Box Score

MORRISVILLE, NY - The Utica University football team had plenty of difficulty on Saturday, but showed tremendous character in finding a way to win. They also made some history along the way. On the final play of the game, the Pioneers beat a running clock to snap the ball, and quarterback Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central) hit Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) on a wide open pass play with no time left on the clock to lift Utica to a 20-17 win over host Morrisville State in an Empire 8 Football game played at Morrisville's Drake Field.

The win gives Utica a 7-1 record, their best-ever mark through eight games. It ties the program's single-season record for wins, along with tying the mark for regular season wins set by the 2014 and 2016 Pioneers. The team's conference record improves to 3-1. Morrisville falls to 6-2 overall. The win ties the all-time series between the two programs at four wins apiece. 

The Pioneers totaled 360 yards of total offense to Morrisville's 288. The Blue and Orange had a 296-129 edge in passing yards, while Morrisville rushed for 159 yards to Utica's 64. The Utica defense held Morrisville to just two third down conversions on eleven attempts in the game, and also forced the Mustangs to punt six times. 

Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central) completed 25 of 40 passes for the Pioneers in the win. He threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) made six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) had a career day at receiver with 99 yards and a touchdown in a second consecutive game. He made three catches on the winning drive. Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) had three catches for 39 yards and the winning score. James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) led the Utica run game with 56 net rushing yards. 

The Pioneer defense was led by Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern), whose nine tackles included a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, including a key fourth quarter stop. Anthony McDonald (Huntington, NY/Huntington) finished with eight tackles, while Terrance Toussaint (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) had six tackles, a portion of a tackle for loss, and a critical fourth quarter interception.

The Pioneers were held without a point for the duration of the first half. The lone scoring play happened for the Mustangs with 6:41 remaining in the second quarter, as quarterback Steven Frerichs scrambled for a 24 yard touchdown to put the home team up 7-0 at the half. 

The Mustangs doubled their lead quickly to start the third quarter, as Frerichs found Justin Adams on a 94 yard pass just over three minutes into the half for a 14-0 lead.

The Pioneers countered back at the 7:08 mark of the third, when the offense finally hit pay dirt for the first time on a 10 play, 90 yard drive. That drive was capped by Zenelovic connecting on a 27 yard pass to Palmer for the 11th touchdown between the duo this season. The kick was good, and the deficit was halved to 14-7 for the remainder of the third quarter.

Morrisville expanded the lead to 17-7 with just under ten minutes to go in the fourth on an Owen Cole field goal, but the Pioneers would once again rally back to a one possession game with 3:46 left.  After an interception by Toussaint in Pioneer territory, Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central) converted a 78 yard drive into a three point deficit when he zipped a five yard touchdown pass to Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) on an inside slant pattern. The kick was good, and the Pioneers trailed 17-14.

The ensuing onside kick attempt was well-placed, but unsuccessful. Still, the defense gave Utica a chance by forcing a three-and-out to set up the two minute drill. Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) combined to wrap up Frerichs behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of five on the team's key third down stop to put the ball back in Pioneer hands with 1:59 to go.

That set the stage for the team's walk-off heroics. Zenelovic completed passes to four different receivers to march the Pioneers down the field on a rapid thirteen play, 77 yard drive to win the game.

A nine yard pass to Doug Elsesser (Massapequa, NY/Plainedge) on the Pioneers' thirteenth play of the go-ahead drive was caught in-bounds, leaving the clock to run under ten seconds to go. With the clock approaching zero, the Pioneers narrowly beat the buzzer with the snap. Thinking the game was over, the Morrisville defense did not move. That left Nare wide open for the uncontested winning touchdown. After some discussion, the play stood as called and the Pioneers walked off with their seventh win of the year.