West Long Branch, NJ - Freshman QB Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) completed 14-of-27 passes for 260 yards and two TDS and senior WR Lon Woods (St. Petersburg, FL/ J.P. Taravella) caught six passes for 117 yards and twoTDs, while also throwing a first quarter TD pass on a double reverse to help lead Wagner to a rousing 27-24 NEC victory at Monmouth.

Wagner dominated the game statistically but had to hang on in the end as the Hawks missed a potential game-tying field goal attempt as time expired when Eric McCutchen's 37-yard attempt fell short.

The Seahawks got on the scoreboard first when they scored on a trick play as Doscher flipped the ball to WR Tyrone Collins (Geneva, NY/ Geneva), who then underhanded the ball to Woods. The offensive line gave Woods time to hurl a perfectly thrown pass to sophomore WR David Crawford (Carrollton, TX/ Hebron) in the end zone for a 40-yard TD strike to give Wagner a 7-0 lead with 7:27 remaining in the first quarter.

Monmouth tied the game at 7-7 with 2:48 left in the first quarter when DB Jose Gumbs returned a Doscher interception 35 yards in what would prove to be one of the very few mistakes by the freshman QB, who was in command of the Seahawk offense throughout the game.

Seahawk junior DB Frantz Placide (Miami, FL/ Archbishop Curley Notre Dame), a special teams demon all season, returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Hawk 37-yard line. On first down, Doscher hit Woods in stride on a 37-yard dart to give Wagner the lead for good at 14-7 with 2:26 left in the opening quarter.

Following a Monmouth field goal two minutes into the second quarter, the Wagner offense went to work again, putting together a swift four-play, 62-yard march, capped by another Doscher to Woods connection, with this TD aerial covering 43 yards. The extra point try was blocked, however, as Wagner took a 20-10 lead into halftime.

The Hawks got right back into the game early in the second half as RB Bobby Giles burst free on a 60-yard TD jaunt with 12:18 to go in the third quarter, drawing Monmouth to within three points at 20-17.

Pinned back on their nine-yard line after Woods lost his footing on the ensuing kickoff return, Wagner drove 91 yards in 14 plays, capped by a 14-yard TD run by Doscher. Executing Wagner's option-oriented spread offensive system to perfection, Doscher kept the ball on three straight running plays, a nine-yard burst, followed by a seven-yard run which set up the 14-yard TD score. The drive, which took 7:36 off the clock, lifted Wagner to a 27-17 lead with 4:32 to go in the third quarter.

Held in check most of the game, Monmouth's All-American RB David Sinisi went to work, gaining 50 yards on the ground in a nine-play, 67-yard drive that took 4:30 and was capped by Sinisi's eight-yard TD run that drew Monmouth to within 27-24 with 14:54 left in the game.

Late in the fourth quarter, Monmouth was in the process of putting together a potential game-winning drive but the Seahawk defense rose to the occasion. Faced with a fourth-and-four at the Wagner 27-yard line, junior DB Stefen Gage (Syracuse, NY/ Henninger) turned in the defensive play of the game, knocking Sinisi out of bounds at the Wagner 24-yard line, one yard shy of the first down. 

With 4:38 left to play, the Seahawks took over on downs following the stellar play by Gage but two minutes later Doscher was marked inches short on a quarterback sneak attempt on a fourth and one from the Monmouth 46-yard line.

The Hawks then went on an 11-play, 34-yard drive which set up McCutchen's potential game-tying field which landed well short of the mark, setting off a wild Seahawk celebration.

In addition to throwing for 260 yards, Doscher ran for 55 yards on 14 carries. Freshman RB Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford) was Wagner's leading ground-gainer with 72 yards on 18 carries to help Wagner pile up a season-high 424 yards of offense, 300 of which came through the air. 

Freshman LB Carl-Olivier Prime led the Seahawk defense in tackles for the second straight game, recording a game-high 12 stops, while junior DB Chaz Legette (Syracuse, NY/ Nottingham) and sophomore LB Dom Gaston (Phillipsburg, NJ/ Bergen Catholic) added eight and six tackles, respectively.

For Monmouth, Sinisi wound up with 124 yards on 27 carries while QB Kyle Frazier was 15-of-27 for 164 yards. His favorite receiver was TE Ron Launch who hauled in 70 yards on seven catches.

Following a bye next week, Wagner is next in action on Sat., Oct. 24 when the Seahawks host Sacred Heart on Homecoming Day in a 1:00 pm start. 

NOTES - The road team has now won the last five contests played between Wagner and Monmouth. Senior Shane Smith (Susquehanna, PA/ Milford) was converted from RB to LB and was credited with three tackles.   

FINAL STATS