Marist used a special-teams touchdown to help pull away from Presbyterian, Drake produced 621 yards in a road win at Davidson, Butler rallied past Valparaiso in the Hoosier Helmet Trophy game, and St. Thomas scored three touchdowns of 25 yards or longer in a victory against San Diego as Pioneer Football League play began Saturday.
PFL Scoreboard: Week 5
Saturday, September 26
Marist def. Presbyterian, 42-7
Drake def. Davidson, 51-32
Butler def. Valparaiso, 33-28
St. Thomas def. San Diego, 50-17
PFL Recaps: Saturday, September 26
Marist def. Presbyterian, 42-7
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Sonny Mannino accounted for four touchdowns, and Marist added a blocked-punt return for a score as the Red Foxes defeated Presbyterian 42-7 Saturday at Tenney Stadium.
Marist drove 72 yards on six plays on its opening possession, with Jayden Taylor breaking a 43-yard run to set up Mannino's 7-yard touchdown run. The Red Foxes' special teams scored next when Taylor returned a blocked punt 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:41 left in the first quarter. Mannino's 1-yard run stretched the advantage to 21-0 before Landon Sharpe answered with Presbyterian's lone touchdown on a 16-yard run.
Mannino responded by directing an 87-yard drive and finding Isaiah Simmons for a 1-yard touchdown with 3:49 remaining before halftime. The pair connected again from five yards early in the third quarter, and Kaden Beard completed the scoring with a 5-yard run late in the fourth.
Mannino completed 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 63 yards and two scores, while Taylor totaled 107 all-purpose yards for Marist. Presbyterian quarterback Landon Sharpe completed 14 of 30 passes for 142 yards and rushed for the Blue Hose's touchdown, while Caleb Johnson caught five passes for 82 yards. Marist finished with 444 yards of offense, including 238 rushing.
Drake def. Davidson, 51-32
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Drake answered Davidson's opening touchdown with 28 consecutive points and used three long scoring plays in the second half to defeat the Wildcats 51-32 Saturday at Davidson College Stadium.
Davidson struck first when Casey Bullock found AJ Adams for a 31-yard touchdown. Drake answered with Riley Warzynski's 15-yard touchdown pass to Willis Nofsinger, then took the lead on Cody Blicharz's 4-yard run. Warzynski later hit Nofsinger for a 37-yard score, and Kavaughn Clark's 4-yard run extended the Bulldogs' lead to 28-7. Bullock answered with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Caden Glenn before Griffin Kollhoff's 42-yard field goal sent Drake into halftime ahead 31-14.
Drake's explosive plays took over after halftime. Warzynski found Aiden Garcia for a 24-yard touchdown, Adrien Robbins broke a 62-yard scoring run just 39 seconds after a Davidson touchdown, and Chase Spellman raced 45 yards for a fourth-quarter score. Davidson continued to answer behind Bullock, who threw three second-half touchdown passes, but could not erase the deficit.
Warzynski completed 31 of 48 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns, while Nofsinger caught nine passes for 127 yards and two scores for Drake. Davidson's Bullock threw for 345 yards and five touchdowns, with Jacary Lightsey catching 10 passes for 170 yards and a score. Drake finished with 621 total yards, including 229 on the ground.
Butler def. Valparaiso, 33-28
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Butler scored 16 fourth-quarter points and rallied past Valparaiso for a 33-28 victory Saturday at Brown Field in the Hoosier Helmet Trophy game.
Butler opened the scoring on Beck Janki's 41-yard field goal, but the Beacons answered with Rowan Keefe's 3-yard touchdown run. Michael Rumoro then broke a 78-yard touchdown run on the third play of the second quarter to give Valparaiso a 14-3 lead. Gabe Passini answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Nick Munson before halftime and connected with Munson again for a 40-yard score early in the third quarter to put Butler ahead 17-14.
Valparaiso regained the lead on Keefe's 7-yard touchdown pass to Devin Yeats, but Passini and Munson connected for their third touchdown, this time from 14 yards, 14 seconds into the fourth quarter. Janki's 40-yard field goal stretched the advantage to six before Desmin Jackson's 17-yard touchdown run made it 33-21. Valparaiso answered with Keefe's 15-yard touchdown pass to Micah Mackay with 1:56 remaining, but Butler held on to the five-point lead.
Passini threw for 155 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 104 yards, while Munson caught five passes for 114 yards and all three Butler touchdown receptions. Valparaiso's Keefe completed 24 of 35 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and Rumoro rushed eight times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
St. Thomas def. San Diego, 50-17
SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Nick Peipert accounted for five touchdowns and St. Thomas added a defensive touchdown to defeat San Diego 50-17 Saturday at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
Peipert opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Pierce McCrary after an 84-yard drive, then struck Stefano Giovannelli for a 75-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. San Diego answered early in the second, but Gabriel Abel needed only 36 seconds to respond, breaking a 57-yard touchdown run that restored the Tommies' 14-point advantage. Peipert added a 25-yard touchdown run to make it 28-7.
The St. Thomas defense delivered another big play less than 90 seconds later when Kyle Winchester intercepted Dom Nankil and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, with Giovannelli adding the two-point conversion to make it 36-7. Nankil scored on a 16-yard run to open the second half, but Peipert answered with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Eli Paulson. Emiliano Salazar's 30-yard field goal provided San Diego's final points before Peipert closed the scoring with a 7-yard fourth-quarter run.
Peipert completed 12 of 18 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards and two scores, while Abel ran for 148 yards and a touchdown for St. Thomas. San Diego's Nankil completed 28 of 50 passes for 323 yards and rushed for a touchdown, with Elijah Taylor catching nine passes for 113 yards. St. Thomas finished with 304 rushing yards.