MILLTOWN — Ta’Son Wallace had a breakout game for Saint Mark’s, picking up 180 yards on the ground with five touchdowns in the Spartans’ 47-7 win over Polytech on Oct. 10 at the Graveyard. Saint Mark’s, playing in front of a large homecoming crowd, snapped a two-game losing streak.
Polytech took the opening kick and moved the ball downfield with alacrity, but after getting into Spartans territory, the Panthers fumbled after a pass reception. The Spartans took over at their own 38, and Wallace went right to work. On the first play from scrimmage, he motored down the right side for 62 yards and a touchdown.
The turnover bug struck Polytech again after the kickoff. Jeremiah McLain fell on a Panthers fumble at Polytech’s 19, and Wallace went to work again. He ran right again and scored again, and the Spartans had a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.
The Spartans added to the lead on their next possession. Wallace and receiver Bobby Groves accounted for all of the yards on the drive. Groves caught two Brett Greene passes for 54 yards, and Wallace ran for the rest, including the last three yards for a touchdown late in the first.
The Panthers struck quickly for their lone points of the evening. On the first play after Saint Mark’s kickoff, quarterback Haleem Edwards hit Zaine Harris over the middle, and Harris sprinted the final 50 yards to the end zone.
Wallace capped a six-play, 50-yard drive for his fourth score of the night to make the score 28-7. That one came from six yards out, with Wallace reversing field to escape the Panthers’ defense and sneaking into the left side of the end zone.
A third Polytech fumble led to Wallace’s final touchdown. The Spartans jumped on the loose ball at the Panthers’ 14 with 7:24 left in the first half. Wallace’s first rushing attempt covered four yards, and he reached the end zone on the next carry, this time going to the left side.
Saint Mark’s closed out the scoring in the first half. Two passes to Colin Foley got the ball to the Polytech 18, and Matteo Bracalenti (St. John the Beloved Parish) drilled a 36-yard field goal with five seconds left in the half.
Max Morrison sacked Edwards in the end zone midway through the third quarter for a safety that added two points to the Spartans’ lead. The final touchdown came after the free kick by Polytech. Jack Donahue caught a 35-yard pass from Greene. This time, Dominic Muscara came out to add the extra point as coach Bill DiNardo got everyone some playing time.
Greene finished with six completions on eight attempts for 121 yards and the touchdown, and Terron Tippens passed for 30 yards on four completions, and he added 30 yards rushing. Saint Mark’s (3-4) has a week off before visiting Milford on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.
Polytech (4-2) hosts Delaware Military Academy on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
