Pictured Above: Senior DB Tim Hayes seen recording his fifth interception of the season (photo by Dave Saffran)


 
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

Staten Island, NY  – Wagner junior quarterback Alex Thomson (Keyport, NJ / Keyport) threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns, senior running back Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY / Bishop Maginn / Jireh Prep [NC]) added 95 yards on the ground, and the Seahawks' defense came up with three interceptions in leading the Green & White to a 31-24 Senior Day win over Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Saint Francis U this afternoon.
 
With the victory, Wagner finished the season with a winning record of 6-5 in head coach Jason Houghtaling's second season, while finishing in a tie for third place with Bryant in the NEC standings at 4-2. In the process, the Seahawks' spoiled Saint Francis U's unbeaten NEC season as the Red Flash fall to 7-4 overall and 5-1 in league play as they await their first-round opponent in the 2016 NCAA Playoffs which will be revealed tomorrow.

The Seahawks end the season on a two-game winning streak as today's victory came on the heels of last week's 40-5 romp at Robert Morris.

Thomson's 263 passing yards came on 19-of-27 accuracy. Senior wide receiver John Williams (Sewell, NJ / Lackawanna JC) caught a team-high five passes for 105 yards and a score while senior wide receiver Andre Yevchinez (Binghamton, NY/ Binghamton) hauled in five receptions for 88 yards and two touchdowns. 

Senior strong safety Tim Hayes (Los Angeles, CA / Wyoming) recorded his fifth interception of the season which places him in a tie for 10^th place on the Seahawk all-time single-season list, along with four pass breakups, while junior free Jesse Flaherty (Oceanport, NJ / The Peddie School) and fifth-year senior linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA / Norristown) had interceptions as well.
 
Sophomore linebacker Santoni Graham (Arlington, VA / Fork Union Military Academy) led the Seahawks with six tackles, while junior defensive end Jordan Baskerville (West Point, NY / Milford Academy) added two sacks and a forced fumble 
 
Wagner was dominant in racing out to a 24-0 halftime lead over the Red Flash and built the lead to 31-0 before Saint Francis U made it interesting with 24 unanswered points.
 
The Seahawks got on the board first, with a 54-yard touchdown strike from Thomson to Williams.  Earlier in the drive, Thomson picked up a key first down on a 10-yard scramble on third down. Wagner led 7-0 with 9:41 left in the first quarter.
 
Wagner extended its lead to 14-0 with 10:27 to go in the first half on a 23-yard touchdown pass over the middle from Thomson to Yevchinecz.  That completed a seven-play, 45-yard drive, which included two scrambles by Thomson for first downs. 
 
The Seahawks lead grew to 17-0 on a 40-yard field goal by James Cooper with 5:36 remaining in the half.  A 20-yard pass from Thomson to Chris Woodard earlier in the drive helped to setup the field goal attempt.
 
Wagner led 24-0 at halftime after a 50-yard touchdown pass from Thomson to Yevchinecz with 42 seconds left in the half.  Wagner's Flaherty intercepted a pass by Drayer and returned it to the Wagner 34.  A 13-yard catch by Williams setup the 50-yard touchdown throw. 
 
The Seahawks extended their lead to 31-0 with 10:48 left in the third quarter on an eight-yard touchdown run by Denzel Knight off of a direct snap.  Thomson completed three passes for 35 yards on the drive.

Saint Francis got on the board on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Drayer to Lewis with 5:39 to go in the third quarter.  Drayer found Lewis out to the left side and Lewis got into the end zone by leaping over a defender.  Lewis made a 52-yard catch over a defender earlier in the drive.  Geesey's extra point cut the Wagner lead to 31-7.
 
The Red Flash cut the deficit to 31-14 on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Drayer to Holder with 14:16 to go in the game. Saint Francis scored again on a touchdown reception by Holder, this time a 92-yard reception, with 2:24 left in the game.  Drayer hit Holder over the middle and after breaking a tackle at midfield, Holder took it the rest of the way for the score.  Geesey's extra point cut the Wagner lead to 31-21.
 
The Red Flash's last score of the game came on a 31-yard field goal by Geesey with seven seconds left to cut the Seahawks lead to 31-24.  Drayer connected with Rodriguez Alexander for a 25-yard reception and Lewis for a 33-yard catch on the drive. 
 
However, Wagner recovered the ensuing on-side kick attempt by Geesey to seal the win.
 
For the game, Wagner held a 390-373 edge in total yards, le din first downs, 22-18, and held a commanding 37:05-22:55 advantage in time of possession.
 
NOTES
Wagner Holds Big Lead Over SFU in All-Time Series
Wagner now leads the all-time series with SFU, 22-4.
 
Senior Day
The Wagner College football program honored 19 student-athletes, who were playing their final games in a Seahawk uniform, during a pre-game ceremony today. Each of the Seahawk seniors were accompanied by family members and/or friends at midfield. The 19 student-athletes saluted today were comprised of:

Nour Aly WR 5-11 175 North Caldwell, NJ / West Essex  
Ryan Bennett QB 6-1 195 Hanover, MA / Hanover  
Kendle Bramble DL 6-4 250 Freeport, NY / Baldwin  
Keith Foster WR 6-3 200 Newark, NJ / Weequahic / Milford Academy  
Eddie Garcia* OL ` 6-2 305 Miami, FL / Christopher Columbus  
Tiquan Garner DB 5-9 165 Brookville, NY / Long Island Lutheran  
Isaiah Gills DB 6-4 225 Bel Air, MD / Harford Technical High School  
Najee Harris* LB 6-2 225 Norristown, PA / Norristown  
Tim Hayes DB 5-10 200 Los Angeles, CA / Crespi Carmelite / Wyoming  
Matthias McKinnon RB 6-0 210 Albany, NY / Bishop Maginn / Jireh Prep (NC)  
Ryan Monaghan QB 6-0 185 Rutherford, NJ / St. Mary's  
Elihu Ngbodi OL 6-5 310 Poughkeepsie, NY / Our Lady of Lourdes  
Ryan Owens* TE 6-4 240 Gainesville, NY / Letchworth  
Brandon Peoples WR 5-11 200 Abington Township, PA / Archbishop Wood/Milford 
Bryan Rafano P 6-1 180 South River, NJ / St. Joseph's Metuchen (NJ)  
Lloyd Smith WR 6-1 195 Willingboro, NJ / Holy Cross / Valley Forge Military (PA)  
Joseph Wightman DL 6-4 240 Maplewood, NJ / Seton Hall Prep  
Andre Yevchinecz WR/PR 5-10 170 Binghamton, NY / Binghamton
Rashad Young WR 6-0 205 Ledyard, CT / The Williams School / Bridgeton Academy

* - Graduate Student

Wagner Athletics