ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick led 14-7 at halftime but visiting Frostburg State scored 28 consecutive points in the second half and scored touchdowns on four of their final five possessions in a 35-21 victory over the Hawks at Wright Stadium. The Bobcats tallied 21 points in the first 7:49 of the fourth quarter to take control. The Hawks scored with 4:15 remaining but it was too little too late.
The Hawks fall to 2-6 overall and 1-5 in the Empire 8 with the loss. Frostburg improves to 4-5 and 2-5 in league play.
The two teams were as close as could be in terms of total offense. Frostburg gained 314 yards on the day while the Hawks accumulated 311.
Running back Ben Sasu and quarterback Ken Emmons combined for 187 yards on the ground and four touchdowns for the Bobcats. Emmons also threw for another 84 yards and one score.
Hartwick quarterback John Garcia (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) threw for 275 yards on 16-of-23 passing with two touchdowns. Receiver Brad Garcia (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) made five catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Carl Holmes (Cuba, NY/Cuba-Rushford) made four receptions for 68 yards and a score.
The Hawks would score on their second possession. John Garcia would connect with his brother Brad Garcia for a 59-yard touchdown pass and the Hawks were in front 7-0 after Korey Jubie's (Kingston, NY/Kingston) extra point 10:37 into the game.
The Bobcats' ensuing possession results in seven points to tie the game. Emmons did much of the legwork as he ran for 40 yards on the drive, including a 1-yard run for the score.
After both teams punted on their next possessions, the Hawks would jump in front with under four minutes left in the half. John Garcia completed passing plays of 26 yards each to Holmes and Brad Garcia on the drive and quarterback Billy Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown run. Jubie's PAT gave the Hawks a 14-7 lead at the break.
Frostburg would come away empty on its first two possessions of the second half with a punt and an interception. Later, a big punt return set the Bobcats up on the Hartwick 22 and they would score five plays later to even up the game with 6:12 left in the third.
After forcing a Hartwick punt, FSU got the ball back and drove 62 yards on 10 plays to move ahead of 'Wick on a Sasu touchdown. Sasu later ran it in on a 29-yard run to increase the margin to 14 points, 28-14.
When they got the ball back, an Emmons to Myles Burgess 32-yard pass built a 21-point lead for the visitors with 7:11 left in the game.
Hartwick answered with an 8-play, 76-yard drive. John Garcia went 5-for-5 on the drive, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Holmes to trim the margin to 14 with 4:15 showing on the clock but the Bobcats earned two first downs on their last possession and they ran out the clock for the victory.
The Hawks fall to 1-3 against Frostburg all-time with the setback.
Lineman Andrew Bashford (East Rockaway, NY/East Rockaway) registered a game- and career-high 14 tackles to pace the Hawks defensively. A.J. Sakac (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) notched eight hits and Matthew Ali (Sayville, NY/Sayville) added seven. Kyle Dalton (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) contributed six tackles and an interception.
Hartwick is back in action next Saturday at Buffalo State. The Hawks and Bengals kickoff at 1 p.m.
Frostburg Second Half Sinks Hartwick Football
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141101_0gvz.xml
2014
Frostburg State
35
Hartwick
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frostburg State (4-5) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
| Hartwick (2-6) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Nov 01, 2014