FINAL STATS

PHOTO GALLERY

WALT HAMELINE POST-GAME COMMENTS

Richmond, VA – The Wagner College football team turned in a gallant effort vs. a Richmond team ranked ninth in The Sports Network Top-25 Poll, trailing by just a 7-3 count at halftime before the Spiders pulled away for a 21-6 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 8,700 at Robins Stadium.

In the days leading up to the Seahawks' contest vs. the Spiders, many wondered how Wagner would match up physically, given that the Spiders were coming off a win over FBS member Duke a week earlier. In the first half, however, it was Wagner laying the wood, jarring three fumbles loose while intercepting two passes.

Wagner played a spirited first half in the first night game in school history. As competitive as it was, things could have gone even better for the Seahawks. With Wagner trailing 7-0 in the waning seconds of the first quarter, junior quarterback Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) found sophomore running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy) in the left flat pass on a screen pass. The reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Week then weaved his way for what appeared to be a 78-yard touchdown. While the Seahawks celebrated in the end zone, some 70 yards back up field a penalty flag laid near the line of scrimmage. A holding penalty on Wagner was the call as the Spiders escaped the first quarter with a 7-0 lead.

Richmond quarterback Aaron Corp hit wide receiver Ben Edwards for a 56-yard TD pass over the middle with 13:37 left in the first quarter to give Richmond the early 7-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, Richmond went 82 yards in 14 plays but junior linebacker Mike Lombardo (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter Christian) intercepted Corp in the end zone to quell the Spider drive.

Richmond was on the move again in the second quarter when Seahawk junior cornerback Torian Phillips (Staten Island, NY/ Port Richmond) came up with an interception and 28-yard return that gave Wagner excellent field position at its own 41-yard line. From there the Seahawks went 38 yards in 11 plays to set up a 38-yard field by junior David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ American Heritage) at the 6:01 mark of the second quarter which rounded out the first-half scoring.

The score remained 7-3 midway through the third quarter until Corp hit wide receiver Kevin Finney on a six-yard touchdown pass to cap a nine-play, 72-yard march as the Spiders opened a 14-3 lead with 6:39 left in third quarter.

Junior wide receiver Wandy Saintilien (Miami, Fl/ ASA Institute) returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards and 15 more yards were added on due to a personal foul on Richmond which gave the Seahawks the ball at their own 42-yard line. Wagner then embarked on an eight-play, 31-yard drive that was capped by a 38-yard field goal by Lopez which drew the Seahawks to within 14-6 with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter.

Richmond dashed Wagner's hopes for the upset by answering with a nine-play, 64-yard drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters, culminating with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Kendall Gaskins with 13:04 left. The Spiders out clamps down on the Seahawk offense the rest of the way as Williams had little room to run while Doscher was under constant duress in the pocket.

The Spiders held an overwhelming statistical advantage but their five turnovers, all committed in the first half, allowed Wagner to stay within striking distance. The Seahawks , meanwhile, turned the ball over just once on a second quarter Doscher interception.

Richmond held a 412-189 advantage in total yards, outgaining the Seahawks 236 to 121 through the air. The Spiders held a 22-11 edge in first downs and outrushed the Seahawks 181-84.

Corp completed 16-of-25 passes for 236 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. His favorite target was wide receiver Tre Gray who had six catches for 85 yards. On the ground, Gaskins led the way with 98 yards on 24 carries.

For Wagner, Doscher completed 13-of-24 passes for 121 yards and was sacked three times. Williams was the Seahawks' leading receiver with four catches for 30 yards and was also Wagner's leading rusher with 16 carries for 45 yards.

Defensively for Wagner, senior strong safety Jeremiah Brown (Brooklyn, NY/ Grand Street Campus) was around the football all game long, recording 12 tackles, two shy of his career high of 14. Brown also had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Junior strong safety Theodore Clohessy (Staten Island, NY/ St. Joseph By The Sea) also turned in a solid game in the secondary with a career-high eight tackles. Junior linebacker Carl-Olivier Prime (Quebec, Canada / The Kent School) matched Clohessy with eight stops while sophomore cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/ Dillard) and Lombardo had seven tackles apiece.

Darius McMillan led the way defensively for Richmond with 10 stops while Colin Pehanick added seven tackles.

Wagner is next in action on Saturday, September 17 at 1:00 pm when the Seahawks host Northeast Conference preseason favorite Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils battled 19th-ranked James Madison on the road before ending up on the short end of a 14-9 decision.

NOTES – With his 121 yards passing, Doscher moved into sixth-place on the Seahawk all-time list with 3,691 yards. Sitting in fifth place is Greg Kovar (1985-88) at 3,895 yards. Doscher's 13 completions vs. Richmond also moved him into sixth place in that category with 272. Jason Cue (1993-94) is next in fifth place with 282 completions. Richmond is a member of the ultra-competitive Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In its 80 previous seasons of college football, Wagner had only faced one other school that is a current member of the CAA in Towson University. Wagner and Towson engaged in a two-game series in the mid 1990's. On September 23, 1995, the Seahawks earned a 23-15 victory over Towson on Grymes Hill. The following season, on November 16, 1996, the Tigers came away with a 35-11 win. Tonight's game was just the third in Seahawk history to take place in the state of Virginia. On September 16, 1989, Wagner posted a 31-7 win at Newport News. The teams met again in Virginia on October 5, 1991 with Newport News coming out on top 32-19. Junior linebacker Greg Burton (South Plainfield, NJ/ South Plainfield), who sat out last week's Saint Francis (PA) game with an injury, gained the start at linebacker. The interceptions by Lombardo and Phillips were the first of their careers. The third quarter 45-yard field goal by Lopez tied for the longest field goal at Robins Stadium, which is in its second season of operation.