Fowler, Anile rally Chaminade but can't catch Mount St. Michael
Chaminade middle linebacker Matthew Fiore (33) finishes off Mt. St. Michael running back Michael Perrotta for one of hi numerous tackles in the game. (Oct. 3, 2010) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Chaminade nearly earned its first win of the season with a big comeback against Mount St. Michael Sundaybut it was too little too late.
Trailing by seven points with 1:19 to play, the Flyers moved the ball into Mountaineers territory after Joseph Anile IV connected with Edward Tigh on a 31-yard pass. Two plays later, the Mountaineers' Brown Najae intercepted an Anile pass to seal the 13-6 victory for Mount St. Michael (2-2) and keep Chaminade (0-4) winless in CHSFL.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Chaminade coach Stephen Boyd said. "We're a young team, we haven't won any games yet, we don't know how to win yet. We're going to stay positive, work hard and turn this thing around."
Chaminade's offensive struggles through three quarters were nearly forgotten after Dan Fowler scored on a 30-yard run to tie the score at 6 with 5:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"At that point, I knew we had the momentum," said Anile, who was 2-for-13 passing for 40 yards.
Fowler finished with 12 carries for 112 yards.
Chaminade's defense was unable to match the success it had in the first half and the Mountaineers regained the lead with 1:19 remaining on a 6-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Acquah.
Acquah's scoring run capped an 11-play, 78-yard drive that lasted four minutes.
"The last one was a classic drive, a great drive for us," Mount St. Michael coach Mario Valentini said. "We kept picking up 4, 5 yards and we were fortunate to keep going down the field and scoring."
The Mountaineers struck first on a 1-yard touchdown run by Michael Perrotta at the 11:26 mark of the fourth quarter, capping a 14-play, 89-yard drive that spanned 7:29.
The Flyers forced four Mountaineers fumbles in the first half, including two inside Chaminade's 10-yard line, but Chaminade's offense was unable to take advantage of Mount St. Michael's mistakes. Sean Hanley, Greg Rhodes and Rob Vassallo each recovered fumbles for the Flyers.
"Their defense responded tremendously well to those adverse situations." Boyd said. "We didn't capitalize on any turnovers at the beginning of the game.
"We came out with no points and you can't do that."
Flyers linebacker Matt Fiore recovered a fumble inside the Mountaineers' red zone midway through the first quarter but Kevin Donohue missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt to give the Flyers the lead and the teams played a scoreless first half.
Boyd said his team will learn how to win from practicing each day and by becoming more comfortable with the offense. Anile is eager to lead the charge.
"We had some mistakes," Anile said. "They're correctable and I'm looking forward to correcting them this week in practice."
