FOOTBALL FAMILY CAPTURES FIRST EVER ECFC WIN

Mount Ida College senior quarterback Michael Cloutier (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) threw two touchdowns with 154 yards passing on 13 completions in the Mustangs first Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) victory winning 23-6 against visiting Gallaudet University this Saturday on a blustery afternoon.  The Mustangs, who are the first team ever to capture a conference victory in the inaugural season of the ECFC, improve to 1-2 overall while the Bison fall to 1-2, 0-1 in conference play.

Along with Cloutier, Mustang sophomore running back Johrone Bunch (Meriden, CT/F.T. Maloney) also enjoyed a stellar game in the home opener of the 2009 season tallying 27 carries for 137 yards and one score.  Bunch's touchdown run broke out for 39 yards with 2:24 remaining in the fourth quarter capitalizing the victory for the hosts.  Gallaudet struggled to put points on the board due to an outstanding overall effort by the Mount Ida defense holding the visitors to six points.

After a very sloppy first half by both sides with no points scored the entire first quarter, the Mustangs struck first in the beginning of the second stanza.  Senior wide out Kyle Watkins (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) hauled in a 31 yard pass from Cloutier and headed towards the end zone.  On the Gallaudet two yard line Watkins ended up fumbling the ball that was forced by Bison sophomore Jared Vollmar (Mt. Kisco, NY/Blind Brook) into the end zone.  Fortunately for Mount Ida, sophomore tight end Sean Simmons (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) fell on the pigskin for his first score of the season.  After the PAT by freshman kicker Matt Beale (Meriden, CT/O.H. Platt) the hosts led 7-0.

Mount Ida added their second touchdown of the game on another Cloutier pass with 12:28 remaining in the third quarter.  The TD strike was hauled in by junior fullback Paul Shaughnessy (Malden, MA/Northeast Regional) from 18 yards out completing a five play 57 yard drive.  The Mustangs held a commanding 14-0 advantage in the beginning of the third quarter. 

After neither squad could convert for the rest of the third, the Bison finally got on the board with 12:59 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter.  Gallaudet sophomore running back Jacob Schlotthauer (Oshkosh, WI/Oshkosh West) pounded in a five yard touchdown run on an 11 play, 33 yard strike.  It started to look like the visitors were gaining momentum with the entire fourth quarter to go, until the ensuing PAT attempt.  The point after was blocked by the Mustangs and picked up by freshman Eli Shuler (Northford, CT/North Branford) and took off the sideline.  Shuler, who isn't known for his speed at 6-2 250 lbs, saw that the opposition was catching him and decided to lateral the ball at midfield to a much faster senior Michael Epps (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow).  Epps ran into the end zone adding two more points to the Mustangs total commanding a 16-6 lead.

Down two scores in the final quarter, the Bison had a tougher road ahead now trailing by 10 points instead of seven after the botched PAT that Mount Ida capitalized on.  The Mustangs added one more score on a 10 play 85 yard drive eating up nearly six minutes off the clock capped by a 39 yard TD run by Bunch.  That was the final nail in the coffin for the Bison while Mount Ida eventually captured the 23-6 ECFC victory.

Gallaudet pounded the triple option all day with a whooping 51 rushing attempts on 156 yards while the Mustangs tallied 142 yards on the ground on 29 carries.  There was a total of seven fumbles between the two teams, five by the visitors who lost two of them that turned out to be costly in the end.  Mount Ida play caller Cloutier threw two picks while Bison senior quarterback Jimmy Gardner (St. Augustine, FL/Florida School for the Deaf & Blind) went 3-9 passing with one interception and was sacked twice. 

The Mustang defense dominated play holding Gallaudet to a measly six points creating three turnovers.  Freshman linebacker Michael Brockenberry (West Haven, CT/West Haven) totaled eight solo tackles, one going for a loss of one yard.  Shuler, junior's Jordan Edinger (Key Largo, FL/Coral Shores), and Emersson Huaranga (Harrison, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) all tallied six solo tackles.  Senior Emmanuel Sanchez (Miami, FL/Miami Sunset) picked off one pass along with five solo tackles.

The Bison were led defensively by senior's Joshua and Calvin Doudt (Medina, OH/Maryland School for the Deaf) combining for 15 solo tackles.  Vollmar notched six tackles and added one forced fumble.

The Mustangs will get back on the road for their second ECFC game of the 2009 season next Saturday at Norwich University in Norwich, Vermont starting at 1:30 p.m.  The Bison will face ECFC member and first year program Castleton State College Saturday at 12:00 p.m.