Coming off a heartbreaking road loss against New Haven in which the Red Foxes scored just one offensive touchdown, Marist football bounced back in its home opener against Division II opponent Franklin Pierce.
The Red Foxes rekindled their offensive spark—they punted only once and averaged 8.1 yards per play. The defense also shined several times throughout the game; there were several points where it was put in a tough position and stepped up.
Below is a look at four key plays that helped the Red Foxes get in the win column for the first time in 2026.
Play 1
Graduate student quarterback Sonny Mannino’s legs are the X-factor of the Marist offense. When head coach Mike Willis’ offense needs a big play, he calls on No. 12—on designed quarterback runs, the Red Foxes often get all the yardage they need. But when the blockers go the extra mile, explosive runs can happen.
On this third-and-two, we see exactly that.
This play is an inside zone read with a QB escort. This means that the offensive line will all step playside, leaving the backside edge rusher, sophomore Kevin Estime (No. 53), unblocked. Mannino will read Estime in order to decide whether he should keep the football or hand it off to the running back, junior Jeremy Decaro (No. 26), who is following the offensive line.
The main reason this play works is motioning fifth year receiver Santino Correa (No. 3). He acts as the escort blocker with the main goal of blocking the first second level defender that appears past Estime. On Correa’s way to the second level, he gets in the way of Estime. This forces Estime into an unusual pursuit angle, creating a clear path for Mannino to run to get to the second level of the defense.
Correa then continues upfield to meet junior defensive back Damir Stone, who he pushes out of the play.
Due to a smart read by Mannino and some great second level blocking from Correa and redshirt freshman receiver Jayden Taylor (No. 14), the Red Foxes scored their first touchdown of the game on this explosive 45-yard carry.
Play 2
The Red Foxes’ next touchdown of the game came on a fourth down two yards away from the endzone.
The four plays prior were runs, and besides one carry that lost four yards, each of the plays went for two yards. They proved they can consistently beat the Ravens with physicality for at least two yards an attempt, and now they were taking their wide receivers off the field for extra tight ends and a fullback.
Franklin Pierce defensive coordinator Taylor Ewan’s defense was set on this being a run play. This made the play action pass so effective.
Senior utility man Marco Leinez III (No. 10) was left wide open in the back of the endzone as the defense went all out against the run. The one man who is supposed to be responsible for Leinez, Stone (No. 0), had his eyes caught on Mannino, worried about his rushing ability.
On fourth-and-goal, the expectation is usually that the offense will fall back on what works well. In this case, it was Marist’s run game (especially from the quarterback). Their decision to show run with a heavy formation and pass the ball to a converted quarterback is a perfect example of how offenses can defy expectations.
Play 3
After a Mannino interception set up the Ravens on Marist’s 15-yard line, defensive coordinator Mike Horan’s defense found its back against the wall.
Early on, the defense had a lot of trouble dealing with Stonehill junior quarterback Shawn Brown (No. 2) running the football. After halftime, they were much better at dealing with the quarterback run game.
On this QB counter play, the defensive line, and specifically junior defensive lineman Braylen Ricks (No. 98), does a great job forcing stalemates across the line of scrimmage and giving Brown less space to run.
Combine this strong effort on the backside with a superb job by freshman defensive back Reggie Bropleh Jr. (No, 37) to take on the block from the pulling guard, sophomore Harrison Fuller (No. 69), despite a 110 pound difference between the two, and the play serves as a textbook display of how to defend counter.
The defense winning across the line of scrimmage creates a one-on-one tackling situation between Brown and sophomore defensive back Chase Hatton (No. 21).
Due to strong defensive line play and clean tackling at the second level, the Red Foxes run defense has been a force to be reckoned with. Once they started to limit Brown’s rushing, the Ravens’ options were limited.
Play 4
After a change in quarterbacks, something Franklin Pierce head coach Russell Gaskamp experimented with throughout the game, the Franklin Pierce offense eventually found some momentum.
After a passing touchdown from the right arm of senior quarterback Kevin Leal (No. 7), the Ravens went for two to cut the Red Foxes’ lead to seven. Once again, Franklin Pierce trusted Leal to throw the ball. He looks to the flat to draw attention away from the middle of the field.
The play was designed to hide junior receiver Connor Marchi (No. 6), who pass blocks at the start of the play, then releases to occupy the middle of the field as the defense supposedly flows to the left.
This is where junior defensive back Tyrell Powell (No. 3) deserves his credit. As he flows right, he stays wary of Marchi as he releases to the middle of the field.
Leal still throws the ball over the middle to Marchi, but Powell redirects quickly then contests the pass.
Since Horan has come to Marist, the defensive back play has been high caliber. Powell looks like he has the potential to be the next Red Fox star in the secondary.
This was a much-needed, get-back-on-track win for the Red Foxes.
Last week, offensive coordinator TJ Weyl’s offense only got six first downs—this week, they more than tripled that. Mannino’s explosive play generation brought black a crucial element to the offense, albeit against a Division II opponent.
As the Red Foxes’ receiving core gets healthy, and if the defense continues to improve on third down, Marist will have a chance to earn its first Division I win of the season Saturday on the road against Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic and photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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