Marist football traveled to sunny DeLand, Florida, to face the Stetson Hatters for its first Pioneer Football League game away from home. The Red Foxes did not win a single PFL game on the road last season, but that streak came to a halt today as they took down the Hatters by a score of 28-14.
Marist is now 11-2 all-time facing Stetson, and has won seven straight against the Hatters.
Stetson, coming off a bye week, really struggled to get its offense rolling. The Hatters rushed for -1 yards in the game and punted on its first two drive following drops by senior tight end Anthony Benzija. The team tallied under 150 total yards before halftime.
The Hatters punted the ball six times in the first half alone and turned the ball over late in the second quarter. Marist Sophomore defensive back Chase Hatton, the reigning PFL Defensive Player of the Week, intercepted an overthrown pass.
Meanwhile, junior defensive back Tyrell Powell, who is one of the best defensive backs at the FCS level, broke up yet another pass this afternoon. This takes his season total to eight in just five games, good for third in the nation.
With senior running back Lincoln Cardillo out with an ankle injury, junior running back Jeremy DeCaro saw more time.
The first score came from the Hatters after a DeCaro fumble. Junior quarterback Thomas Von Grote threw a beautiful back-shoulder pass to junior wideout Shawne Jones, putting Stetson up 7-0 with 14 minutes remaining in the first half.
Von Grote, a North Texas transfer who spent time sitting behind now-Oklahoma State superstar quarterback Drew Mestemaker, had himself quite the afternoon. He finished with 273 yards through the air and completed close to 70% of his passes. However, midway through the fourth quarter, Von Grote took a brutal hit and stayed down on the field for nearly ten minutes. He did not return to the game, but he was seen coming off the field with help from multiple trainers.
Junior wide receiver Lance Martinez caught his first ball of the year following the Hatters’ touchdown, and then scored to even the game at seven. Martinez missed the start of the campaign due to injury and finished with 71 yards today.
An absolute blunder from Stetson junior safety Jaxon Holloway negated a three-and-out. He was called for taunting, and it led to the Marist score.
On the next Red Foxes drive, graduate student running back Isaiah Simmons scampered free for a 44-yard touchdown. Simmons has seen a dramatic increase in his workload and has electrified the Marist run game. He finished with 78 yards and two scores today.
Heading into halftime leading 14-7, Marist graduate student quarterback Sonny Mannino had already been hit four times behind the line of scrimmage. He had absolutely no time to throw and it led to numerous un-designed rollouts, making life hard on him and his wideouts.
Stetson’s star wideout in Jones caught his second touchdown of the day six minutes into the third frame. It was the same fade route that fooled the Marist defense earlier and tied the game at 14.
On the ensuing Red Foxes possession, graduate student receiver Reece Beauchamp found himself wide open down the field and put Marist up 21-14 with 6:27 left in the third.
The Red Foxes scored again late in the third quarter; Simmons punched one in from the half-yard line, putting Marist up 28-14.
The Hatters marched down the field by way of Von Grote’s cannon of an arm, but missed a chip-shot 32-yard field goal. Junior kicker Paul DeSousa broke an arm earlier this season and was kicking with a cast on his arm. The Red Foxes took over five minutes off the clock on their drive after the miss.
After sophomore signal-caller Kael Alexander came in to relieve Van Grote; Stetson was stuffed on fourth down with 4:21 left in the game. The score held, and Marist improved to 3-2 on the season.
Stetson hopes for Von Grote to be able to return sooner rather than later. The Hatters will travel to Minnesota for a matchup against St. Thomas next weekend. The Tommies gave up 55 points in a loss today against Presbyterian, a team Marist dismantled last week.
As for Marist, they are now 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2021. The Red Foxes will come back to Poughkeepsie, preparing to face Columbia on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo by Joe Coppola
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