Van Alstyne Breaks Career Rushing Record in Loss at Worcester State
Worcester, Mass. – Sophomore running back Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, Mass.) became the FSU all-time leading rusher as he rushed for 158 yards on 28 carries with a pair of touchdowns as the Rams were handed their first divisional loss today 27-13 by Worcester State in New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division action at Coughlin Field.
Worcester State senior Tony Tokarz (Holden, Mass.) amassed 284 yards of total offense with two passing scores and a 48-yard touchdown run to lead Worcester State.\
The Rams see their six-game win streak come to an end as they are now 7-3 overall and 6-1 in Bogan Division play. FSU clinched the Bogan Division last week with their win over Coast Guard and will represent the Division in the NEFC Championship game on Saturday when they will take on Boyd Division Champion Western New England. The winner of the NEFC Championship game in Springfield next weekend will earn the NEFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship.
With the win the Lancers finish off their regular season with an 8-2 record (5-2 NEFC Bogan) as they await word on a possible ECAC Bowl bid in two weeks. WSU head coach Brian Cullen's squad posted a winning record for the first time since 2004 as Cullen won his 150th game this afternoon.
It took Worcester State three drives in the first quarter to open up the scoring as Tokarz launched a deep pass to sophomore AJ Scerra (Marlboro, Mass.) who hauled in the 46-yard toss to put WSU ahead 7-0 with 6:45 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Rams promptly responded on their next drive as they marched down the field on eight plays capping the drive off with Van Alstyne rushing for a three-yard score (PAT blocked). Framingham State was faced with a second-and-26 during the drive, but was able to convert thanks to a well-executed screen pass to Van Alstyne.
The Lancers answered with a six play 31 yard drive capped by a 30 yard field goal to extend their lead to 10-6 with 18 seconds remaining in the first.
The Rams looked to take the lead early in the second quarter, but WSU senior Cliff Oratokhai (Worcester, Mass.) intercepted sophomore Dino Mancinelli's (Madison, Conn.) pass ending the scoring chance.
After the teams traded possessions, the Rams took over for a long 65-yard, 15-play series. The Lancer defense proved tough and held on a fourth-and-goal from the four yard-line as they forced a turnover on downs ending the drive that was nearly seven minutes long – including an Oratokhai break-up on third down to prevent the go-ahead score.
The Blue and Gold took over with 2:44 seconds remaining in the half driving all the way down the field before they were faced with a first-and-20 with 10 seconds on the clock, following a holding penalty. After scrambling in the pocket, Tokarz heaved the ball into the end-zone to junior Justin DeAndrade (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) who snagged the ball and scored on the 27-yard reception with one tick left in the half.
Framingham State started the third quarter going three-and-out, but a fake punt pass on fourth down by sophomore Kyle Shonio (Swampscott, Mass.) to junior Alex Avery (Milford, Mass.) kept the drive alive. On the next play, Van Alstyne then broke through the Lancer defense and scored from 31-yards out making the score 17-13 with 12:46 left in the third quarter.
Muccini added a 22-yard field goal with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter putting the Lancers up 20-13. Tokarz then completed passes of 20 and 25 yards to DeAndrade on the drive to set up the field goal.
The Lancers made it a two-possession game, with just under seven minutes left in regulation, when Tokarz added his 48-yard touchdown run on the next drive after maneuvering through the Ram defense finding space in the open field putting WSU ahead, 27-13. Tokarz's scramble came on a third-and-10 as the Lancers were six-of-seven on third down conversions in the fourth stanza.
On the ensuing kickoff, Framingham State used good field position after a squib kick to set up camp on the Worcester State's 32. The Rams would march down into the 12-yard line before Oratokhai sealed the win with his second interception of the game.
Tokarz was 10-for-23 with 212 passing yards while he added 62 yards on the ground despite three sacks. Freshman Kemani Jones (Milton, Mass.) tacked on 89 yards on 19 carries including a 24-yard burst on a third down deep in their own territory to help the Lancers score just before the end of the half. DeAndrade and Scerra combined for six receptions and 121 yards and two touchdowns for WSU.
Van Alstyne, the leading rusher in Division III with 1,399 yards, finished with 28 rushes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Needing just 49 yards to break David Leach's mark of 2,604 which was set a season ago, Van Alstyne broke FSU's career-mark as he now has 2,713 rushing yards in just two seasons. Avery finished with six receptions for 77 yards for the Rams.
Senior Ray St. Laurent (Shrewsbury, Mass.) ended the day collecting 10 tackles (8 solo) with two sacks for 22 yards and he added a pass breakup. Oratokhai picked up a pair of interceptions, a pair of deflections and a blocked extra point. Junior Bryan Narcisse (Medway, Mass.) chipped in seven tackles (five solo) with 1.5 sacks.
The Rams were led by senior Mark Nunes (Taunton, Mass.) and first-year Dennis Barnwell (Medford, Mass.) who both ended the day with seven tackles apiece. Third-year James Murihead (Middleboro, Mass.) and freshman Rob Staub (Dracut, Mass.) both registered one sack each.
Junior Tyrone Notice (Gardner, MA) moved closer to the FSU single-season interception record of eight held by George Claffin's 1986 record with a pick today as Worcester State was driving in the third quarter. Notice is near the top of the NEFC leaders with six this season.
Worcester State sophomore punter Alex Blakeslee (Shrewsbury, MA) had a career day with six punts for 297 yards that included two inside the 20 and an 80-yard boot for a touchback that broke the school record by seven yards that was previously held by Tim Bartucca and set against Westfield State in 2007. Blakeslee also reset the school mark for punting average with 49.5 yards per punt.
While both squads were even in first downs (17-17) and close in time of possession (31:20-28:30, FSU), the Lancers held leads in total yardage (360-283), passing yards (212-153) and rushing yards (148-130).
Release By Jim Sarkisian – WSU Sports Information Intern