Box Score

WAYNE, N.J. – Two defensive stands during the final 3:25 of the contest, including an interception to thwart the Profs' last drive deep in Pioneer territory, gave the William Paterson football team (5-5, 3-4 NJAC) a 21-20 victory against Rowan (4-6, 2-5 NJAC) Nov. 10. The game, played at WP's Wightman Stadium, marked both teams' regular-season finale.

Sophomore Jared Burke (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J./Egg Harbor Twp.) picked off a Joe Rankin pass that was tipped at the line by Pioneer freshman Jim Hamill (Stanhope, N.J./Lenape Valley), ending the Profs' push towards a game-winning score at the WP 20-yard line with 35 seconds remaining on the clock.

Clinging to a one-point lead, William Paterson's Ricky Krautman (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Ramapo) boomed a 48-yard punt to pin Rowan at its own 31-yard line with 3:25 showing on the clock. After a false start, and two plays that resulted in losses, senior Frank Musolino (Sewell, N.J./Washington Twp.) sacked Rankin on third-and-15, forcing the Profs to punt.

The Pioneers punted the ball back to Rowan after a three-and-out series, and Kevin Bellamy nearly gave the Profs a lead with an excellent return, but senior Mike Vicci (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) made the tackle after Bellamy's 37-yard sprint, starting the Rowan possession at the WP-48 with 62 seconds on the clock and no timeouts remaining. A 29-yard completion from Rankin to Adam Preciado on the next play made it first-and-10 at the Pioneer-19, and following a spike to stop the clock and a Hamill hit to force an incompletion, Burke pulled in the tipped ball for his first career INT.

Senior Dan Lamego (North Arlington, N.J./Queen of Peace) was 8-for-11 for 69 yards and a touchdown through the air for the Pioneers, and added a rushing TD. Junior Shaun Puluse (Haledon, N.J./Passaic Tech) carried 26 times for 74 yards, and senior Ira Guilford (Jersey City, N.J./Hoboken) gained 23 yards on nine carries, including a three-yard touchdown. Sophomore Joel Rivera (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) caught four passes for 42 yards and a score.

Musolino made 10 tackles (five solo, 1.0 sack, 3.0 for loss), and junior Harold Green (Boonton, N.J./Boonton) had 10 total stops (seven solo) as well as an interception for William Paterson.

Rankin completed seven of 12 passes for 140 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Ulysses Encarnacion gained 73 yards on 14 carries, and Davon Edwards caught three passes for 51 yards for Rowan.

Randy Tosh spearheaded the Prof defense with 14 tackles (nine solo, 2.0 for loss). Chris Pinto added 10 stops, including 2.0 sacks and 3.5 for loss.

Freshman Jesse Mackey (Newark, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) made the first big play of the day, jarring the ball loose from Rowan quarterback Dan Lisa at the Prof 37-yard line. Five plays later, Lamego came around the left side of the line for a three-yard touchdown as William Paterson took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Rankin found Preciado for a five-yard score, and Dan Roberts' extra point knotted the contest at 7-7 with 3:00 remaining in the opening period.

The Pioneers opened the second quarter with a touchdown, as Rivera fought off his defender to make a one-handed 15-yard catch and push William Paterson ahead (14-7, 13:27). Rowan answered during the next drive, evening the score with a 21-yard completion from Rankin to Mark Lisa at the 8:29 mark.

Guilford's three-yard rumble between the tackles and into the end zone capped the next possession (21-14, 4:12), and Green's interception of Vinnie Graff during the final seconds of the half ensured that the Pioneers carried a seven-point advantage into the locker room.

The Profs were poised to score during the first drive of the second half, but Mike Lamego's (North Arlington, N.J./Queen of Peace) hit separated running back Jonathan Downes from the ball, and Burke recovered at the WP three-yard line. Rowan did find pay dirt at the conclusion of its next possession, a six-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a Shavon Mears five-yard run to make it a 21-20 ballgame. Hamill came up with a block of the PAT, and senior Kareen Moon (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan E. Wagner) scooped it up to maintain the one-point edge for the Pioneers, which was the final score of the afternoon.

The Pioneers finished the regular season at .500 (5-5) for the second time in three years, and the three (3-4) conference wins were the most for William Paterson since 1994, when the team finished with a 3-7 overall record and a 3-2 mark in league play.