October 16, 2004 

AMHERST, MA - Senior wideout Jay Wagstaff (Tewksbury, MA) hauled in a 54-yard touchdown grab and returned a punt 65 yards for another touchdown as the undefeated Amherst College football team improved to 4-0 with a 19-10 victory over visiting NESCAC rival Colby College (2-2) on Saturday. 

Wagstaff finished with four punt returns for 100 yards and five catches for 82 yards, while the defense held Colby to a paltry 164 yards of total offense, including just 34 yards in the second half. 

Colby led 10-7 at the break, thanks to a one-yard touchdown plunge by rookie Chris Bashaw (Rutland, MA) and a 39-yard field goal by sophomore place-kicker John Goss (Shrewsbury, MA). Wagstaff accounted for Amherst's first-half scoring with a 54-yard touchdown catch off a flea-flicker pass from senior quarterback Marsh Moseley (New Orleans, LA). 

After the break, Amherst forced Colby to punt on its opening possession, and Wagstaff responded with a spectacular 65-yard touchdown return, shucking a host of would-be tacklers and streaking untouched down the right sideline for his second career punt return touchdown. Later in the third quarter, Amherst sophomore Mark Hannon (Glen Rock, NJ) lofted a picturesque 30-yard punt that was downed by junior Joe Bickerstaffe (Norfolk, MA) at the Colby five-yard line. Junior defensive tackle Dan Kovolisky (Clark, NJ) then sacked Colby quarterback Justin Smith (Rockland, MA) in the end zone for a safety to give the Jeffs a 16-10 lead. 

Amherst sealed the win less than three minutes later when senior place-kicker David Bodner (Atlantic Beach, NY) drilled a 38-yard field goal, his second of the season, with 4:13 left in the third quarter. Senior tailback Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH), who entered the game tops in the nation in rushing at 196.0 yards per game, pulled the Jeffs within field goal range with a 30-yard rumble en route to a game-high 105 yards on 24 carries. 

Senior Mike Salvatore (Greenwich, CT) paced the Amherst defense with 11 tackles, including five solos and one for loss. Junior Justin Roemer (Jupiter, FL) added eight tackles and a pair of pass deflections. Kovolisky and junior L.J. Spinnato (Madison, CT) each recorded sacks, while senior Chris Scarpelli (Wyckoff, NJ) nabbed his second interception of the season for the Jeffs. 

Wayne Harrington (Rockland, MA) and Steve Kasperski (Naperville, IL) tallied 18 and 12 tackles, respectively, for Colby. 

Amherst returns to action next Saturday at noon at NESCAC and Little Three rival Wesleyan University. The game will be televised regionally on NESN. 

BOX SCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY