October 14, 2006

Doug Blakowski rushed for a career- high 214 yards at Merchant Marine. (Photo by Kevin Colton)

KINGS POINT, N.Y.—The 20th-ranked Hobart football team scored the first 20 points of the game and cruised to a 30-19 victory over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in a Liberty League contest this afternoon. Senior running back Doug Blakowski (Iroquois/Elma, N.Y.) rushed for a career-high 214 yards and a touchdown, while the Statesmen defense recorded more sacks today (10) than they had in the first four games of the season combined (7).

The Hobart defense limited the Mariners to just 48 yards rushing, including minus-12 yards in the third quarter. Senior end Andy Purdie (Victor/Farmington, N.Y.) led the dominating unit with eight tackles (four solo), including a career-high 3.5 sacks. Classmate Evan Hoffman (Fairfield Prep/Fairfield, Conn.) added seven solo stops, including three sacks.

Entering today’s contest, Merchant Marine had run the ball more than passed it in all three of its victories, while in the team’s three defeats, the Mariners had passed nearly twice as often as they had run. The pattern continued again today, as Merchant Marine played from behind all afternoon, calling 44 pass plays and only 19 runs.

The Hobart offense, which recorded 450 yards on the day, used the game’s opening drive to make a statement. The Statesmen drove 69 yards in 14 plays, scoring on a 2-yard quarterback keeper by senior Shawn Mizro (Newark/Newark, N.Y.) and taking 5:54 off the clock.

After a three-and-out by the Mariners (3-4, 1-3), Hobart took its next possession 65 yards in six plays capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Blakowski. The extra point was blocked leaving the Statesmen (5-0, 3-0) a 13-0 lead with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter.

Merchant Marine turned the ball over on downs near midfield, launching Hobart on a 7-play, 55-yard drive that ended on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Mizro to sophomore wide receiver Ryan LiDrazzah (Kent School/San Diego, Calif.). The extra point put the Statesmen on top 20-0.

Hobart’s defense forced the Mariners to punt twice more, before the home team finally found pay dirt, 46 seconds before halftime. Quarterback Chuck Kleinschnitz hit Grant Wright on a 14-yard pass play to put seven on the board heading into the break.

The Statesmen came out of the locker room and scored the first 10 points of the second half. First-year Denis Avdic (Utica-Proctor/Utica, N.Y.) booted a 27-yard field goal for the only points of the third quarter. LiDrazzah hauled in another Mizro pass with 5:55 left in the game to put Hobart up 30-7. The scoring drive covered 73 yards in 11 plays and ran 5:35 off the game clock. The Statesmen entered the game as the Liberty League leader in time of possession and added to that number today, holding on to the ball for 36:31, including a whopping 10:23 in the fourth quarter.

Mizro completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards. LiDrazzah caught three passes for a team-high 55 yards, while senior Nick Dyson (Tioga/Barton, N.Y) also caught three passes for 18 yards.

Kleinschnitz threw two touchdowns in the final 4:29, the last as time expired, to make the final score more respectable. He was 23 of 34 for 249 yards with three touchdowns. Justin Eusepi paced the Merchant Marine defense with 12 tackles, including a sack.

Hobart continues its three-game road trip on Oct. 21, at St. Lawrence. Kickoff for the Liberty League contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.