PHOTO GALLERY /

FINAL STATS / Tyree Watkins-Dominique Williams Hook and Ladder TD

Post-game Interviews with Walt Hameline, Dominique Williams, Deangelo James

Staten Island, NY – Fifth-year senior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton/ rushed for 162 yards on 32 carries and the Wagner defense turned up the intensity in the second half as the Seahawks overcame a 21-7 halftime deficit by outscoring Georgetown 21-0 in the second half in posting a 28-21 win in the season opener for both teams at Hameline Field.
With Wagner trailing 21-14, redshirt sophomore cornerback Deangelo James (Miami, FL/ American Senior) turned in the defensive play of the game, intercepting a pass from quarterback Isaiah Kempf along the left sideline and returning it 24 yards for a touchdownm to tie the game at 21-21 with 11:58 left.

The fired-up Seahawk defense then forced the Hoyas into a three and out, resulting in a punt that gave Wagner good field position at its own 48. The Green & White then methodically worked the ball down the field, going 58 yards in 15 plays, which took 7:22 off of the clock. With 5:21 left to play, Wagner faced a 4th-and-1 at the Hoya 24. After initially sending the field goal unit out, head coach Walt Hameline called time out and sent his offense back out onto the field.
 
Following the timeout, Williams blasted for three yards over the right side for the first down. Three more runs by Williams netted 18 yards, giving the Seahawks a first-and-goal at the Hoya 10. After a Wagner holding penalty and two rushes for 11 yards by freshman running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/ Bishop Maginn/Jireh Prep (NC), Williams swept around right end for a six-yard score to give Wagner a 28-21 lead and the Seahawk defense did the rest.
 
Wagner won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, choosing to put its defense on the field first. Georgetown then quickly went to work from its own 16, marching 84 yards in 13 plays in 4:58, culminating in a five-yard touchdown run by Kempf to make it 7-0 with 10:08 left in the opening quarter. Kempf found wide receiver Jake DeCicco three times for 48 yards, including a 24-yard strike to the Seahawk five which set up his own TD run.
 
Following an exchange of punts, Wagner took over at its own 38 and put together an eight-play, 62-yard drive capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass from redshirt junior quarterback Matt Misley (Park Ridge, NJ/ Park Ridge) to senior wide receiver Tyree Watkins (Camden, NJ/ Camden), a Duke transfer seeing his first action as a Seahawk. For Misley, the touchdown pass was the first of his career and tied the game at 7-7 with 3:38 left in the first quarter. Today's game marked Misley's second career start. Ironically, his first  and only other start, on October 9, 2011, also came against Georgetown. Despite throw for 230 yards on 17-of-37 passing that day, Wagner wound up on the short end of a 24-10 decision.
 
The Hoyas regained the lead on a crisp 14-play, 71-yard drive that 5:04, spanned the first and second quarters, and was culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by Jo'el Kimpela that put Georgetown on top 14-7. The defenses then held serve as the teams combined for five consecutive punts. A punt by Georgetown's Matt McMura set in motion a sequence that resulted in the Hoyas seizing control of the game before halftime.
 
With 4:44 to play in the half, McMura sailed a 41-yarder that was downed at the Wagner two. After a Seahawk three-and-out, Misley, who doubles as Wagner's punter, got off a 42-yard  boot that was downed at the Seahawk 48. Kempf went to the air on first down, finding wide receiver Justin Hill for 20 yards to the Wagner 28. Facing third-and-four at the Wagner 22, Kimpela shook loose for 18 yards to make it first and goal at the four. Two plays later, Kempf found his tight end Daniel Sprotte for a one-yard score to give the Hoyas a 21-7 lead and momentum heading into halftime.
 
Wagner took the opening kickoff of the second half and worked the ball to its own 41. Hameline then rolled the dice on a fourth-and-one, but McKinnon was stopped in his tracks as Georgetown took over at the Wagner 41 looking to add to its 21-7 lead and blow the game wide open. The Seahawk defense, however, had other ideas. After Kempf hit wide receiver Zack Wilke for five yards on first down to the Wagner 36, the Seahawk defense forced consecutive incompletions in forcing Georgetown to punt.
 
Following another exchange of punts, Wagner received a shot in the arm when redshirt sophomore James Howell (Brooklyn, NY/ Fort Hamilton) came up with a 19-yard punt return, working his way nimbly up the right sideline and giving the Seahawks possession at the Hoya 41. Three rushes by Williams, sandwiched around and incomplete pass, brought about 3rd-and-3 at the Georgetown 19.
 
What transpired next is one for the video archives. It began when Misley hit Watkins in the right flat for nine yards and, sensing the presence of two defensive backs closing quickly, the heady receiver then deftly tossed a lateral to a trailing Williams who covered the final nine yards, side-stepping a defender, en route to touchdown which cut the Seahawk deficit to 21-14 with 6:54 remaining in the third.
 
That's the way the score stayed until Williams came up with his game-changing pick-six early in the fourth quarter.
 
While Georgetown had its way in the first half, out-gaining Wagner 250-116 while picking up 15 first downs to the Seahawks' seven, the second half was all Wagner. The Seahawks' aggressive defense found a rhythm in the second stanza, limiting Georgetown to just 33 yards of offense and two first downs over the game's final 30 minutes. Conversely, Wagner managed 185 yard of second-half offense while picking up 10 first downs.
 
Statistically, in the this tale of two halves, the numbers were close with Wagner holding a 301-283 edge in total yards. Kempf was a smooth 19-of-27 passing for 194 yards in the first half, but in half number two, thanks in large measure to Wagner's pass rush, he was limited to 4-of-14 through the air and just four net yards as the Seahawks came up with three sacks for minus 16 yards.
 
On the ground, Georgetown struggled throughout, gaining 79 yards on 33 carries, as the Hoyas accumulated just 29 rushing yards in the second half on 11 carries. Wagner, meanwhile, with Williams leading the way, rushed for 195 yards. In addition to Williams' 162-yard effort, MacKinnon picked up an impressive 45 yards of his own on 11 carries.
 
For the day, Kempf went 23-of-41 for 198 yards. Wilke was his favorite target, finishing with seven catches for 56 yards while DeCicco had four grabs for 63. For Wagner, Misley finished 12-of-21 through the air for 106 yards with two touchdowns and was sacked twice. After going 4-of-9 for 15 yards in the opening stanza, Misley was an efficient 8-of-12 for 91 yards in the second half.
 
Defensively, junior outside linebacker Trevor Loveland (Cherry Hill, NJ/ Cherry Hill West) led the way for the Green & White with six tackles while James and fellow redshirt sophomore cornerback Eddie Davis (Camden, NJ/ Camden) added five stops apiece. For the Hoyas, junior linebacker Nick Alfieri was active throughout, recording a game-high 14 tackles, including eight of the solo variety. Also recording double-digit tackling efforts for Georgetown were Dustin Wharton and Stephen Atwater, who is the son of the former Denver Broncos eight-time All-Pro safety who goes by the same name.
 
Wagner is next in action on Friday September 6 when the Seahawks host Division II Merrimack in a 6:00 pm start in what will be the first-ever night game at Hameline Field.

 
Wagner-Georgetown Post-Game Notes
 
Wagner is now 41-40-2 all-time in season openers as in this, the 83^rd season of Seahawk football which began in 1927. With the win, Walt Hameline's won-loss record in season openers is now 20-11-2, dating back to 1981, including 20-8 after failing to win an opener in his first four years (0-2-2).
 
August Openers
Wagner's season opener vs. Georgetown marked the fourth time ever that the Seahawks have played a game in the month of August and all four have taken place on August 31. Today was the first August contest to be played in Staten Island and the Green & White are now 3-1 in August starts.

August 31, 2013:      Wagner 28, Georgetown 21
August 31, 2012:      Florida Atlantic 7, Wagner 3 - Boca Raton, FL
August 31, 2007:      Wagner 20, W. Connecticut St. 7 - Danbury, CT
August 31, 2006:      Wagner 38, La Salle 15 - Philadelphia, PA
 
Williams Over 100 for 21^st Time, Up to 3,470 Career Rushing Yards
With his 162-yard effort vs. Georgetown, fifth-year senior RB Dominique Williams has now eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 21 of the 32 collegiate games that he's played. He also upped his career rushing yardage total to is now up to 3,470 for his career. He remains in fourth place on the Seahawk all-time list and is within 707 yards of catching Hall of Fame Member Alonzo Patterson who gained 4,177 yards from 1979-1982.

 All-Time Rushing Yards
1. Rick Sarille (1995-99).....                        5290
2. Terry Underwood (1985-88)                      5010
3. Alonzo Patterson (1979-82)                     4177
4. DOMINQUE WILLIAMS (2009-pres.)       3470
5. Kito Lockwood (1992-95)                         3156
 
Williams Moves Into Third in All-Time Scoring
With his 12 points scored on two touchdowns vs. Georgetown, Dominique Williams leap-frogged two of the top kickers in Seahawk history and now stands in third place all-time with 246 points. Williams passed Tom O'Riordan, who tallied 237 points in his Hall of Fame career from 1983-1986 and Piotr Czech, a strong-legged kicker of more recent vintage who totaled 243 points from 2004-2008.
 
All-Time Scoring
1. Rick Sarille (1995-99).....                        334
2. Terry Underwood (1985-88)                  330
3. DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS (2009-)          246
4. Piotr Czech (2004-07)......                        243
5. Tom O'Riordan (1983-86)                      237
 
Watkins, Williams: South Jersey Hook and Ladder Combo
The distance between the hometowns of senior WR Tyree Watkins (Camden, NJ) and fifth-year senior RB Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ) is just 35 miles and they share the same 609 area code. In the second quarter vs. Georgetown, this play-making pair combined on a spontaneous, non-scripted, hook and ladder play. It began when redshirt junior QB Matt Misley hit Watkins in the right flat for nine yards and, sensing the presence of two defensive backs closing quickly, the heady receiver then deftly tossed a lateral to a trailing Williams who covered the final nine yards, side-stepping a defender, en route to touchdown which cut the Seahawk deficit to 21-14 with 6:54 remaining in the third.
 
Host of Seahawks See First Action, Gain First Starts vs. Georgetown
While last season's NEC Championship team was a veteran team led by 27 seniors while this year's roster features just 13 seniors. Against Georgetown, 14 Seahawks saw their first action of their Wagner careers:
Nazir Barnett
James Cesa
John DiStefano
Najee Harris
Greg Hilliard
Robert Joseph
Matt McBride
Matthias McKinnon
Nnamdi Nwaigwe
Ryan Owens
Rashon Pleasants
Max Wassel
Tyree Watkins
Ryan Wytanis
 
Twelve players, including four listed above (McBride, Owens, Watkins, Wassel), gained their first starts as Seahawks:
Nazir Barnett
Blake Bascom
Anthony Emmanuele
James Howell
Deangelo James
Trevor Loveland
Matt McBride
Ryan Owens
Rashon Pleasants
Max Wassel
Tyree Watkins
Nevon Williams