BANGOR, Maine – A stalwart defensive effort helped Mount Ida defeat Husson 6-0 on Saturday afternoon to finish their 2013 football season with a record of 5-5, including a 4-3 mark in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC).
The only score of the day came just over four minutes into the game, when sophomoreMelquan Pinkney (Springfield, Mass.) capped an eight play, 82 yard drive with a 21-yard scamper into the end zone. Pinkney, who had 24 carries for 74 yards on the day, slipped several tackles and, with a failed extra point attempt, would become the only player to account for points in the game.
The rest of the day belonged to the Mount Ida defense, led by senior Carlous Julien (Fort Pierce, Fla.), who had 14 tackles in his final game in a Mustangs uniform. Julien also forced one of two fumbles in the game, and was in on one of eight sacks for the Mustangs defense, as Mount Ida tied a program record for quarterback sacks in a game.
Dominick Spaulding (W. Hartford, Conn.), who forced the other fumble and had nine tackles, recorded three sacks of Husson quarterback Ryan Stroud, while senior Jon Proto (North Haven, Conn.) sacked Stroud twice and had seven tackles to end a stand-out career for Mount Ida.
The Mustangs defense held Stroud and the Eagles to just one completed pass for seven yards, and had 14 tackles for a loss of 48 yards in the game. Mount Ida also picked off a pass through Jovan Wilkins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), and saw senior Ned Cassidy (Brockton, Mass.) recover a fumble.
Offensively, Mount Ida junior quarterback Jawad Yatim (Shrewsbury, Mass.) managed just 80 yards passing, with two receptions apiece to freshman EJ Isom (Cranston, R.I.) and seniorJordan Hyman (Middletown, Conn.).
Xavier Snipe (Brockton, Mass.) and Mike Babich (Franklin Square, N.Y.), both playing in their final games, also caught passes from Yatim.
For Husson, Byron Jackson led the rushing attack with 84 yards on 24 carries. Ben Foss caught the only reception of the day, while Ryan Dorso gained 32 yards on the ground in seven attempts.
Both teams end the season with identical 5-5 overall and 4-3 conference records on the year. The Mustangs now hold an overall 8-3 advantage in the 11 meetings between the two schools and is the oldest rivalry for the Husson football program dating back to the very first game in Eagle's program history in 2003.
