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Charles Battaglia Forces a First Half Fumble at the Goalline against Central Connecticut State
Sophia DiNanno
21
Winner Central Conn. St. CCS 5-5 , 4-1
17
Stonehill STO 1-8 , 0-5
Winner
Central Conn. St. CCS
5-5 , 4-1
21
Final
17
Stonehill STO
1-8 , 0-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
CCS Central Conn. St. 7 7 0 7 21
STO Stonehill 0 3 14 0 17

Game Recap: Football | | Doug Monson

Central Connecticut State Slips Past Football, 21-17

Blue Devils answer Skyhawks third quarter rally with fourth quarter score

EASTON, Mass. (November 9, 2024) – Central Connecticut State University responded to a third quarter rally from Stonehill College with a winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to claim a 21-17 victory and remain alive for the Northeast Conference Championship in NEC football action on Senior Day at Timothy J. Coughlin, '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon.

Sophomore running back Donny Marcus hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from junior Brady Olson with 8:54 to play to push Central Connecticut State back into the lead for what proved to be for good and offset a pair of Stonehill touchdowns in the third quarter that erased an 11-point halftime deficit.

Olson finished 10-for-16 passing for 110 yards and the winning touchdown, while Marcus totaled 88 all-purpose yards with two receptions for 30-yards, along with 11 carries fir 48. Junior Elijah Howard rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for the Blue Devils.

Junior linebacker Jack Stoll led the CCSU defense with ten tackles (three solo), including 1.0 for a loss of three yards and a quarterback hurry. Freshman Chris Jean added five stops (one solo), including 0.5 for a loss of two yards, and two pass breakups, while senior Davone Walden, Jr. registered an interception with two tackles (one solo) and classmate Jalen Howard recovered a fumble on Stonehill's ensuing possession after the CCSU go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter that went a long way towards sealing its second-straight win.
 
Jack O'Connell Looks Downfield against Central Conn. State
O'Connell threw a pair of third quarter touchdown passes to lead the Skyhawks offense (PHOTO BY Sophia DiNanno, '27)
Junior Jack O'Connell fired two touchdown passes in the third quarter to spark the Stonehill offense, completing 11-of-20 passes for 166 yards. Classmate Chase Miller caught one of those touchdowns and finished with four receptions for 70 yards, while senior Jake Newsham had the other score on two catches for 24 yards. Senior Danny Hurley chipped in with a career-best 49-yard field goal in the second quarter that got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard.

Sophomore Charles Battaglia spearheaded the Stonehill defense with a career-high 13 tackles (five solo), including 1.5 for a loss of five yards, and forced fumble. Freshman Caden Henritzy added seven stops (two solo), while junior Zack Athy contributed seven tackles (two solo), including 1.0 for a loss of a yard and a quarterback hurry. Sophomore Nigel Henderson chipped in with an interception, while junior Mo Seide recovered a fumble for the Skyhawks.
 
How It Happened
  • Central Connecticut used two double-digit play scoring drives that consumed a combined 18:23 of the first half clock to take a 14-3 lead into halftime.
  • Junior Ricky Ortega capped a grueling 18-play, 75-yard drive on CCSU's first possession of the game that ate over ten minutes of the clock with a one-yard run on third and goal with 1:53 to play in the first quarter.
  • Stonehill got on the scoreboard when Hurley delivered the second field goal of his career with a 49-yarder with 10:01 remaining in the second quarter after Henderson picked off Olson near midfield.
  • Central followed with its second lengthy drive of the half and Howard capped the 15-play, 73-yard possession that took another eight minutes off the clock with an eight-yard touchdown scamper with 1:48 to play before the half.
  • The Blue Devils got a late chance to break the game open when junior Gavin Bryson intercepted O'Donnell near midfield with 1:22 still to play in the half.
  • Charles Battaglia Against Central Conn. State
    Battaglia finished with a career-high 13 tackles and a forced fumble (PHOTO BY Sophia DiNanno, '27)
    CCSU drove to the Stonehill one-yard line, but Battaglia was able to pop the ball loose from Olson and Seide recovered at the five to end the first half.
  • Stonehill forced CCSU to punt after three plays on the opening possession of the second half and took advantage of a 15-yard punt into the wind with a seven-play, 55-yard drive capped by an O'Connell touchdown to Newsham from 15-yards out 4:06 into the third quarter.
  • The Skyhawks grabbed the lead with 2:54 to go in the third when O'Connell connected with Miller for a 14-yard touchdown.
  • CCSU reclaimed the lead with 8:54 remaining in the fourth quarter on Olson's 30-yard touchdown pass to Marcus.
  • Stonehill looked poised to respond again, this time with freshman Drew Eason, the Skyhawks fifth quarterback to see action this season, aiming for a storybook debut as he engineered a drive into CCSU territory, but a fumble on the exchange at center was recovered by Howard at the Blue Devils 38 and the Skyhawks wouldn't see the visitors side of the field again.           
Noteworthy
  • Prior to the game, Stonehill honored its 17 seniors and families participating in their final home game today: student manager, Brendan Cogavin, wide receiver Marchello Baine, long snapper Paul Collins, offensive lineman Will Conway, linebacker Matt DeVirgilio, wide receiver Jacob Flynn, offensive lineman Cam Macro, defensive back Jalen Rotella-White, linebacker Michael Strachan, Jr., running back Jarel Washington, tight end Jason Weir and captains, quarterback Ashur Carraha, defensive lineman Vahn Friday, offensive lineman Eric Meslin and defensive lineman Jermaine Williams, along with Newsham and Hurley.
  • Battaglia's career-best 13 tackles mark the first double-figure tackle game of his career, and fourth by a Stonehill player this season – including each of the last three games after junior Jordan Irvine registered a career-best 14 and 11 over the previous two weeks.
  • Miller's touchdown catch was the third of the season for the Illinois transfer, while Newsham celebrated Senior Day with his third career score – but first two days shy of exactly one year ago at Duquesne University on November 11, 2023, since his last.
  • O'Connell has tossed a team-high eight touchdown passes in his five games played.
  • Stonehill posted 114 of its 256 total yards in the third quarter outburst.
  • The road team has won each of the three meetings all-time between these two programs, with Central Connecticut winning for the second-straight visit to W.B. Mason Stadium, including its 2022 win in the first meeting all-time between the two programs, while Stonehill earned a 33-30 win in New Britain last season. 
Up Next:
Stonehill (1-8, 0-5 NEC) closes out its season with back-to-back trips to Pennsylvania, starting with a non-conference matchup at Lafayette University next Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Central Connecticut State (5-5, 4-1 NEC) will close out its season with back-to-back home games against Robert Morris University, next Saturday at noon, and Duquesne University, who entered the day as NEC co-leaders.
 
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and check out its all-new website, powered by Sidearm Sports, at stonehillskyhawks.com.
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