Worcester State Opens Season with 56-10 Triumph Over Anna Maria
Worcester, MA --- Senior Corey Spencer (Malden, MA) passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns while sophomore Kemani Jones (Milton, MA ) rushed for 119 yards and a trio of scores as they both helped lead Worcester State to a 56-10 victory over Anna Maria in non-conference football action this evening at Coughlin Field.
The Lancers run their winning streak against the AMCATS to three games in the season opener for both squads.
Jones helped ignite the offense for the Blue and Gold with a touchdown run on their first play from scrimmage for a 21 yard burst with 12:49 left in the opening quarter.
After Jones continued to set the tone with a 17 yard rumble at the 5:22 mark, Spencer then flicked a 27 yard pass to senior Justin DeAndrade (E. Bridgewater, MA) with 1:02 remaining in the opening stanza to make the score 21-0.
Spencer tacked on a 20-yard scoring strike to second-year Jack Sprague (Maynard, MA) before Jones added his third score to close out the first-half scoring for the Lancers on a one-yard plunge with 2:58 on the clock.
Anna Maria, however, would break the shutout on a 10-play, 46 yard drive that culminated in a 45 yard field goal by senior Jamal Mitchell (Shelton, CT) who would establish a new school record for the longest field goal in a game.
The Lancers built up the lead to 42-3 to start off the third quarter when Spencer hooked up with sophomore Casey Hippert (Douglas, MA) from five yards out just 2:14 into the second half.
Anna Maria answered with a 52-yard scamper by junior Robert Small (Sleepy Hollow, NY) less than two minutes later, but WSU would put the game away with a 10-yard end-around by Sprague and junior Kyle Moon (Wilmington, MA) added the final score on a four-yard bootleg with 14:53 left in the game.
Lancer sophomore Stephen Payen (Claremont, MA) rushed for a game-best 156 yards on just 12 rushes while sophomore Mike Dance (Rocky Hill, CT) finished with 99. Junior AJ Scerra (Marlboro, MA) hauled in seven receptions for 98 yards and Hippert caught four passes for 64 yards and a score.
The AMCATS were propelled by senior Santino Simone (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) who amassed 126 yards of total offense – including 94 through the air – as Small ended his evening rushing 16 times for 94 yards and one touchdown.
Up front junior Bryan Narcisse (Medway, MA) and senior Joe Sweet (Walpole, MA) combined to log 12 tackles and a trio of tackles for a loss. Narcisse also added a sack and a forced fumble.
Third-year Jordan Koehler (West Warwick, RI) along with sophomore classmates Kevin Card (Deerpark, NY) and Billy Bishop (Uxbridge, MA) all registered nine tackles for the visitors. Bishop also notched a pair of pass deflections while freshman Victor Sambola (Worcester, MA/Tech) recorded six solo tackles and one fumble recovery.
On special teams, WSU junior Derek Muccini (Upton, MA) eclipsed the school mark for PATs in a single contest as he connected on all eight of his attempts and averaged 58.2 yards on nine kickoffs.
AMCAT senior Kyle Peterson (West Boylston, MA) also had a solid evening with eight punts for an average of 40.4 yards per kick, two of which were downed inside the five yard-line.
The Worcester State offensive line also shined for the Blue and Gold as the unit smashed the previous school-best for total offense in a single game with an eye-popping total of 691 yards. The previous mark of 621 occurred in a 66-24 triumph over Fitchburg State during the 1996 season.
Both squads continue non-league play with 1 o'clock contests next Saturday. The Lancers head down Park Ave to take on city rival WPI while Anna Maria hosts Maine Maritime.
