PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The American International College football team closed out the 2011 campaign with a 54-6 Northeast-10 victory at Pace University Saturday. The Yellow Jackets finished the season with an overall record of 6-4, and tied for third in the NE-10 with a 5-3 mark in conference play.
Sophomore running back
Bryant Fitzgerald (Highland Park, N.J.) opened the scoring with an 18-yard scoring run with 4:07 left in the first quarter, and found the end zone again just 2:33 later after breaking free for a 74-yard touchdown run. He also scored on a seven yard jaunt to open the second half scoring.
Senior running back Eric Santos (Huntington, N.Y.) got the Setters (1-9, 0-8 NE-10) on the board with two-yard scoring run six seconds into the second quarter, but it was all AIC from there as the Yellow Jackets scored 42 unanswered points the rest of the way.
Fitzgerald totaled 19 carries for 209 yards and three TDs, while redshirt freshman quarterback
Kevin Arduino (Cornwall, N.Y.) completed 9-of-15 passes for 159 yards and three scores and carried the ball 10 times for 83 yards and an additional score.
Sophomore wide receiver
Cal Brownridge (Newark, N.J.) caught six passes for 141 yards and two scores. He pulled in a 29-yard touchdown reception in the opening minutes of the second quarter and then caught an 18-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left in the first half.
Sophomore running back
Eriksen Simmons (Webster, N.Y.) had 17 carries for 103 yards and scored on a 56-yard sprint 45 seconds into the second quarter. Senior wide receiver
Andre Samuels (Linden, N.J.) added a 17-yard touchdown reception with six minutes left in the third quarter to close out the scoring in the game.
Santos finished the game with 25 carries for 123 yards and a score, accounting for about two-thirds of Paces 198 yards of total offense.
Sophomore linebacker
Jaquawne Simpkins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) tallied a team-best 10 tackles (six solo) in the game for AIC, while senior defensive back
Max Brown (Paterson, N.J.) had eight tackles (five solo) with 2.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive lineman
Justin Tervo (Millbury, Mass.) added six tackles (four solo) with one sack.
Senior defensive back David Lopez (Ozone Park, N.Y.) had a game-high 13 tackles (10 solo) and forced a fumble for the Setters. Junior defensive back Sean Bostic-Sealy (Hamden, Conn.) and senior linebacker Vince Romano (Davenport, N.Y.) had eight tackles each.
