Mustangs football drops heartbreaker to #10 nationally ranked Montclair State

The Morrisville State College football team put together a hard fought conference opener, but fell shy, suffering a heartbreaking 20-19 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) loss to nationally ranked #10 Montclair State University Saturday afternoon in Morrisville.



The Mustangs drop to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference action, while the Red Hawks post a 2-0 record, 1-0 in NJAC play.



Montclair broke the scoreless first quarter with a 32-yard field goal with just 41 seconds remaining by Jake DelVento (Island Heights, NJ) to complete the 11 play, 61-yard drive for the 3-0 lead.



Early in the second, Morrisville State Lemar Johnson (Ossining, NY) drove the Mustangs 89 yards to put one on the board, carrying the ball six yards to cap the 12 play drive for the 6-3 advantage.



On the ensuing drive, Montclair responded with a one-yard run from quarterback Tom Fischer (Livingston, NJ) to put the Red Hawks back ahead 10-6 at the break.



Midway through the third, Johnson connected with tight end Ricky Carlson (Kingston, NY) on a two-yard scoring pass play for the go ahead 13-10 score, but Montclair quickly responded with a 14-yard pass from Fischer to Dan Keegan (Fairfield, NJ) to regain the lead.



Delvento made it 20-13 midway through the fourth, hitting a 29 yard field goal with 8:43 to go.



Johnson marched the Mustangs 70 yards on the ensuing drive completing a five-yard pass to wide receiver Josh Powell (Yonkers, NY) to bring Morrisville State to within one with 21 seconds to go.



Opting for the two-point conversion, Montclair's defense was able to stop the Mustangs and hold on for the 20-19 conference victory.



Johnson went 11-for-21 for 125 yards and two touchdowns, adding 51 yards and a score on the ground. Tyler DUnworth (Poestenkill, NY) added 53 yards on the ground on 14 carries, while Sam Stonerock (Hornell, NY) carried the ball nine times for 50 yards.



Powell had four catches for 35-yards and a score, while Nate McConnell (Buffalo, NY) posted two for 42-yards. Carlson had two receptions for 14 yards.



Defensively, Enrique Robinson (St. Paul, MN) and Jeremy Stewart (Moravia, NY) combined for 21 total tackles.



Fischer went 14-22 for Montclair, throwing for 170 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Keegan led the receiving unit with seven receptions for 92-yards and a score.



Dan Avento (Montvale, NJ) and Steve Shan (Bayville, NJ) led the defensive unit with eight tackles a piece.



Morrisville State returns to the field Saturday, traveling to the College of New Jersey.