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Pictured Above: Defensive Tackle Al Page had six tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack, vs. Monmouth

West Long Branch, NJ – The Wagner football team dropped a heartbreaking 21-16 decision in the rain at former Northeast Conference (NEC) rival Monmouth as freshman cornerback Mike Basile intercepted a pass in the end zone with 1:31 left to play in the game, preserving the Hawk victory.
 
The Seahawks fall to 1-2 on the season entering a bye week and will return to action on September 27 at Patriot League member Lafayette in a 6:00 pm start. With the victory, Monmouth, which is in its first season as a member of the Big South, moves to 2-0 on the season.
 
With Wagner trailing 21-16 and just 3:20 left to play in the game, the Seahawks took over at the Monmouth 26-yard line when Hawk punter Ryan Mohr mishandled a snap as Seahawk junior linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/Norristown) pounced on the loose ball.
 
Consecutive passes from senior quarterback Brian Gehring (Tigard, OR/Tigard/Laney JC) to junior tight end Ryan Owens (Gainseville, NY/Letchworth) of eight and five yards gave Wagner a first down at the Hawk 13-yard line with less than two minutes to play. After a two-yard loss by sophomore running back Brandon Peoples (Abington Township, PA/Archbishop Wood), Gehring lofted a high pass to the far left corner of the end zone intended for fifth-senior tight end Bryant Watts (Burlington, NJ/Florence).
 
With the game potentially hanging in the balance, the 6-1 Basile made a leaping interception in front of the 6-5 Watts as the Hawks held on for the victory.
 
Gehring set career highs in passing completions, attempts and yards, going  23-of-37 through the air for 228 yards and was credited with 25 yards rushing on 10 attempts. His favorite target on the afternoon was senior wide receiver Ralph Greene (Tigard, OR/Tigard), his former high school teammate who finished with five receptions for 69 yards, both of which were career highs.
 
Peoples had four catches for 36 yards and rushed for a team-high 32 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries while Owens finished with four catches for 29 yards. Defensively, senior linebacker Greg Hilliard (Brockton, MA/Suffield Academy/UMass) recorded a team-high seven tackles. The Seahawks received a boost with the active play of senior defensive tackle Al Page (Bronx, NY/Christopher Columbus), as the 6-2, 285-pound Rutgers transfer had six tackles, highlighted by a five-yard sack and a team-high three tackles for loss (minus eight yards).
 
Also registering six tackles apiece for the Green & White were senior inside linebacker Max Wassel (Totowa, NJ/Passaic Valley) and senior safety Daniel Mack (Miami, FL/Dade Christian/Wake Forest). Fifth-year senior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard/Purdue) came up with a 25-yard second-quarter interception as well as a fumble recovery. The interception was the ninth of his career.

For Monmouth, senior quarterback Brandon Hill, a UMass transfer, was 20-of-33 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns while senior running back Kwabena Asante rushed for a game-high 81 yards on 20 carries. The linebacker tandem of Tyler Thompson and John Sieczkowski paced Monmouth defensively with 10 tackles apiece.
 
The Hawks took a 15-9 halftime lead which preceded a scoreless third quarter. Monmouth made it a two-score game with 11:53 left to play when Hill tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Assante to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive in 2:52. The Hawks then went for two but came up empty as the Seaahwks' pressured Hill into a hurried throw leaving Monmouth with a 21-9 lead.

Wagner struck back on its next possession, putting together a crisp eight-play, 75-yard drive, which culminated in a pretty 30-yard scoring strike from Gehring to sophomore wide receiver Lloyd Smith (Willingboro,NJ/Valley Forge Military Academy) with 8:21 left to play. Maley's extra point drew the Seahawks to within 21-16, setting up the late-game drama. 

Monmouth struck first in this contest. On the third play of the game from scrimmage, the Hawks recovered a Gehring fumble at the Seahawk 35-yard line and scored six plays later on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Hill to running back Asante to take a quick 7-0 lead with 10:43 left in the first quarter.
 
Late in the first quarter, the Seahawks put together a sharp 13-play, 63-yard drive that took 6:27 before stalling at the Hawk 14.Senior placekicker Bryan Maley (Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak) came on to boot a 34-yard field with 1:24 to go in the opening quarter, making it a 7-3 game.
 
Following a 39-yard punt by fifth-year senior A.J. Firestone (Mercersburg, PA/Mercersburg Academy/Penn State), the Hawks took over at their own 26 and marched 74 yards in eight plays. The quick-strike drive was keyed by a 42-yard pass completion up the left sideline from Hill to wide receiver Neil Sterling and was capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hill to tight end Hakeen Valles with 8:30 left in the half. Monmouth then successfully executed a fake on the extra-point after try as holder Greg DePugh hit tight end Evan Ruane in the end zone on a two-point conversion, extending the Hawk lead to 15-3.
 
With 4:13 remaining in the half, the Seahawks took over at their own five yard-line following a well-placed 39-yard punt by Ryan Mohr. With Gehring operating the two-minute drill with precision, the Seahawks put together an impressive 13-play, 95-yard drive with Peoples scoring from one-yard out on a toss to the right with 17 seconds left in the half.
 
Early in the drive, Gehring hit Greene over the middle on consecutive plays, for nine and 23 yards, respectively, with the latter giving the Seahawks a first down at the Hawk 30. On 2^nd-and-7 from the Monmouth 27, Gehring scrambled 22 yards up the middle to give Wagner a first and goal at the five, setting up Peoples' one-yard score.
 
The extra-point snap was fumbled, however, as the holder Firestone was tackled, as the teams headed into the locker room at halftime with Monmouth on top, 15-9.
 
For the game, Wagner held a 304-288 edge in overall yards, passing for 228 and rushing for 76 while Monmouth managed 215 through the air and 73 on the ground. The Seahawks led in first downs, 18-16 and in time of possession, 33:58-26:02. Wagner was 9-of-19 on third-down conversions while the Hawks were 6-of-16 in this department.

NOTES – Monmouth has won the last three games to take a 12-10 series lead. Prior to today, the visiting team had won none of the last 10 contests while Wagner saw a four-game winning streak in West Long Branch, NJ come to an end. The schools, whose campuses are separated by 45 miles, have met every season since 1993 and from 1996-2012, the two locked horns as members of the NEC. In 2013, Monmouth competed as an independent before beginning Big South play this season.
 
Seahawk Jersey Shore Connections
Given its close proximity to the "Jersey Shore," coupled with the high quality of high school football that is played along there, it's no surprise that the Wagner football program has long enjoyed a strong connection to this region. And 2014 is no exception. In addition to Seahawk Athletic Director/Head Coach Walt Hameline, who is a long-time resident of Colts Neck, NJ, the 2014 roster features six student-athlete who call the Jersey Shore home.

No.      Name           Cl.      Pos.   Ht.      Wt.     Hometown/High School/Last School
37       Eli Smith      So.        DB   6-0     180    Red Bank, NJ / Middletown South
41       Myles Martin So.        DB   5-9     185    Neptune, NJ / Neptune
44       Jesse Flaherty Fr.      RB   6-1     200    Red Bank, NJ / The Peddie School
58       Phil Faccone Sr.        LS   5-9     195    Brick, NJ / Brick Memorial
61       Ryan Wytanis Sr.       OL   6-4     280    Freehold, NJ / Freehold
86       Anthony Carrington   Sr.   WR    6-2     195   Toms River, NJ / Toms River North
Walt Hameline - Director of Athletics (AD) / Head Football Coach, Resides in Colts Neck, NJ