Posted by: Shawn Sweeney
Kevin Sullivan avoids a would-be tackler en route to his second touchdown on the day. |
Michael Jump threw for 109 yards and a touchdown against Saint Peter's. |
The Explorers adorned their helmets with Preston Plevretes' uniform number to honor their fallen teammate. |
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle football team (4-7, 2-2 MAAC) ended its season on a positive note, closing out the 2005 campaign with a 30-14 win over MAAC opponent Saint Peter's (1-9, 0-3). The Explorers saw two different rushers gain over 100 yards for the first time in their history, as junior Josh Brumfield (Chester Springs, PA/Owen J. Roberts) rushed for 134 yards and classmate Kevin Sullivan (Nanuet, NY/St. Joe's-Montvale) gained 130 yards on the ground.
After falling behind 14-3, La Salle rattled off 27 unanswered points en route to picking up the win. The Explorers began their comeback when a Sullivan 5-yard touchdown run capped off a seven-play, 80-yard drive. As the second quarter was winding down, La Salle struck again when quarterback Michael Jump (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) connected with Brumfield on a 7-yard pass, giving the Explorers the lead for good.
Jump would later leave the game after incurring an ankle injury. He was 11-for-26 for 109 yards and a touchdown. He was replaced by Dwayne Lodge (Neptune, NJ/Neptune), who was 1-for-2 for 31 yards, but scrambled eight times for 52 yards.
In the second half, La Salle tacked on some insurance points using the ground game. Brumfield broke loose for a 40-yard score in the third period. He rushed right and appeared to be headed out of bounds for the first down, but suddenly cut back left and zigzagged his way across the entire field to find the end zone.
Sullivan got free on a 46-yarder in the fourth to seal the deal and send the Explorers' 15 seniors off on a high note as they played their final game at 20th and Olney.
The La Salle offense gained a total of 455 yards (315 rushing), compared to Saint Peter's 429. Peacocks' quarter back Scott Bonnono threw for 335 yards on 35-for-51 passing. He threw for two touchdowns, one to Brandon Edmonds and the other to John Bond. Sean Mayers led the Saint Peter's ground attack with 69 yards.
The game was dedicated to injured freshman linebacker Preston Plevretes (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro), who remains in Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh after undergoing surgery to relieve pressure and blood on the brain due to a hit suffered against Duquesne.
