Story and photo courtesy of Marist Athletics
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Fifth-year senior wide receiver Michael Rios (Miami, Fla.) set Marist's single-game record with 244 receiving yards and tied a program record with three receiving touchdowns, and junior quarterback Chuckie Looney (Ocala, Fla.) had the program's second 400-yard passing game as Marist defeated Davidson 34-21 in the Pioneer Football League (PFL) opener for both teams.
Looney threw for 403 yards - the second-highest single-game total in Marist history - as he completed 17 of his 26 attempts. He threw four touchdown passes, which tied a school record, and was not intercepted.
Defensively for Marist, sophomore safety Zach Adler (Walden, N.Y.) had nine total tackles, including four solo stops. He also had a fumble recovery and a pass break-up. Senior linebacker Darius Hill (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also totaled nine tackles. Hill also forced the fumble that Adler recovered and had a pass break-up. The Red Foxes forced five turnovers, with three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Adler, senior linebacker Mike Hagemann (Vernon, N.J.) and red-shirt senior safety Steve Guarino (Norwood, N.J.) recovered fumbles, and senior defensive end Brett Sanchez (North Hampton, N.H.) had a strip-sack. Junior linebacker Paul Sakowski (Chester, N.Y.) and junior free safety Nick Kaszei (Brook Park, Ohio) had interceptions.
The Red Foxes totaled 550 yards of total offense, as they rolled up 147 rushing yards. Sophomore Louis Cotrone (South Bellmore, N.Y.) led a balanced attack with 42 yards, as four Marist backs had at least 29 yards on the ground.
Marist opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 30-yard scoring strike from Looney to senior tight end Anthony Calcagni (Thornwood, N.Y.). However, Davidson took the lead when Jonathan Carkhuff threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Reese Williams on a fourth-and-eight, and then Chris Trinetti ran for two points out of a PAT formation to give the Wildcats an 8-7 advantage.
The Red Foxes fought back with 20 unanswered points. After a touchback on a punt, Looney hit Rios with an 80-yard touchdown pass with 8:15 left in the second quarter to give Marist the lead for good. Sophomore Max Jacques (Salem, N.H.) had a 16-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to give the Red Foxes a 20-8 halftime lead. Then, Looney and Rios connected on a 14-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
Marist's final score came on a 71-yard pass from Looney to Rios in the fourth quarter, which gave the Red Foxes a 34-21 lead. Davidson's 21-yard touchdown pass from Carkhuff to Garrett Diehl accounted for the game's final points with 5:36 to play.
Davidson inside linebacker Patrick Moynahan finished with 22 tackles, including two stops for losses and a sack. Carkhuff finished 25-for-45 for 274 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed passes to 10 different receivers.
Marist is now 2-2 overall; Davidson is 0-3. The Red Foxes will return to action next Saturday with a PFL contest at Jacksonville. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.