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Football Builders Fall 49-30 At FDU-Florham
MADISON, NJ - The Apprentice School football team ventured north to Madison, N.J. and gave up two late scores to the host Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham Devils and lost 49-30 at Shields Field on Saturday.
Each team started slowly on their first possessions, but in the final seven minutes of the first quarter the teams combined for four touchdowns. FDU quarterback Bill Winters connected with Tim Grey on a 21-yard pass with 7:05 left for the first score and a 7-0 lead for the Devils. The ensuing kickoff was returned 83 yards by Anthony Duckworth for the Builders' first touchdown 15 seconds later. That marked the first kickoff return for a touchdown since last season against Lake Erie College.
The Devils responded with a 52-yard scoring drive capped by a Matt Jeffers 37-yard scoring pass to Andrew Scamporino with five minute left for a 14-7 lead. Apprentice School answered on a 71-yard, five-play drive finishing off with a Chris Virgin 31-yard scoring jaunt to tie the game 14-all with 1:29 left in the first.
FDU opened the second quarter finishing off a 56-yard scoring drive as Winters connected with Ryan Cushman on a 42-yard scoring pass nine seconds into the quarter for a 21-14 lead. Each team then proceeded to turn the ball over before the hosts forced an Apprentice School punt with 10:11 left in the half. The Devils marched 68 yards on eight plays as Bayshawn Wells dove in from the one to go up 28-14 with 6:43 left in the half.
Apprentice School responded yet again as they drove 49 yards in five plays as Phil Caralla connected with Bryan Cain on a 27-yard scoring pass with 3:41 left. The extra-point attempt failed and the teams eventually went into halftime with a 28-20 lead for the hosts.
The Builders cut that deficit to 28-27 on their first drive of the second half going 63 yards in two plays. Sam Arnold opened with an 18-yard burst down to the FDU 45 and then Caralla connected with freshman James Abbs on a 45-yard scoring pass with 11:55 left in the third. Winters connected on his third scoring pass of the game hitting Beau Reed on a 10-yard score with 4:43 left in the third to take a 35-27 lead.
In the fourth quarter, freshman Thomas Mason connected on a 20-yard field goal as the Builders drove to the FDU three-yardline before being stopped with 12:56 left. Winters put the game out of reach with a 14-yard touchdown run and his fourth touchdown pass on the game hitting Scamporino on a 28-yarder for the final 49-30.
Caralla was 14-of-25 for a season-high 232 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Cain who caught a season-high nine passes for a career-best 120 yards and a touchdown. Senior Sam Arnold ran for 94 yards on 22 carries to lead the ground game. Duckworth's kickoff return marked the second straight game he had a return for a touchdown as he returned a punt for a score against George Mason. Defense was paced by junior linebacker Jeremy Drayton with eight tackles and sophomore Mana Ohia with seven.
Next up for the Builders will be their first Atlantic Central Football Conference matchup as they travel up the Eastern Shore to Salisbury, Maryland for a 1 pm kickoff with the Sea Gulls of Salisbury University.
