GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart and Worcester Polytechnic Institute produced an exiting offensive display in a Liberty League football game at Boswell Field this afternoon. The Statesmen rolled to a 55-38 victory in a contest that broke the Hobart record for most combined points.

Senior wide receiver Rick Piñero (Smithtown/Hauppauge, N.Y.) led the Statesmen aerial attack with five receptions for 90 yards and a Hobart single game record four touchdowns. Senior running back Jack Holleran (Choate Rosemary Hall/Sharon, Mass.) paced the Hobart ground game with 155 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries (7.0 yds/att).

The Statesmen (3-1, 2-0 Liberty) held a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter when both defenses seemingly disappeared. The teams traded scores on seven consecutive drives as Hobart built a 35-17 advantage, scoring 42 points in the first half alone.

The Statesmen tacked on one more tally before the end of the half, a 38-yard scamper by Holleran, to take a 42-17 lead into the break.

WPI fought back into the game in the third quarter, closing within 17 (48-31) on a 3-yard run by junior running back Billy Orfalea (Shrewsbury/Shrewsbury, Mass.), but Hobart answered with Piñero's fourth TD catch of the day to put the game out of reach.

Sophomore quarterback Shawn Mizro (Newark/Newark, N.Y.) completed 12-of-24 for 171 yards and three touchdowns for the Statesmen. Senior wide receiver Dan Suozzi (New Hampton/New Canaan, Conn.) made three receptions for 51 yards to move within a single catch of the Hobart career record shared by Frank Fedorjaka '89 and Nico Karagosian '97 (141). Suozzi also threw a 49-yard TD pass to Piñero on a reverse pass play in the second quarter.

WPI senior wide receiver Preston Roberts (Brooklyn Tech/New York, N.Y.) enjoyed a very productive day, catching six passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.

The teams combined for 886 yards of offense, but the Statesmen defense produced five turnovers (3 interceptions, 2 fumbles). Senior defensive tackle Walt Bennett (Waterloo/Waterloo, N.Y.) made a team-high six tackles, including a sack, for Hobart, while junior linebacker Tony Clemente (Troy/Troy, N.Y.), first-year defensive end Jim Drury (Barrington/Barrington, Ill.), and first-year linebacker Jeff Sanders (Camden/Camden, N.Y.) each added five stops.

Senior defensive tackle Ryan Rackliffe (Bristol/Bristol, Conn.) posted a game-high 12 tackles, including 1½ sacks, for the Engineers.

Hobart is back in action at 1 p.m., on Oct. 9, when the U.S. Coast Guard Academy visits Boswell Field.
 

--HWS SPORTS--