Dartmouth College
Franklin Pierce
Junior Varsity Hands Franklin Pierce a 53-0 Defeat
10/7/2018 11:20:00 PM | Football, JV Football
Junior Cole Douglas completed 15-of-18 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns.
HANOVER, N.H. — Junior Cole Douglas completed 15-of-18 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns, and a suffocating Dartmouth defense held Franklin Pierce to zero net yards Sunday as the Big Green junior varsity recorded a 53-0 win in a game called after three quarters.
Freshman Keegan McHugh ran 15 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 20-yard scoring pass in the hastily arranged game against Franklin Pierce, which is transitioning from sprint football (formerly known as lightweight football) and will play a regular Division II schedule next year.
Dartmouth's first three possessions resulted in an 11-play, 71-yard touchdown drive capped by Douglas' one-yard pass to freshman tight end Ben Keeter, a nine-play, 65-yard TD drive ending with an 11-yard McHugh run, and a nine-play, 60-yard scoring drive finished off by a 22-yard catch and run down the right sideline by freshman tight end Joe Kramer.
Before the half was through sophomore Kalle Wagner would boot a 28-yard field goal, freshman linebacker Carson Reich would force a fumble in the end zone for a safety and the Big Green would tack on a 20-yard Douglas-to-McHugh touchdown for a 32-0 lead at the half.
The 10-minute third quarter was more of the same with McHugh finishing a 70-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run and freshman receiver R.J. Brandon out-jumping several defenders for a 29-yard touchdown with 22 seconds remaining.
Between McHugh's final touchdown and Brandon's score, freshman nickel Joe Heffernan simultaneously crushed a Franklin Pierce receiver and ripped the ball out of his arms, running it 35 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.
Freshman defensive end Mick Reese had a team-high five tackles including 2.5 sacks for Dartmouth. Heffernan and freshman interior lineman Luca Di Leo each had four stops and Reich three. Freshman defensive back Josh Betts picked off a pass and returned it 42 yards on the penultimate play of the game.
Kramer led Dartmouth receivers with four catches for 67 yards while freshman Chris Sykes had four for 57. Sophomore Dakari Falconer carried nine times for 36 yards.
In addition to hitting 6-of-7 extra points and the field goal (albeit without a rush) Wagner, the skier who walked onto the team last year, booted several of his kickoffs into and out of the end zone.
Franklin Pierce completed its first pass of the day for five yards but the Ravens' two quarterbacks were just 3-for-12 for seven yards. The visitors' only first down in 12 possessions came via penalty.
The Dartmouth junior varsity should face a more challenging test in its final game against Maine's Bridgton Academy on Oct. 28. Bridgton is 2-1-1 after beating the Norwich junior varsity the last time out, 52-6.
