The Alfred State football team earned their first Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) victory with a 18-8 victory over Mount Ida on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers scored 18 unanswered points in the 2nd half to erase a 8-0 deficit.
The Mustang defense accounted for the lone points of the 1st half when Charles Wade recorded a safety with 2:38 left in the opening quarter. Mount Ida accumulated 144 yards in the 1st half and held the Pioneers to just 39.
Mount Ida came out of halftime and put together a three-play, 67-yard drive that was capped by a 34-yard scoring run by Marcus Mcbean to increase their lead to 8-0 (PAT was missed). The Mustangs forced a Pioneer punt in the ensuing possession but the punt was muffed and Dominic Pearce-Farley (Brooklyn/Sheepshead Bay) recovered deep inside Mount Ida territory. One play later, Kiegan Brown (Cortland) burst through a hole and got the Pioneers on the board with a nine-yard score. (two point conversion failed).
With just over two minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Alfred State forced a Mustang punt. The snap for the punt was bounced to the punter and Carlisle Philip (Brooklyn/South Shore) took down the punter on the Mustang 33. Two plays later, Brown scored for the second time in the half and fifth time in the last two weeks when he scampered in from 28-yards out to make it 12-8 (the two-point conversion failed).
Alfred State forced two consecutive Mustang punts in the 4th quarter and then put together an impressive drive to seal the victory. The seven-play, 79-yard drive that took 4:28 off the clock was capped when Hunter Evingham (Bolivar Richburg) connected with Jalen Long (Rochester/Bishop Kearney) on a 54-yard pass play to give the blue & gold a 18-8 lead (PAT was blocked).
Dashown Wilson (Bronx/DeWitt Clinton) ended any comeback hopes for Mount Ida when he intercepted a pass with just over 90 seconds remaining in the contest.
Brown finished the day with 84 yards rushing and two scores on 24 carries while Evingham was 7 for 15 for 102 yards. Long caught two passes for 64 yards.
Mcbean rushed for 75 yards on 14 carries and De'Andre Golden-Fisher had 65 yards on 10 carries. Mike Pina was 18 for 26 for 173 yards with Shakir White and Nick Hewitt each having 55 yards receiving.
Owen Davis (Lansing) led the Pioneer defense with nine tackles while John Lauretti (Seaford) finished with eight tackles and three sacks. The Pioneers recorded five sacks on the day, recovered two fumbles, and intercepted a pass.
Michael Zimmerman (Canandaigua) had a big day on special teams. He punted seven times with four of his punts landing inside the 20. He averaged 43.7 yards per punt.
Wade and Anthony Dobronte both finished with seven tackles and a sack for the Mustangs.
Mount Ida out-gained the Pioneers 332 to 189 but the Mustangs turned the ball over three times and were called for 16 penalties for 138 yards.
The Pioneers hit the road for the final time in the 2017 season next weekend when they take the long trip to Husson. Opening kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
