (Somers Point, NJ) forced him to fumble. Junior Joe Wojceichowski (Riverside, NJ) recovered for the Pride at the Stevenson 32 yard line.

Widener quarterback Chris Haupt (Bloomsburg, PA) made the Mustangs pay, hitting fellow junior Carmen Imbalzano (Trenton, NJ) on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds to go in the half for a 20-13 Pride cushion.

Stevenson (1-5, 0-4) got the ball to start the second half and drove 61 yards to close to 20-19. Hopson hit Joe DeShields on a 39-yard pass to Widener's 22 yard line and capped the drive on a one-yard quarterback sneak before the extra point was missed.

Widener re-established momentum by using an 82-yard drive to lengthen its lead to 26-19 with 2:19 remaining in the third. Sophomore Terrant Morrison (Smyrna, DE) ran 22 yards on the march, ending it on a four-yard burst.

Freshman Anthony Davis (Upland, PA) then gave the Pride some much needed breathing room. He fielded a punt, dodged several Mustang defenders and took one to the end zone from 48 yards for his third punt return touchdown of the season. The last play of the third quarter gave Widener a 33-19 lead.

The Pride put the game out of reach by getting a four-yard run from senior Brendan Curran (Sinking Spring, PA) for a 40-19 lead with 9:31 to play. Davis' second touchdown came via a 33-yard pass from Haupt with 6:25 left for a 47-19 cushion.

Anthony Clayton (Cinnaminson, NJ) scored his second touchdown of the day, hauling in a 19-yard scoring pass from fellow sophomore Tevin Campbell (Brookhaven, PA) with 65 seconds remaining for the final.

Haupt completed 22-of-33 passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns for Widener, which ended with a 500-362 advantage in total offense. Morrison had 15 carries for 91 yards with senior Cedrick Clayton (Cinnaminson, NJ) hauling in five receptions for 62 yards.

The defense got the job done once again with junior Jamal Dorsey (Mount Holly, NJ) getting 10 tackles, sophomore Dylan Ditmer (Exton, PA) adding eight and Wojceichowski contributing seven.

Hopson completed 16-of-26 passes for 221 yards for the Mustangs. Jeromie Miller notched seven receptions for 100 yards and Donnell Brown had 12 tackles.

Stevenson stunned the visitors with a 12-play, 80-yard drive to take a 6-0 lead with 7:17 left in the first quarter. It ended when Hopson found Miller on an 18-yard pass in the back of the end zone, but Ditmer blocked the conversion for the Pride.

Widener grabbed a 7-6 lead with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter when Haupt hooked up with junior Dante Pergolese (Havertown, PA) on a two-yard touchdown pass. The extra point from junior Matt Breslin (Sugarloaf, PA) ended a drive helped by freshman Couve LaFate (Wilmington, DE) rushing for 25 yards to the Stevenson five yard line.

The Pride made a big defensive play when freshman Jonathan Greene (Annapolis, MD) forced a fumble and junior Andrew Madanat (Newark, DE) recovered at his squad's 44 yard line. Haupt ended the seven-play drive on a 14-yard pass to Anthony Clayton with 62 seconds to play in the quarter for a 13-6 Widener lead.

The Mustangs got a big break when Pride senior punter Kevin Huelster (Mount Laurel, NJ) could not get the kick off and was tackled his squad's 11 yard line. On the next play, Hopson hit Miller again in the back of the end zone for a 13-13 tie with 8:22 left in the first half.

Widener is home next Saturday against Lebanon Valley at 1:00 pm on Senior Day.

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Football Wins Third Straight, 54-19 at Stevenson