NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Marist football team suffered a 10-9 non-league loss at Columbia of the Ivy League on Saturday. The Red Foxes, who have dropped their last two games by a total of three points, are now 1-2 on the season.
Senior defensive end Terrence Fede (Nyack, N.Y.) finished with two-and-a-half sacks and eight tackles. Junior linebacker Paul Sakowski (Chester, N.Y.) had a team-high 11 tackles.
Offensively, junior quarterback Chuckie Looney (Ocala, Fla.) was 20-for-30 through the air for 293 yards. He had one touchdown pass and two interceptions. Junior wide receiver Armani Martin (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) had a team-best 104 receiving yards on five catches. Senior tight end Anthony Calcagni (Thornwood, N.Y.) led Marist with six receptions for 76 yards.
A 28-yard field goal by senior kicker/punter Jason Myers (Chula Vista, Calif.) with 3:26 in the first quarter was the first score of the game. Marist held a 3-0 lead until Columbia's Marcorus Garrett scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 9:53 left in the third quarter, and the ensuing extra point put the Lions up 7-3. Luke Eddy's 22-yard field goal just 1:39 later gave Columbia a 10-3 lead.
With 6:30 left in the fourth quarter, Looney's one-yard touchdown pass to Louis Cotrone (South Bellmore, N.Y.) brought the Red Foxes to within 10-9. However, Myers' ensuing extra point was blocked.
Marist started its next drive with 4:13 left from its own 24. On the first play, Looney threw a long pass across over the middle to Calcagni, who shook off a tackle and midfield and ran all the way to the end zone. However, a holding penalty on the play moved the ball back to the Columbia 39. On fourth down, Looney was intercepted by Zach Olinger to end the drive. The Lions then held the ball for the final 3:08 to end the game.
For Columbia (1-0), Garrett had 115 rushing yards on 30 carries to pace the offense. In addition to his interception, Olinger led the Lions with 10 tackles, and also had two tackles for losses, a sack and a forced fumble.
Marist will return to action next Saturday, when the Red Foxes host Davidson in their Pioneer Football League opener. The game is part of Alumni Weekend at Marist, and kickoff is set for noon. For ticket information, contact the Marist Ticket Office at (845) 575-3553.
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