11/7/2003 - Sprint Football
Navy Drops 30-25 Decision to Army
Chris Ashinhurst threw for 238 yards tonight at Army. |
West Point, N.Y. - Navy sprint football (6-1, 3-1 CSFL) lost its first game this season as Army (5-1, 4-0 CSFL) took a 30-25 victory to clinch the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) title and the Star victory. The Mids held a 16-6 halftime lead, but the Black Knights outscored the Mids 10-0 in the third quarter and then tallied two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
The Mids put the first points on the board as junior Matt Clark (Raleigh, N.C./Enloe) put a 40-yard field goal between the uprights with only 23 seconds left in the first quarter. The Mids quickly added to that after Army started the second quarter by putting for the third time in the game. Sophomore Jake Owens (Pensacola, Fla./Booker T. Washington) picked up the first touchdown as he caught a 12-yard pass to put Navy up 10-0.
The Black Knights came back on the next drive and charged 76 yards down the field on 10 plays to put themselves on the board, but Army missed its point after attempt, keeping the Mids ahead, 10-6.
Navy forced the Black Knights to punt for the fifth time in the first half and the Mids took over on the Army 31-yard line with five and a half minutes to go. With seven yards to go on fourth down, senior Chris Ashinhurst (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Trevor Garabedian-Prophet (Ventura, Calif./Ventura), but the Mids failed to convert the extra-point, giving Navy a 16-6 margin heading into halftime.
Army came out strong in the second half and tied the game up after the Mids fumbled on their 16-yard line, as Clay Bibb took in a one-yard run with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Army had the chance to take the lead to start the fourth quarter, but the Black Knights missed a 28-yard field goal attempt. Although Navy punted on its next possession, Army fumbled the return and junior Michael Brock (Pallos Park, Ill./Marist) picked up the loose ball on Army's 10-yard line. After senior Randall Leslie (Highland, Calif./Redlands East Valley) got the Mids to the two-yard line, Garabedian-Prophet ran the ball into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night to take the 23-16 lead.
Army quarterback George Feagins broke open for a 29-yard rush into the endzone to tie the game at 23-23 with 5:04 left in the game. Senior Jamie Glines (Modesto, Calif./Central Catholic) fumbled and Army's Michael Figer picked up his second fumble recovery of the night and ran it 40 yards back to the endzone for Army's first lead of the night.
Glines returned the kickoff 20-yards and Ashinhurst completed a 51-yard pass to sophomore Kevin Laughary (Morris, Ill./Morris Community), but his next pass was intercepted by David Daniels and the Black Knights took control of the ball with a seven-point lead and only three minutes remaining. Army failed to move the ball, however, and on fourth down the ball went over the punter's head and into the endzone for a safety. Navy took over with 1:57 on their own 46-yard line, trailing the Black Knights, 30-25.
Ashinhurst's first three passes were incomplete, but on fourth down he found senior Joel Gow (Riverview, Fla./Providence Christian) for a seven-yard gain, but the Black Knights took over on their own 47 and were able to run the clock out to secure the victory.
The Black Knights claimed the Star victory as well as the CSFL Championship. Army currently leads the all-time series against Navy 28-27-1.
