The St. Thomas Aquinas College Sprint Football team fell to Mansfield University 31-6 on Saturday evening at Karl Van Norman Field in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Mansfield improves to 2-1 on the year, while STAC drops to 0-3.
In opening quarter, the Mounties were able to take a quick 10-0 lead on the strength of a safety by the Spartans and a Terrance Quaker 70-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff return. Although STAC was able to possess the football a number of times in the first stanza, they were unable to score on the Mansfield defense and the score remained a ten point lead through one.
The second quarter saw Mansfield score two more touchdowns, as first Jayden Walker took a 2-yard pass from Koby Peacock into the end zone to make it 17-0. Then John Rogers was able to take a 26-yard strike from Peacock over the goal line to push the score to 24-0 in favor of the Mounties. St. Thomas Aquinas would get on the scoreboard before halftime, as Kiel McKenzie would hit Elizah Gordon for the 3-yard scamper into the end zone, ending the first half shutout and sending the Spartans to the locker room down 24-6.
A mostly quiet third quarter, from a scoring standpoint, took place between the squads. However, Mansfield would put up the final points of the evening in the waning moments of the third, when quarterback Koby Peacock would keep the football and run it in for a 1-yard TD, extending the Mounties lead to 31-6.
Penalties and missed opportunities highlighted the fourth quarter of play, as the Spartans were unable to sustain any momentum with incomplete passes, lost yardage and the officials' yellow flag being the theme of final 15 minutes of action.
For STAC, Kiel McKenzie went 10-for-23 passing on the evening for 103 yards and a touchdown. Quazier Dailey had 8 rushes for 38 yards, while Mahki Matthews had 5 receptions for 42 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Daniel Grossman and Maxwell Johnson each picked up 8 tackles, while Coleby Cherrington, Ernest Stallworth Jr. and Ta'Vaughn Britton each picked up an interception in the game.
St. Thomas Aquinas College will now return home and prepare for their next opponent, Cornell University. The Week 4 matchup will take place on Saturday, October 5th at the Torne Valley Sports Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm in Hillburn, NY.