NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. The American International football team survived a huge second half push from Merrimack in a crucial Northeast-10 road victory Saturday at Martone-Mejail Field , 24-21.
With the win AIC improves to 7-2 overall and 7-1 in NE-10 play, while with the loss the Warriors fall to 3-6 and 3-5 in the conference.
Up 24-0 at the half, American International held off a Merrimack three touchdown rally in the final 20 minutes to remain atop the NE-10 with one final regular season game to go.
Following a Warrior touchdown with under two minutes to go in regulation, Merrimack recovered an onside kick attempt, setting themselves up at midfield down 24-21. Warrior backup quarterback, sophomore Nicak Lasparda (Billerica, Mass.) gained three yards on the first play, but failed to complete a pass on his next three attempts and gave the ball back to AIC.
Yellow Jacket senior quarterback Kevin Arduino (Cornwall, N.Y.) kneeled out the clock and ended another late thriller, the third in-a-row for the Jackets.
The Warriors punted away their first possession, but the ball sailed just 24 yards out-of-bounds at the Merrimack 26-yard line, giving AIC superb field possession.
American International sophomore fullback Manny McClain (Highland Park, N.J.) took the Jackets first reception of the game all 26 yards for a quick 7-0 lead.
AIC had a chance to go up 10 later in the first frame, but a 35-yard senior kicker Jared Hulsey (Springfield, Mass.) sailed wide left.
The Yellow Jackets added two more rushing touchdowns in the first half from senior tailback Terrell Williams (Hempstead, N.Y.), both one-yard scoring scampers.
Williams ended the day with 94 yards on 21 carries for 4.5 yards-per-carry and the two touchdowns.
Hulsey gave AIC its only points of the second half, a 21-yard field goal to give AIC a four possession lead.
Laspada led two scoring drives in the third. He kept one himself, a 12-yard scoring run to get the Warriors on the board and with 20 seconds left in the third, hit junior tight end Stephan Cronan (Hampton, N.H.) with a two-yard TD pass to bring the game within 10.
With just over five minutes remaining in the fourth and the Warriors mraching down the field, the Yellow Jacket defense stuffed Merrimack on the AIC one-yard line. Merrimack went for a field goal, but was blcoked from 20 yards out.
Merrimack ended a quiet fourth with the Justin Mount (Westford, Mass.), two-yard scoring catch with 1:38 to go, but the resilient Jackets held on.
In sub-par conditions, Arduino completed 8-of-21 passes for 103 yards and a score. Sophomore tailback Marcel DePina (New Bedford, Mass.) rushed for 85 yards on 13 carries, an average of 6.5 yards-per-carry.
On the defensive front, Darion Chappel (New York, N.Y.), Carron McCluney (Hillside, N.J.) and junior safety Daquan Holmes (Troy, N.Y.) all registered six tackles.
AIC ends its regular season next Saturday, Nov. 8 at home against NE-10 foe Pace. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and the Yellow Jacket seniors will be recognized prior to the game.
