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Football Falls Short to Warriors 20-15
The Hudson Valley Community College football team (0-3) was defeated 20-15 at home against the New Jersey Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
The beginning of the game did not start out as expected as the Warriors returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to the Vikings 12-yard line. The next play, the Warriors rushed for the score and the 7-0 lead.
Hudson Valley got on the board with 3:22 remaining in the opening quarter when Nathan Fankhanel (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) connected for a 26-yard field goal to cap the Vikings 8-play, 19-yard drive.
In the second quarter, the Warriors took advantage of the Vikings fumble and scored a touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Edam Doggett to Justin Reed. The Warriors were back in the Vikings zone with 5:08 remaining in the half. Hudson Valley had a great defensive stand when they blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt by the Warriors, keeping the score at 14-3.
On the Vikings opening drive in the second half, the Warriors intercepted Nik Rango (East Fishkill/Trinity Pawling) and returned 80-yards for the score, giving the Warriors a 20-3 lead with 13:58 remaining in the third quarter.
Hudson Valley recovered from the early missed opportunities in the third quarter. Michael Constantino (Coxsackie/Coxsackie-Athens) capped a 6-play. 39-yard scoring drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to John Daly (Sparkill/Tappen Zee).
In the fourth, the Vikings continued to drive down the field, putting together a 9-play, 73-yard scoring drive which was capped by Halijah McLean's (Fairmont, NC/Fairmont) 37-yard run down the left side of the field for the score. The Vikings now trailed 20-15 with 12:51 remaining in the game.
Following Hudson Valley's scoring drive, the Vikings defense forced a punt in each of the last four Warriors' possessions. The first Warriors' punt was blocked by Rakeem Ridore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and recovered by Hudson Valley at their own 32-yard line. The Vikings continued to have their chances to score the go-ahead touchdown but the Warriors defense made the big plays as they intercepted the Vikings in the end zone three times in the final seven minutes of the game, securing the 20-15 win.
Hudson Valley returns to action next Saturday, September 22 for the 2018 homecoming matchup with East Coast Prep. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
