This past weekend Saints Football secured a 42-23 victory over Union College in Schenectady, NY. This makes the team 3-1 in the season and 1-0 in league play. The game began with a slow and tough battle on both sides of the ball, but the Saints quickly took control of the game.
The game started out with Union scoring on their first possession. The first quarter for the Saints started with a touchdown by senior defensive back/wide receiver Leondre Simmon. Simmon led the team with three touchdowns this game, two of which he made within 13 seconds of each other. In an interview after the game he stated, “It was a great team win and a good way to start league play; but it’s a new week, and now we are 0-0 with one to go. Gotta’ protect the Leck’”. It is apparent here that individual accomplishments are not a concern for the key players of this team; the mission is set for a league championship.
The second half opened up with a 60 yard drive led by quarterback Senior Mike Lefflbine and the offense. This drive was capped by a touchdown made by senior running back Maurice Irby IV, his second of the season. The score was 28-17 in the third quarter and remained that way until the fourth quarter.
The offense picked up a total of 388 total yards with 142 rushing. Irby finished with one touchdown, and a total of 17 carries for a total of 90 yards. Lefflbine finished at 18-30 for 170 yards with two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Patrick Bryant and junior tight end Matt Gardiner had six catches each.
On the defensive side of the ball, there was tremendous effort put into every drive. The Saints defense managed to keep Union’s offense at 5-16 on third down attempts. Sophomore linebacker Skyler Williamson had fifteen stops, followed by juniors Alec Dietsch and Jayson Leigh who both had eight tackles. Junior James Holley-Grisham and freshman defensive back Israel Squires held the team down with two interceptions each this game. Holley-Grisham added a stunning 14 tackles and a sack to the defensive repertoire.
Squires had a highlight game, contributing five tackles and two big interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. The 60-yard interception-turned-touchdown was picked off late in the fourth quarter and closed the game for the Saints. He has been named Liberty League Rookie of the Week in recognition of his hard work.
The Saints play their next game at home against Rochester for Family Weekend at 1:00pm.