Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College football team earned a last-second 30-27 victory over Merrimack on Saturday afternoon at rainy Hameline Field.
After a goal line stand by the Wagner defense with 34 seconds to play, Merrimack lined up at the Wagner 2-yard line to attempt a game-tying field goal, but a botched snap led to a game-sealing tackle by senior
Jalin Justice, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
At the conclusion of the contest, Wagner continued its tradition of handing out two homecoming awards. Senior
Junior Wily was the recipient of the Nick Lia Memorial Trophy for the Defensive MVP after leading the Seahawks with 12 total tackles and a crucial interception, while graduate student quarterback took home the James Robb Memorial Trophy, awarded to the offensive MVP of the game. Krajewski threw for two touchdowns, while rushing for two scores on a difficult day for football on the East Coast.
"I can't speak enough about our guys and the way they handled things," head coach
Tom Masella commented. "Today was the first day we faced a lot of adversity and responded on all three phases of the game. It's great to be 2-0, we beat two really good football teams the last two weeks and we were able to win close games."
With the win, the Seahawks improve to 2-0 in Northeast Conference play for the first time since 2016, while recording their first two-game win streak since the 2018 season.
After Merrimack took the lead midway through the first quarter, the Seahawks scored 10 unanswered points on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Krajewski to junior
Trevor Shorter and a 42-yard field goal by freshman
Ryan Liszner to take a 10-7 halftime lead.
To start the second half, a Krajewski score on a quarterback sneak capped a gritty nine-play drive that took 5:10 minutes off the clock and gave Wagner a two-score lead at 17-7.
Merrimack turned the game upside down on two special teams touchdowns that gave the Warriors a 21-17 lead late in the third quarter.
Wagner answered, as an interception by Wily set the offense up with good field position to start the fourth quarter. The offense capitalized, with Krajewski scoring on a nine-yard run to re-establish the Wagner lead at 23-21 with 12:55 to play.
Both teams traded touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter, with Krajewski finding freshman
Jaylen Bonelli on fourth down in the red zone for an 11-yard score to make it 30-27 in favor of the Seahawks with 4:35 to play, setting up the dramatic finish.
Bonelli led Wagner with five catches for 48 yards and a score, while sophomore
Zachary Palmer-Smith was the Seahawks' leading rusher with 69 yards on the ground.
Next up, the Seahawks will travel to FBS member Rutgers next Saturday, September 30, with kick-off set for 3:30 pm.
