NEW CASTLE — After falling behind William Penn, 14-7, early in the second half of their football game on Oct. 28, Saint Mark’s found a spark from Richard Anderson. The freshman returned the kickoff following the Colonials’ touchdown 90 yards for the tying touchdown, and the Spartans went on to a 24-14 victory at Bill Cole Stadium.
The teams were tied, 7-7, after a quick-paced first half. The Spartans struck first, with Logan Klein carrying five yards around right end to cap a six-minute drive with 4:10 left in the half. The Colonials tied the score with just 26 seconds remaining in the half. They recovered a Saint Mark’s fumble at the Spartans’ 18 with less than a minute to go, and a few plays after Penn quarterback Josiah Everett hit Mark Moore at the 4, Everett threaded the needle to Muaz Brooks in the end zone.
Penn started at its own 12 after receiving the opening kickoff, and it didn’t take long for them to strike. Facing a third and six from their own 6, Everett hit Moore with a short screen pass over the middle, and the sophomore receiver did the rest. He split a few defenders and shook off a tackle on his way to a 94-yard score.
Anderson then did his thing. He took the kickoff on a bounce, moved to his left, then found a seam up the middle as he quickly re-tied the game.
The Spartans took possession again with eight minutes to go after forcing a Colonials punt. Starting from their 40, Caleb King ran for 10 yards. Saint Mark’s quarterback Aidan Lehane connected with Klein for a 13-yard gain. They picked up one more first down before the drive stalled, but Matteo Bracalenti easily hit a 39-yard field goal for the eventual winning points with 3:56 to go in the third.
Zion Goldsborough intercepted an Everett pass on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, and the Spartans’ offense went back to work. Lehane threw for 10 yards to Jude Campbell before Keigan Barnes took over. The next three plays were rushes by the junior, and they — along with a Penn penalty — got Saint Mark’s to the Colonials’ 20. After a penalty on Saint Mark’s, Lehane and Brady Dugan connected for 10 yards. From there, Barnes needed four rushes, the final one from the 3, for some insurance points.
Final statistics were not available late Saturday night. Saint Mark’s (4-4) travels to Middletown on Nov. 3 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, while the Colonials (3-5) will be in action at 7 the same night a few miles away at Appoquinimink.
