WASHINGTON - The Gallaudet University football team moved one step closer to an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) championship with a 27-13 victory over Anna Maria College before a Senior Day crowd of 451 at Hotchkiss Field on a picture perfect sunny fall afternoon. 

Gallaudet (6-2, 4-1 ECFC) is in position to win its first conference title since 2013 when it travels to Alfred State College (4-4, 2-2 ECFC) next Saturday, Nov. 5, as a win secures the championship and the automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament. 

The Bison played a complete team game against Anna Maria (3-4, 1-3 ECFC) as all three facets (offense, defense, special teams) stepped up and contributed in the 14-point victory. 

GU ran for 345 yards on the ground and held the ball for a season-high 41 minutes and 48 seconds as the AMCATS defense couldn't stop the Bison rushing attack. Sophomore quarterback/slot Brandon Washington (Citronelle, Ala.) led the way with 131 rushing yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. Sophomore Mikka Harvey (Prince Frederick, Md.) ran for a career best 118 yards on 14 carries including a 52-yard scamper while fellow sophomore Dre'Vaughn Mackall (Prince Frederick, Md.) tallied 97 rushing yards on 21 carries. The trio ran behind the starting offensive line of Mitch Dolinar (Las Vegas, Nev.), John Scarboro (Austin, Texas), Austin Hicks (Plattsmouth, Neb.), Joseph Mendis (Brook Park, Ohio) and Iopu Vaimauga (Federal Way, Wash.).

The Bison defense caused three turnovers and sacked Anna Maria quarterbacks four different times as the AMCATS cycled between Alex Cohen (1-for-6, two yards) and Ryan Russell (26-for-37, 240 yards) during the game. Anna Maria entered with the fifth best passing offense (326.8 yards per game) in NCAA Division III but was held to 242 yards by GU. 

Sophomore linebacker Jacob Hartman (Petersburg, W.Va.) led the defense with six tackles, two sacks for a loss of seven yards and three quarterback hurries. Seniors Laron Thomas (Orlando, Fla.) and Eric Gregory (Metairie, La.) made five tackles and one pass breakup each in the secondary. Freshman Andrae Green (Washington, D.C.) recorded two interceptions and return one pick for a touchdown at the 3:33 mark in the first quarter as he ran it in from 30 yards out to give Gallaudet a 10-0 lead. The Bison defense also forced a safety in the second quarter as GU led by 12 points and took a 12-6 lead into halftime.

Gallaudet scored twice in the fourth quarter as Washington ran in a three-yard score to cap a 13-play, 64-yard drive that took over eight minutes to complete as the Bison lead grew to 19-6. Anna Maria responded with its own scoring drive before Gallaudet put things away with a five play drive that covered 58 yards in under three minutes as Mackall ran broke out to the outside and ran into the end zone from 16 yards out. Mackall converted the two-point conversion as GU led 27-13 with 2:37 left in regulation. 

The AMCATS tried to tack on another touchdown in the final minute but Russell's pass into the end zone was picked off by Green to end the game.

Prior to the start of the game, Coach Chuck Goldstein and the football program paid tribute to its 12-member senior class as players were joined by family and friends at midfield and marched down a tunnel made by the underclassmen. The 12-member senior class includes; Dolinar, Gregory, Hicks, Mendis, Thomas, Stefan Anderson (Little Falls, Minn.) Rodney Burford Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.), D'Mitri Lofton (Gaithersburg, Md.) Nicholas Maccini (San Diego, Calif.), Kobe Schroeder (Farmington, Minn.), Marc Wallace Jr. (Panama City Beach, Fla.) and John Werner Jr. (Frederick, Md.).

BISON TRACKS

• GU was 8-for-15 (53 percent) on 3rd downs and 2-for-3 (66 percent) on 4th down
• Gallaudet locks in a winning conference record for the first time since 2013 (6-1 ECFC)
• The six wins are the most since the 2013 season (9-2 overall)
• This was Gallaudet's second-largest victory margin (14 points) this year
• GU went 3-2 at Hotchkiss Field this season
• The Bison are 3-0 in away games in 2022

UP NEXT
GU will close out the regular-season schedule on the road next Saturday, Nov. 5, at Alfred State at noon.