LEICESTER, Mass. – Quarterback Nas Sinkfield-Shelton dove in from two yards out with 1:18 remaining to give the Becker College football team a 14-13 victory over SUNY Maritime on Saturday at Alumni Field.
The victory improved Becker's record to 3-2 overall, 1-1 in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. The Privateers dropped to 3-2 and 1-1 in the conference.
Maritime scored 13 unanswered points and was on its way to making it a two-score game as Joe Modica rushed for 41 yards to the Becker 28 yard line. However, a holding penalty brought the ball back to the BC 45. On the very next play, Brad Pitz fumbled the ball and Angel Flores recovered for the Hawks. On the ensuing drive, Sinkfield-Shelton (New Rochelle, N.Y.) led Becker 56 yards for the game winner.
The sophomore signal caller converted one third down and a pair of fourth downs on the winning drive, including an 11-yard rush on 3rd and nine. Sinkfield-Shelton finished the day 19-of-33 for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 42 yards.
With a team-high 103 rushing yards, Becker's Jacob Holmes (Worcester, Mass.) moved up to fourth on the single-season rushing charts with 395 yards. Backfield mate Matthew Romasco (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) also moved up to seventh with 346 yards after 60 on Saturday.
Davin Collins (Far Rockaway, NY) led the Becker defense with 11 tackles. Defensive lineman Michael Calafiore added six, including four tackles for a loss.
Despite dominating both sides of the ball during the first quarter, the Hawks didn't get on the scoreboard until the first seconds of the opening stanza. Becker opened the scoring when Romasco slipped out of the backfield to catch a three-yard pass from Sinkfield-Shelton.
Aided by two Becker personal fouls, the Privateers got their first points of the game on a 22-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining in the half. Maritime's three points in the first half were the fewest given up by the Hawks since they limited the Privateers to three points in last year's contest.
The Privateers took the second-half kickoff and marched 62 yards to take a 10-7 lead. The last 44 yards came on a run by Brett McKinney around the right side. McKinney finished with a game-high 126 yards rushing. They extended their lead midway through the fourth quarter when Diogo Dietrich added a 43-yard field goal.
Becker is back on the road next when it travels to Husson College on Saturday (Oct. 17) at 12 p.m.
