By Mike Ferraro
DeLAND, Fl – The Marist football team fell in its Pioneer Football League opener at Stetson by a score of 19-14.Stetson drove inside the Marist 10 on the game’s opening drive, but an interception by red-shirt senior linebacker Willie Barrett ended the drive.
Jonny Messina’s 32-yard field goal with 3:09 left in the first quarter opened the scoring and gave Stetson a 3-0 advantage.
Marist went three-and-out on its first four series.
Colin McGovern’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Donald Parham put Stetson up 10-0 with 6:24 left in the second quarter.
Reggie Gantt intercepted a pass on Marist’s next series, and returned it to the Marist 22. Messina kicked a 35-yard field goal four plays later.
After a short punt, Marist took over at the Stetson 40 with 58 seconds left in the half. Red-shirt sophomore quarterback Mike Husni found red-shirt junior tight end Jon Kanda for a 14-yard touchdown pass with two seconds remaining.
All six drives that started in the third quarter ended in punts.
With 11:57 left in the final period, Husni found Kanda again for a touchdown. It covered 26 yards and gave Marist a 14-13 lead.
On Stetson’s next drive, Matt Taft barreled in four a touchdown from four yards out. Although Stetson missed on the ensuing two-point conversion, the Hatters took a 19-14 lead.
Stetson’s next two drives ended in turnovers, with junior linebacker Maliek Carr recovering a fumble, and red-shirt sophomore safety Jack Griffith intercepting a pass and returning it to the Stetson 22. However, Marist was unable to score on both of its ensuing possessions.
Marist returns home to face Dayton in PFL play as part of Family Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m
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