MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – For the second week in a row, the Bloomsburg defense came through for the Huskies late in the game as they defeated Millersville, 34-31, on Saturday afternoon. Bloomsburg football improved to 3-7 on the year and 2-5 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East action, while the Marauders fell to 3-7 and 1-6.
 
With 1:49 to play in the fourth quarter and Bloomsburg clinging to a 34-31 lead, the Marauders got the ball back at their own 38-yard line. Millersville couldn't do much with the first two plays from scrimmage on the drive but got a new life with a personal foul call to move the chains and get Millersville into Bloomsburg territory at the Huskies 40-yard line and a first down. Brett Nye's first pass after the new set of downs fell short to Mekhi Alexander after pressure came from Ryan D'Ambra (Southampton, Pa./Archbishop Wood). Nye connected with Richardson for just five yards on the next play, but Kenny Yurkonis (Minersville, Pa./Minersville Area) and Tom Goetz (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional) held Jaiden Abrams to just a two-yard gain on 3rd-and-5 from the Bloomsburg-35 to bring up fourth down. Nye looked for Alexander along the Marauders' sideline, but Hakeem Bacon (Chester, Pa./STEM Academy) was in coverage, and the pass fell short to turn the ball over on downs back to the Huskies.
 
Bloomsburg needed just two kneel-downs to seal the win for the second straight week.
 
The Huskies won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The defense started strong as the Marauders picked up a first down on the first play of the game but stalled out at the Millersville 42-yard line. Zach Banta punted the ball away, and Jerry Griffen-Batchler (Norristown, Pa./Germantown Academy) singled for the fair catch at the Bloomsburg-24.
 
Kaleb Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) got the ball on the first play and muscled his way through the defensive line down to the Bloomsburg 47-yard line. Ben Ries (Bloomsbury, N.J./Phillipsburg) then hit Nas Jones (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) for seven yards and Griffen-Batchler for six for a Husky first down. Monaco got the Huskies down to the Millersville 40-yard line before Ty Pringle (Cheyney, Pa./Bayard Rustin) carried the ball for three yards and a Husky first down. The Huskies ran the ball thrice – twice by Ries and once by Monaco – to get to the Millersville 11-yard line. A short pass to Gabe Brower (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) gave Bloom a first down at the Millersville 9-yard line. Ries connected with Griffen-Batchler for four yards, and Monaco ran the ball down to the Millersville 1-yard line. Facing a 4th-and-1 from the 1, the Huskies once again channeled the Philadelphia Eagles. Instead of a Brotherly Shove, the Huskies handed the ball off to Monaco, one of the strongest runners on the field, to muscle his way into the endzone. After Christopher George (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) connected on the point, the Huskies led 7-0 with 7:07 to play in the first.
 
The Marauders answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive of their own to get into the end zone and tie the game 7-7.
 
Bloomsburg took over with 2:02 to play in the first at the Huskies' 26-yard line after Matt Buchman (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) returned the kickoff 20 yards. Ries immediately hit Monaco for a 12-yard pass before he connected with Jones for a 43-yard catch-and-run down to the Millersville 19-yard line. A pair of short rushes by Monaco and Pringle got the Huskies to the Millersville 6-yard line at the end of the quarter. Monaco ran the ball three yards to open the second before Ries took it the rest of the way after cutting to the outside and into the end zone for the three-yard score. The extra point attempt was missed, though, and the Huskies led 13-7.
 
Once again, Millersville immediately had an answer and went 12 plays for 73 yards and a score. After the extra point attempt, the Marauders took their first lead of the game, 14-13.
 
The Huskies drove 64 yards on 13 plays on their next drive but had to settle for a field goal from the Millersville 4-yard line to take a 16-14 lead. The Marauders returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards and into the end zone to retake the lead, 21-16.
 
Millersville added to the advantage with a field goal from the Bloomsburg 18-yard line for the 35-yard score. The Marauders took the 24-16 lead into the break.
 
The Huskies and Marauders traded punts to open the third quarter, but Millerville's punt from its 28-yard line was blocked by D'Ambra and scooped up by Hunter Lino (Howell, N.J./Howell) at the Millersville 30-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. George connected on the extra point, and the Huskies cut the lead to one, 24-23, with 11:56 to play.
 
Millersville got its only score of the second half on the Marauders' next drive as they went 79 yards on six plays, including a 55-yard run by Nye to get down to the Bloomsburg 12-yard line. From there, the Marauders needed three plays to get into the end zone and push their lead to 31-23 with 9:12 to play in the third.
 
The Huskies and Marauders traded punts on the next two drives before Bloomsburg got down to the Millersville three-yard line and opted for the safe points on 4th-and-2 with a 20-yard field goal as time expired. Kevin Carrigan (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) connected on the try, and Bloomsburg cut the lead to five, 31-26, with a quarter to play.
 
After the Huskies forced a three-and-out on Millersville's first drive of the fourth quarter, Bloomsburg methodically worked its way down the field. A two-yard rush for Monaco and a six-yard catch for Justin Wolfe (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area) got the Huskies to the Bloomsburg 42-yard line. Ries then hit Griffen-Batchler for a 35-yard pass after the Huskies caught the Millersville defense napping on a defensive flag, which led to a free play. Monaco carried the ball down to the Millersville-18 before Ries took it down to the 10. With 11:19 left in regulation, Monaco carried the ball 10 yards and into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. The score gave the Huskies just a one-point lead, and head coach Frank Sheptock called his best two-point conversion play. Ries found one of his most reliable receivers, Griffen-Batchler, in the end zone and completed the two-point try to give Bloomsburg a three-point lead, 34-31, with 11:12 to play.
 
Millersville got as far as the Bloomsburg 41-yard line, but the Marauders faced a 4th-and-8 from near midfield, and Goetz broke up Nye's pass to give the ball back to Bloomsburg with 6:27 to play.
 
The Huskies struggled to move the ball as far as they would have liked, though Monaco converted on a 4th-and-1 at the 50-yard line to keep the drive going and burn more of the clock. Bloomsburg turned the ball over on downs with 1:49 to play at the Millersville 38-yard line.
 
The Huskies' defense held firm when they were needed and secured the win for Bloomsburg.
 
Ries threw for 169 yards on 15-for-24 passing and no interceptions. Jones caught five passes for 86 yards, while Griffen-Batchler caught four passes for 46 yards. Monaco rushed for 90 yards on 21 attempts and two scores. The 90 yards for Monaco pushed his career total to 2,119 and moved him into 13th place all-time at Bloomsburg for rushing. He's at 896 yards for the season and could become the 26th player in score history to rush for 1,000+ yards in a season.
 
Ries ran for 41 yards on 11 carries, and Pringle took the ball 30 yards on eight carries.
 
D'Ambra led the defense with eight tackles, including six solo stops. He had one quarterback hurry, one pass break up, and blocked a punt. Brady Thompson (Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) had seven tackles, five assisted, and one breakup. Tom Goetz (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional) (1.5 – 2), Joseph Kahn (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) (1.0 – 1), Yurkonis (0.5 – 1), and Giovanni Cancro (Pequannock, N.J./Pequannock Township) (1.0 – 3) all had a tackle for loss for Bloomsburg. Kahn and Charles Crews III (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) each had a QB hurry, as well as D'Ambra.
 
The Huskies look to end the year on a three-game winning streak as the Huskies host IUP next Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at Redman Stadium. The Huskies, along with the Bloomsburg marching band and cheerleaders, will honor their seniors before the game. Bloomsburg is also hosting a Military Appreciation game, and all active military and veterans will receive free admission to the game with a military ID.