NCAA Tournament: No. 6 Frostburg Outlasts Western New England, 42-24

Wolfe & Razza both top 100-yards receiving for Golden Bears

FROSTBURG, Md. (November 17, 2018) – The No. 6 ranked Frostburg State University football team outlasted Western New England University, 42-24, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.

With the win, Frostburg (10-0) advances to the second round to face Johns Hopkins University. Western New England wraps up its 2018 campaign with a record of 8-3.  
Top Performers
Junior quarterback Alec Coleman (Arlington, Mass.) led the Western New England offense, throwing for a career-high 298 yards (27-of-43) with one touchdown and two interceptions. Coleman also carried the ball 12 times for 49 yards and another score.

Junior receiver Jared Wolfe (Seaford, N.Y.) and sophomore receiver Adam Razza (Watertown, Conn.) both posted career days for the Golden Bears, as Wolfe hauled in ten receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown, while Razza caught six passes for 124 yards and a score.

Defensively, senior Matt Anastasi (Stoughton, Mass.) recorded a game-high 12 tackles. Senior linebacker Kurtis Jolicoeur (Windham, N.H.), junior linebacker Jake Salera (Rehoboth, Mass.) and sophomore cornerback Zhaire House (Greenwich, Conn.) all totaled nine stops, while Salera also picked off a pass. 

Frostburg senior quarterback Connor Cox (Davidson, Md.) completed 21-of-26 pass attempts for 381 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Malcolm Facey (Randallstown, Md.) picked up 112 yards and one score on 18 carries (6.2 avg.), while junior receiver Malik Morris (Carney, Md.) made 11 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore linebacker Jake Broschart (Fulton, Md.) paced the Bobcats on the defensive side of the ball with 11 tackles (4.5 for loss, one sack) and a pass breakup.

Game Review
After the home team opened the scoring on a two-yard touchdown run by Facey at the 10:15 mark of the first quarter, Western New England answered with ten straight points to take the lead.

Junior Kieran Lombard (Dover, N.H.) booted a 39-yard field goal midway through the period to get the Golden Bears on the board, and a fumble on Frostburg's ensuing possession led to Western New England's second score as Coleman found the end zone on a 20-yard run to make it 10-7 with 4:47 left in the quarter.

The Bobcats responded quickly, however, with a nine-play, 80-yard drive over 2:25 that culminated in a three-yard touchdown run by sophomore Aizsha Horne (Washington, D.C.) to regain the lead (14-10) for good.

Frostburg added to its advantage with 6:38 left in the half when Cox connected with Morris for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Bobcats a 21-10 lead heading into the break.

The home team received the ball to start the second half and proceeded to march 68 yards over nine plays in 4:14, with Cox punching it in from a yard out to increase Frostburg's cushion to 18 (28-10).

Coleman was shaken up on the second play of Western New England's ensuing possession, but the Golden Bears successfully executed a trick play with backup Brendan Smith (Seekonk, Mass.) under center. Smith threw a pass behind the line of scrimmage to sophomore wide receiver Steven Fedorchak (Guilderland, N.Y.), and Fedorchak lofted a pass across the middle to Razza, who raced into the end zone for a 68-yard touchdown to cut Western New England's deficit to 11 (28-17).  

The Bobcats again had a quick response to regain the momentum, as a long return followed by a 37-yard touchdown pass from Cox to senior running back Grayson Boyce (Poquoson, Va.) restored Frostburg's 18-point lead (35-17).

Coleman, who was picked off in the end zone to end Western New England's next drive, connected with Wolfe for a 13-yard touchdown with 8:19 left in the contest to bring the Golden Bears to within 11 (35-24) again.

Frostburg all but sealed the win with a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive that spanned 4:12 and resulted in a 44-yard touchdown pass to Morris on third and five from the WNE 44-yard line. Western New England's final possession resulted in a Coleman interception that capped the triumph for the Bobcats.

Notes
• Western New England and Frostburg combined for 1,039 yard of total offense. The Golden Bears gained 457 yards (366 passing, 91 rushing) while the Bobcats racked up 582 yards (381 passing, 201 rushing).
• Senior punter Vinny Lalumia (Maywood, N.J.) pinned three punts inside Frostburg's 20-yard line, including one at the three-yard line and another at the one-yard line.
• Coleman finished his junior campaign with 40 total touchdowns (21 passing, 19 rushing).