SPRINGFIELD, Mass. American International junior safety Daquan Holmes (Troy, N.Y.) picked off three Stonehill passes and ran two back touchdowns in a defensive led win over the Skyhawks in a Northeast-10 Championship rematch Saturday at Abdow Field.
With the win AIC improves to 2-1 overall this season and 2-0 in NE-10 play, while with the loss Stonehill falls to 1-2 and 1-1 in conference play.
The Skyhawks jumped on the scoreboard first off a turnover. On the opening drive, senior quarterback Kevin Arduino's (Cornwall, N.Y.) pass was deflected by a receiver in the air and picked off by Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.). Stonehill would take it as far as the AIC 11 yard line, but settled for a 28 yard Steve Grzywacz (Manchester, N.H.) field goal.
On the ensuing drive, senior tailback Terrell Williams (Hempstead, N.Y.) opened the drive with a one-handed, 20 yard reception from Arduino. The Yellow Jackets pounded the ball on the ground before senior wideout Stephan Davis (Selden, N.Y.) was targeted for a 17 yard completion, moving into the redzone.
Arduino capped off the nine-play, 67 yard drive with a two yard TD scamper to take a 7-3 lead early in the first after a successful Hulsey point after attempt.
It was on the next possession the Yellow Jackets swarming defense started to show its prowess. On his first throw of the drive, Skyhawk quarterback Moe Regan (West Roxbury, Mass.) overthrew his mark in the middle of the field and was picked off by Holmes and returned 60 yards for the score and AIC quickly took a two-score lead with 6:16 still remaining in the first frame.
Stonehill runningback Colin Markus (Monroe, Conn.) busted open a 56 yard run to the AIC seven yard line on the first play of the next drive, but a Regan fumble on the three yard line cost them yet another scoring opportunity as senior linebacker Jaquawne Simpkins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) pounced on the ball, thwarting another Skyhawk drive.
After a lengthy 74 yard drive, the Yellow Jackets were stalled on the Stonehill 19 yard and brought out senior placekicker Jared Hulsey (Springfield, Mass.) for a 36 yard attempt, but the Skyhawk special teams unit gave the team life, getting a block from Peter Cabral (Cornwall, N.Y.) and Stonehill the ball back without another scoring blemish.
Once again, Stonehill marched down the field, helped this time by an unsportmanlike conduct call on third down. On a third-down and three at the Yellow Jacket eight yard line, Holmes read Regan perfectly again and intercepted the ball on the goal line and the part-time AIC track sprinter bolted to the endzone for his second pick-six of the day, a 100 yard return for touchdown, putting AIC up, 21-3.
Regan would use Markus on the final two drives of the half and prevent another interception, while AIC was forced to punt on their final drive of the half and take an 18 point edge into the break.
Stonehill deferred the initial kick and received the ball to start the third. The Skyhawks leaned on a heavy dose of Markus and Deontae Ramey-Doe (Dorchester, Mass.) rushing to carry them down to the Yellow Jacket three yard line.
Trying to play catchup, Stonehill went for it on fourth-and-goal, but a fumble coughed up at the three yard line was picked up by junior linebacker Andrew Justice (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and ran back the 97 yards for a score.
The point after attempt for Hulsey was blocked and recovered by Jared Chandler (Hookset, N.H.) who ran it back for the defensive conversion, making it 27-5 Stonehill and gave them back the ball.
Joe Della Vecchia (Stratford, Conn.) checked in at quarterback and used Ramey-Doe and Markus to get to midfield, but on a 1st-and-20, AIC linebacker Raymond Durrett (Hillside, N.Y.) broke through the line and delivered a bone-shaking hit to Delle Vecchia, causing him to lose the ball where senior Joel Bowen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) returned it 25 yards for the team's fourth defensive score of the day and a 33-5 lead halfway through the third quarter.
In the final frame the Yellow Jackets went to the ground to drain the clock. Maurice Easterling (Yonker, N.Y.) and Adam Salvadori (Lido Beach, N.Y.) combined for 21 carries in the fourth.
Simpkins finished the day with 13 tackles, nine solo and recovered a fumble. Holmes picked off three passes total, churning out 160 return yards and has five picks so far this season.
Arduino was 9-for-15 through the air for 110 yards, finding Easterling four times for 37 yards.
The Yellow Jackets return to action next Saturday at Southern Connecticut. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
