PAXTON, Mass.—Mount Ida College used a late turnover to survive a scare from Anna Maria College, escaping with a 14-12 win over the Amcats and setting up a showdown with Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) leading Husson College in the final game of the regular season next weekend at Alumni field, where the Mustangs can grab a share of the ECFC regular season crown.
Mount Ida (5-4, 5-1 ECFC) can still clinch the conference title and trip to the NCAA tournament, but they will need to beat Husson on Senior Day at 12:00 pm and get help from Castleton, who will need to beat Norwich in order to give Mount Ida the tiebreaker.
Leading 14-12 with nine seconds left to play against the Amcats (0-9, 0-6 ECFC), Mount Ida senior Jovan Wilkins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) picked off a pass at his own four-yard line which ended the threat of a comeback just two plays after the Amcats had scored a touchdown to pull within two points, and then recovered an onside-kick after failing to complete the two-point conversion.
Wilkins had another outstanding day at the defensive back position, also picking off a pass on the third play from scrimmage for Anna Maria, and blocking an extra point that proved to be a critical play in the game, as it forced the Amcats to try the two-point play late in the contest.
Senior quarterback Jawad Yatim (Shrewsbury, Mass.) threw a pair of touchdowns to account for both of Mount Ida's scores in the win.
The drive leading to the host's final score started with 3:27 left to play in the game, when the AMCATs took control at Mount Ida's 30-yard line. The AMCATS netted four first-downs on the drive and ran seven plays inside the red zone before quarterback Gregory McGoldrick (Brooklyn, N.Y.) found St. Clair Ryan (South Easton, Mass.) in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 14-12.
Down by two, the AMCATS attempted a two-point conversion and McGoldrick connected his pass to Will Ricard (Billerica, Mass.), but the Mustangs defense brought him down short of the goal line.
Anna Maria's kicker Kyle Simons (Swansea, Mass.) placed a perfect onside kick which brushed the leg of a Mount Ida defender, resulting in a pile on the ball, which was ultimately retained by Anna Maria at the Mustangs' 49-yard line with nine seconds still to play.
The AMCATS had time for two plays; the first, an incomplete pass attempt soared over the head of Ricard, was followed by a second pass attempt that was caught by the intended receiver but was stripped away by Wilkins for his team-leading fourth interception of the season.
After a scoreless first quarter that saw both teams attempt three drives, the Mustangs got on the board just 1:56 into the second quarter as Yatim found Nick Hewitt (Killingly, Conn.) in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown pass.
The AMCATS trailed 7-0 at halftime but came within one, at 7-6, following a 13-yard pass from starting quarterback Daniel Faison(Bowie, Md.) to Ricard at the 2:57 mark of the third quarter. Simons' extra-point attempt was blocked by Wilkins, and the Mustangs opened up an eight-point gap with a 32-yard pass from Yatim to Idris Drayton (Montclair, N.J.) 1:16 later.
The AMCATS tried to regain the momentum two Mount Ida drives later when Joe Colao (Westerly, R.I.) caught Yatim in the act of passing and forced him to fumble at Anna Maria's 48-yard line. The ball sailed all the way to Mount Ida's 35-yard line, where Anna Maria's Manny Suarez (Lawrence, Mass.) jumped on the ball to claim possession, but the home team went three and out on their ensuing drive.
The Mustangs saw a game-high 113 rushing yards on 29 carries from Jaleel Battle (Buffalo, N.Y.). Yatim completed six of 14 pass attempts for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Hewitt totaled 62 yards and a touchdown on three catches, while Drayton recorded 43 yards and a touchdown on two catches.
Mount Ida's defense saw 10 tackles from Sean Chinova (Watertown, Conn.) and eight from Mamour Samb (Pawtucket, R.I.). Anthony Sanders (Meriden, Conn.) had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss of 13 yards in the win.
Colao had an impressive day on defense for the AMCATS. In addition to the forced fumble, he totaled six tackles, five of which were behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks and three tackles-for-loss.
The AMCAT defense also saw 10 tackles apiece from Mike Sinto (Long Island, N.Y.) and Victor Sambola (Worcester, Mass.) Tyler Rocha (Cranston, R.I.) aided the Anna Maria defense with four tackles and a forced fumble.
Offensively, the AMCATS totaled 212 offensive yards, including 197 passing yards. Faison completed nine of his 17 pass attempts for 153 yards and a touchdown, while McGoldrick completed seven of 12 attempts for 44 yards and a touchdown. Ryan McCarthy(Deer Park, N.Y.) was the favorite target today, as he totaled 136 receiving yards on eight catches. Trai Weaver (Waterbury, Conn.) totaled 31 yards on three catches.
Christopher Bettano (Lawrence, Mass.) finished second for the AMCATS in all-purpose yard with 42 from 28 rushing yards and 12 yards on a kickoff return.
The AMCATS wrap up the 2014 season next weekend as they travel to nearby Worcester for a 12:00 p.m. game against Becker.