November 13, 2004
AMHERST, MA - Sophomore wideout Justin Macione (Mansfield, MA) hauled in a spectacular 39-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Marsh Moseley (New Orleans, LA) with 11:46 left in regulation to lead the Amherst College football team to a 13-10 victory over visiting archrival Williams College in the 119th edition of "The Biggest Little Game in America" on Saturday. With its third win over Williams (6-2) in the last five years and third straight home victory over the Ephs, Amherst claims sole possession of the coveted Little Three title and finishes its season at 6-2.
Amherst senior tailback Fletcher Ladd (Amherst, NH) rushed 34 times for 179 yards and a touchdown in the win, while senior linebacker Mike Salvatore (Greenwich, CT) had the afternoon of his life on defense, leading the Jeffs with a game-high 16 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.
Trailing 10-6 early in the fourth quarter after Williams sophomore Cory Catelli (Dartmouth, MA) connected on a 10-yard touchdown run, Amherst found itself at the Eph 39-yard line in desperate need of a momentum change. They found it in the form of Macione, who raced Williams sophomore Elliott Moffie (Wallingford, CT) to the goal line and won a jump ball in the back of the end zone in front of an Amherst Homecoming crowd over 11,000 strong.
With a tenuous three-point lead in hand, the game was far from over, and the Jeffs came up with three huge defensive plays down the stretch. The first was an interception and 14-yard return by senior defensive back Bob Sargent (Chantilly, VA) - his second of the game and fourth of the season. The second was a bone-jarring hit for a three-yard loss by Amherst senior linebacker Dave Borgonzi (Everett, MA) on a Williams fake field goal attempt on fourth-and-two. Finally, with the Ephs driving in Lord Jeff territory in the final minute, Amherst senior defensive back Rob Walsh (Fair Lawn, NJ) delivered the game's deathblow, popping Williams senior tailback Tim Crawley (Cottage Grove, OR) and forcing a game-sealing fumble that Lord Jeff senior Chris Scarpelli (Wyckoff, NJ) recovered at the Amherst 41 with just 33 ticks on the clock.
Crawley had an otherwise outstanding game for Williams, matching Ladd with 179 rushing yards on 39 carries. He also had a 36-yard kickoff return to set up Williams' only touchdown.
Amherst trailed 3-0 at the break and was more than fortunate to be down by just a field goal after turning the ball over twice in the opening half. Williams blew a golden opportunity to extend its lead with 1:23 left in the second quarter, choosing to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Amherst one-yard line. Crawley took the handoff but was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Borgonzi and junior linebacker Justin Roemer (Jupiter, FL), who finished the game with 12 and 10 tackles, respectively.
Amherst took the lead for the first time at the end of the third quarter, thanks in part to favorable field position after a 21-yard punt return by senior Jay Wagstaff (Tewksbury, MA). Moseley then found Wagstaff on a 21-yard fade route, and Ladd punched it in from five yards out on the following play. A missed extra point left the door open for the Ephs, however, and Williams reclaimed the lead on the ensuing possession on Catelli's 10-yard run.
Moseley had only three completions on the day, but he made them count on what turned out to be a cold, clear afternoon. Senior tailback Matt Monteith (Madison, CT) shored up the Amherst rushing attack with 39 yards on 11 carries. The Jeffs also boasted 11 defenders with five or more tackles, including Sargent, Walsh, Scarpelli, sophomore Brendan McKee (Hull, MA) and juniors Nick Zieler (Chicago, IL), Dan Kovolisky (Clark, NJ), L.J. Spinnato (Madison, CT) and Kelvin Coker (New York, NY).
BOX SCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY
