Marist prevailed over San Diego 19-14 in front of a sold-out Tenney Stadium on Parent’s Weekend. The San Diego Toreros traveled 2,432 air miles, the longest in-conference away game in all of FCS football in 2025, to face the Red Foxes.
“We always have a great crowd, but family weekend just brings that extra pop. It brings life to the stadium and makes it easy for us to show out for them,” said sophomore defensive back Nate Robinson Jr.
Freshman wide receiver Lance Martinez was lightning in a bottle, finishing the day with three catches for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the defensive side, redshirt sophomore linebacker Nate Furrow was unstoppable. Furrow ended the game with three sacks and five tackles for loss, both of which are career-highs.
“I treat every play as my last,” Furrow said. “I give it my complete all on every play, and that translates.”
Parent’s weekend in Poughkeepsie started with a two-play, 69-yard drive, seeing the Toreros get on the board quickly. Senior running back Adam Criter navigated through blockers and picked up 38 yards on the drive’s initial play. Junior quarterback Dom Nankil followed it up with a 31-yard missile to graduate student wide receiver Josh Heverly for the early touchdown.
On the very next San Diego drive, junior linebacker Kade Werner gave Marist the jolt they needed. His three tackles on six Torero plays lit a fire under the Red Fox squad. Werner finished the day with 14 tackles, including three for loss and a sack.
On Marist’s next drive, redshirt junior quarterback Sonny Mannino pump-faked on a first-and-10, which forced the San Diego safety to bite, leaving Martinez open for a 67-yard walk-in touchdown. The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score 7-6, Toreros.
San Diego went with a quarterback change in the second quarter, replacing Nankil with redshirt junior Tyler Voss. Voss struggled to get anything going for the Torero offense, going three and out on three consecutive drives to close out the first half.
“Our defensive staff did a great job preparing us for both terrific quarterbacks,” said Marist head coach Mike Willis on San Diego’s two-QB system. “Our players really bought in to a unique, customized plan.”
Nankil came back into the game at quarterback for San Diego to begin the second half, but the Marist defense stood strong yet again. A third down scramble attempt was stuffed by freshman safety Chase Hatton.
Hatton earned FCS National Freshman of the Week in Marist’s season-opening victory against New Haven and has not slowed down. He leads the team in tackles with 39 and also has two interceptions.
Along with Hatton, Robinson Jr. had yet another terrific day. He finished the day with four pass breakups, including a crucial fourth-down stop.
As both defenses continued to shine, the most sustained drive ended in an interception thrown by Mannino in the end zone. It seemed as though Mannino could have taken the ball in himself, but he elected to throw the ball, and it was snagged out of the air by sophomore linebacker Nate Fischer after being tipped.
The Marist offense finally broke through. Fourth-and-3 in San Diego territory saw the Red Foxes debating whether to kick a field goal and go up by two, or stay aggressive—they ended up with the first down and much more. Martinez took his third catch of the day for 35 yards and another touchdown. The two-point conversion try was no good, and Marist led 12-7 heading into the fourth.
The Torero offense started to churn with three minutes left in the game, when Nankil came back in and led a quick, two-minute touchdown drive. Senior wideout Cole Monach slipped away from the defense for six as San Diego recaptured the lead 14-12.
On the ensuing Marist drive, Willis dialed up an option play. Mannino took the snap and pitched it to graduate student running back Tristan Shannon, who was tripped up at the one-yard line, but the Red Foxes hurried to the line of scrimmage and ran a QB-sneak to go up 19-14.
Backs against the wall, San Diego went three-and-out and put all of their faith in their defense, giving Marist the ball back with just over 2:30 to play. The Toreros forced a punt and got the ball back.
Needing a clutch drive, a Nankil dropback ended in complete disaster, as Werner paved his way into the backfield, bringing Nankil down and sealing the game.
“To come out here with my loved ones watching me, to do these things for my team, it’s really sweet,” said Werner.
Hustle, heart and determination fueled the Red Foxes, especially in the fourth quarter. They move to 3-2 on the year, and will face the University of Pennsylvania on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 pm.
Edited by August Lieberman
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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