GAME NOTES
The Wagner College football team will travel to Poughkeepsie to meet the Red Foxes of Marist in a non-conference game on Friday night at 7:00 pm. Fans interested in a round-trip bus trip to the game can click here for more information. If you cannot make it to the game, you can listen to a live audiostream of the game by clicking here.
A series can't be any more closely contested than the one between Wagner and Marist, who have met on the gridiron 14 times with each school coming away with seven wins. Something will have to give when the Seahawks and Red Foxes clash under the lights at Tenney Stadium.
Both teams are coming off impressive victories, albiet in very different manners. After spotting Iona an early 7-0 lead, Wagner reeled off 38 unanswered points and went on to post a 45-28 Homecoming Day victory over Iona last Saturday. Sophomore WR Tyrone Collins (Geneva, NY/ Geneva) triggered the onslaught with an 86-yard kickoff return that tied the game at 7-7. Marist, meanwhile, fell behind by a 16-0 count on the road at Saint Francis (PA), before storming back with 30 consecutive points over a 15:05 span that bridged the third and fourth quarters in recording a 30-22 victory over the Red Flash.
The two-headed halfback tandem of junior RB Shane Smith (Susquehanna, PA/ Milford) and freshman RB Prince Young (Neptune, NJ/ Fork Union), combined for 302 rushing yards in leading Wagner to its rousing Homecoming Day win over Iona. Smith ripped off runs of 47 and 41 yards, the latter for a touchdown, en route to a 19-carry, 174-yard effort in helping to lead Wagner past Iona. The 6-2, 230-pound Smith was named the winner of the James Robb Memorial Trophy which annually goes to the top Seahawk offensive performer in the Homecoming game.
Young, meanwhile, darted his way for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in the victory over Iona and was named NEC Rookie of the Week. Young's 11-yard first quarter TD scamper gave the Seahawks the lead for good at 14-7. He would also round out the day's scoring with a four-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter.
For the season, Smith leads the Seahawks in rushing wiht 244 yards on 34 carries (7.2 yards/carry) and two touchdowns while Young has gained 205 yards on 30 carries (6.8 yards/carry) and three touchdowns. Junior QB Adam Farnsworth (North Ogden, UT/Snow CC), a transfer from the University of Iowa, has completed 29-of-46 passes for 244 yards.
Defensively, senior LB Jason Haskins (Jackson, NJ/ Matawan) leads the team with 16 tackles. Senior defensive back Dario Charlton (Lauderhill, FL/ South Plantation) had six tackles and three pass deflections to pace the Seahawks while and junior LB Olatunde Ogunlana (Staten Island, NY/ Tottenville) had six tackles as well.
About Marist
Marist is under the direction of 17th-year head coach Jim Parady, who sports a career mark of 86-79-1. The Red Foxes opened the season with a pair of defeats, losing by a 40-22 margin at San Diego on Aug. 29 before dropping a 28-6 contest at home to Lafayette on Sept. 6. Last Saturday, the Red Foxes staged a dramatic late rally in forging a 30-22 win at Saint Francis (PA). Offensively, Marsit is paced by senior RB Obozua Ehikioya, (49 carries, 261 yards) and athletic junior QB Chris Debowski, a junior college transfer who has thrown for 385 yards and run for 109 more. Defensively, Marist is led by a pair of sophomore LBs in Kees Coughlin and John Van Aman, who have recorded 26 and 23 tackles, respectively.
The Red Foxes appear to be much-improved over last season's 3-8 team and are led by dynamic senior RB Obozua Ehikioya, who ran for a team-high 631 yards a year ago. Last season, Marist outgained the Seahawks 336-240 in Staten Island but Wager took advantage of two turnovers and a blocked punt en route to a 24-14 victory. This series, which began in 1992, has been very competitive as the teams have split their 14 meetings. The last time these schools squared off in Poughkeepsie, the Seahawks came away with a 38-7 victory on Sept. 16, 2006.
A former long-time member of the MAAC, Marist is an independent this season and next year will become an official member of the Pioneer Conferemce, joining Butler, Campbell, Davidson, Dayton, Drake, Jacksonville, Morehead State, San Diego, and Valparaiso.
