Football fights through rain, Franklin Pierce for first win of 2023

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts – On a night where Mother Nature tried her best to crash the party, the American International College football team won a back-and-forth battle with Franklin Pierce University, 27-24, in nonconference play on Saturday, September 9.

AIC is now 1-1 on the season.

Big plays were the name of the game; AIC opened the scoring just past the five-minute mark as Brian Lafrance hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass from Cephas Williams, but Tyreice Dominique answered two plays later, dancing past defenders on the kickoff and running 95 yards to the opposite end zone.

AIC responded with a seven-play, 68-yard drive that Williams ended with a 19-yard strike to Jadye Foxworth for another touchdown, giving AIC a 14-7 lead that lasted through one quarter.

In the second, the Ravens were driving when the skies opened up. Lightning necessitated a lengthy delay; the teams left the field at 5:48 p.m., and sat for over three hours, only returning to the field to re-warm at 9:00 p.m. and restart play 15 minutes later.

The delay ended with a different kind of flash; Jordan McAfee found Antonio Smikle Jr. wide open in the left corner of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.

Two drives later, it was the Yellow Jackets lighting it up again; on third down Williams hit Seba Nekhet in space, and the running back did the rest, flying 75 yards for the score. The Ravens added a field goal as the clock expired, and trailed 20-17 at the abbreviated halftime.

Neither team scored in the third, but the Ravens struck early in the fourth to take their first lead on another tremendous play. McAfee threaded a pass to Anthony Anderson, who bowled his way into the end zone from 23 yards out with 11:56 to go.

The Ravens secured a few stops on AIC, including a three-and-out, but the Yellow Jackets kept the visiting team from adding to its lead. Pinned deep in their own end after an excellent punt, Williams launched a pass up the left sideline to Fatir Bell, who flew to the Ravens 12 for a 66-yard gain. Three plays later, Williams laid a pass into team captain Jaheim McGuire, who barely held the line of the end zone to put AIC back on top.

The Ravens were forced to punt on the next drive, and Sidiki Kone made sure they did not touch the ball again, breaking off back-to-back 20-plus yard carries and earning three first downs to melt the clock away and earn the first head coaching win for Lou Conte at AIC.

Williams totaled 368 yards in the air and four touchdowns. Lafrance, Bell, and Nekhet each totaled 75 yards or more, and Kone broke 100 yards for the second week in a row between his 96 rushing and 39 receiving. Benjamin Smaw led AIC with nine tackles and also broke up two passes.

AIC opens NE10 play on Saturday, September 16 at 2:00 p.m. at Saint Anselm College.