Hempstead, NY -- The young Black Knights ended their two-game losing streak with an enormous victory Saturday, September 27 against the skilled Nassau junior college. The gloomy afternoon in Hempstead, New York brightened for Army with a close battle to the finish. Killing the clock with 2.7 seconds remaining, Army was able to bring the field goal team on and prevail to a 17-16 win on the final play of the game. 

 

On the first series, Army gained a first down and was then forced to punt during which an errant snap put the Army defense on the field at their own 30 yard line to begin their day.  Nassau was able to take advantage of this by scoring on their first drive to give them an early lead over the Black Knights. 

The Black Knights entered Nassau territory, but came up short on a 4th and 2 attempt.  Army also failed to put some points on the board early in the second quarter by missing a field goal in Nassau territory. They were able to finally tie the score before half with a drive that went 58 yards in 9 plays. Quarterback Trent Steelman was able to punch it in the end zone with a 4 yard run leaving the score 7-7 at the half.

The second half started with a Nassau score but failed to convert the extra point which left the score 13-7. The Army offense was able to return the favor with another spectacular drive which went 9 plays for 49 yards ending with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Steelman to wide receiver Wilner Marcelin. Army gains the lead with this touchdown making the score 14-13. The Black Knights’ defense was able to keep the Nassau offense out of the end zone but could not prevent them from kicking a field goal that put Army back in the hole.

With the scoreboard reading 16-14, Army had one last chance at victory. With the clock winding down, the Army offense was able to produce a miraculous drive of 8 plays for 30 yards. The clock stops with 2.7 seconds left as Trent Steelman spiked the ball. This means that Army’s only hope lies in the foot of kicker Rory Noonan who unfortunately missed a shorter field goal earlier in the first half. Nassau tries desperately to ice Noonan’s leg with two consecutive time outs but their efforts prove to be insufficient. Noonan was able to save the day with a 37 yard field goal to end the game with a final score of Army17, Nassau 16.

The Offensive Delta Award Winners of this week were Trent Steelman, Malcolm Brown, Wilner Marcelin, Will Wilson, and Nate Watts. Defensively, Thomas Puskarich, Sean Maag, Derek Bisgard, Jarret Mackey, Tyler Shrader, and James Whittington earned Delta Awards. Trent Steelman had 24 rushes for 154 yards and a touchdown on the ground while completing 4 of 6 passes for 23 yards and a touchdown in the air. Thomas Puskarich ended with 5 solo tackles with 3 assists and a tackle for loss with ½ sacks. Maag had 5 solo and 2 assisted tackles. Jarret Mackey finished with 4 solo, 2 assists, and 2 tackles for loss.

The absence of turnovers and penalties showed a dramatic improvement from previous weeks for the Black Knights.  Now, with Army back on the winning side, they look to keep up their momentum through the rest of the season. Army will be coming out of a bye week to play their next game against Valley Forge at home on Saturday, October 11 at 1 o’clock.

West Point, NY - The Black Knights returned to Michie Stadium to play Milford on Friday, September 17th at 5pm. In another close competition against a talented Milford team, the Black Knights fell short, losing 14-19. The contest came down to the final seconds in which the Army Black Knights could not score in their opponent's red zone.

Army came out pretty sluggish in the first half by turning the ball over with a fumble in the first offensive possession. Milford was able to capitalize on the mistake by scoring on there first drive putting Army in the hole early in the game. They also scored a field goal to make the score 10-0. Army was finally able to make a stand with a 2-play 44-yard drive ending in a long touchdown run by quarterback Trent Steelman.

With a score under their belt, Army seemed to have the momentum shifted in their favor. After making a spectacular defensive stop, Army drove down the field hoping to score another touchdown. As they approached Milford’s red zone, Army mistakes led to another turnover. Milford intercepted the ball and returned it back to mid-field. With Army’s momentum shot, they trailed Milford at halftime.

The Black Knights kicked off the second half with great effort and intensity. The Black Knight defense was able to shut down the opening Milford drive. The Black Knights were then able to go 5 plays for 68 yards which turned their first drive of the second half into a touchdown. This momentum was shifted again with a safety and a huge Milford run which ended in a touchdown.

This left the Black Knights trailing 19-14 with little time on the clock. They were able to reach Milford’s red zone but could not produce a score with a failure to complete a pass on fourth down. Milford took a knee with seconds left to end the game.

Offensively, the Delta Award winners of the week were Malcolm Brown and Wilner Marcelin.

Defensively, the award winners were Nathan Combs, Sean Maag, and Derek Bisgard. Combs ended with 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 tackle for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Maag finished with an impressive 5 solo tackles, and Bisgard also had 5 tackles with a tackle for loss.

The Black Knights will suit up next week to play a talented Nassau team next week on Saturday, September 27 at 1:00 pm.  Army will be looking to improve their current record of 2-2 in Hempstead, New York.

West Point, NY - The Black Knights of USMAPS suited up against the JV squad of West Point Sunday afternoon. In a battle to the finish, the Black Knights came up short in a 14-7 loss at Michie Stadium. Although the Black Knights came up short, they played with a great deal of effort and energy.

Army started out with a promising drive which ended in a turnover. The defense was able to keep the momentum from shifting dramatically. The first half was an all out brawl which resulted in USMAPS trailing the JV team by 7.

The defense began the second half with a promising stop. Offensively, the Black Knights were also able to put one in the end zone with a spectacular drive which ended in a touchdown run by fullback Daniel McGue. Unfortunately, the offense was not able to maintain the ball with a fumble which resulted in a touchdown on the fumble recovery. This left the scoreboard displaying a score of 14-7 with the Black Knights trailing in the fourth quarter.

With time running out, the Army Black Knights attempted to tie the score. The drive ended on second down with a devastating interception thrown. The loss left the Army Prep with a record of 2-1. The young players will have a second chance at victory against the JV team at USMA on Friday, October 24th at 5 pm.

There were some outstanding performances on the defensive side of the ball. Brian Rowen had 5 solo tackles and a tackle for loss. Jarret Mackey finished with 3 solo tackles, an assisted tackle, a tackle for loss, and a sack. Joshua Jackson had 5 total tackles and a tackle for loss. Thomas Puskarich finished with 8 total tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack.

The designated offensive delta players of the week were Brad Gallik, Max Deatrick, and Justin Allen. Defensively, Brian Rowen, Jarret Mackey, Joshua Jackson, and Thomas Puskarich earned the delta award as well.

The Black Knights will return to Michie Stadium to play Milford in their next contest on Friday, September 17th at 5pm.

West Point, NY - The young Black Knights pulled out a dramatic 19-13 victory over Hudson Valley Community College on Friday night at Michie Stadium.  The win brings the future West Pointers to 2-0 on the season.  The crowd on hand was pleased by a well played ball game by both teams. 

The game started out with a 65 yard drive capped by a touchdown pass from QB Trent Steelman to Lonnie Liggins.  After a defensive stop, Army took the ball from their own 5 yard line to the Hudson Valley endzone in 15 plays.  Liggins again completed the drive but this time with a rushing touchdown.  FB Dan McGue had a key 3rd down reception on the drive.  Hudson Valley answered with a touchdown to put the game at 14-6.  From that point, it was a defensive battle through the rest of the first half and into the third quarter. 

The Army defense came up with 3 sacks on the night in addition to an interception by LB Nate Combs which led to a Rory Noonan field goal.  After an earlier score, Josh Jackson blocked a PAT that was returned by fellow corner Greg Cotton for 2 points.  With this action the score sat at 19 to 13 with Army in the lead.  The defense took the field on their own 6 yard line after an Army fumble.  After a miraculous redzone stop, Army regained possession and got a first down to run the clock down.  This capped the ball game as the Black Knights celebrated the victory. 

Defensively there were several performances of note.  Jarrett Mackey was highly productive serving as the defensive game captain.  He had 3 tackles for losses, and totaled 6 all together.  Also on the defensive line, Reed Caradine showed a strong performance with 4 tackles and 1 for a loss.  Derek Bisgard led the defensive line production with 8 tackles including a sack and 2 for losses.  LB Tom Puskarich had 5 tackles on the day with one for a loss.  Safety Sean Maag had 5 tackles as well for Army. 

Defensive Delta Awards were given to Combs, J. Mackey, Bisgard, Caradine, and Puskarich. 

Offensively, the group was led by Trent Steelman’s 86 rushing yards and 2 completions for 47 yards.  Lonnie Liggins had 5 rushes for 35 yards.  Fullback Dan McGue had 14 carries for 48 rushing yards.  Runningback Justin Allen blocked courageously and contributed one carry for 23 yards.  

WR Wilner Marcelin returned the ball well in the kicking game and showed tremendous effort in blocking for the Black Knights.  Steelman, Liggins, Allen, TE Cory Myers, and OT Jon Neill all received Delta Awards for their performances.  Kicker Rory Noonan and safety Ty Shrader also gave Delta worthy performances on special teams. 

The Black Knights will face Army JV in their next contest.  This will take place Sunday September 14th at 1pm at Michie Stadium.

Fort Monmouth, NJ - Army Prep began its 2008 campaign with a win over Walter Reed by a score of 55-0.  The Black Knight squad showed great enthusiasm in its’ opening day in an Army uniform.  Dominating performances were on display by every unit of the USMAPS’ team.  The beautiful summer afternoon at Fort Monmouth capped the two week preseason for the young Black Knights as they close in on their Labor Day weekend bye.

Kicker Rory Noonan began his Army career with an impressive touchback on the opening kickoff.  The defense responded by forcing Walter Reed to punt without having gained a yard.  On the second offensive play Malcom Brown found the endzone and the scoring began.  Josh Jackson put the special teams on the board with a speedy 40 yard punt return for a touchdown midway through the first quarter.  After the first 5 offensive possessions, the score was 42 to 0.

 

Saturday proved very productive for Army with every team member seeing action.  13 different offensive players had carries or catches.  The Black Knight quarterbacks were perfect in the air completing 3 of 3 passes, one of which was a touchdown from Demetrius Richardson to Javier Sustaita who resumed his football career after spending the last 2 years as a soldier.  Sustaita caught a touchdown pass, ran for a touchdown, and would have thrown a touchdown if not for an illegal man down field penalty.  Rushing touchdowns were also scored by Brad Gallik, Trent Steelman, Chris Ingram, and Tyler Juede.

 

Defensively, Shola Mustapha swarmed the field with 4 tackles and a sack.  The defensive line’s domination of the line of scrimmage was also led by Reed Caradine and Kendall Smith who combined for 6 tackles, 2 for losses, and a forced fumble.  Seven Army linebackers registered two or more tackles on the day while the safeties led by Josh Powell, had a productive day.  LaTarrance Young, Brian Rowen, Nate Combs, and Greg Cotton all had interceptions on the day for the Black Knights.

Delta Awards were given to outstanding performers in Shola Mustapha and LaTarrance Young on defense.  Rory Noonan and Josh Jackson received the same award for special team’s performances, while Kevin Flanagan, Javier Sustaita, Brad Gallik, and Dan McGue received the honor offensively.

 

The Black Knights will face Hudson Valley in their next contest.  This huge challenge will take place Friday September 5th at 5pm under the lights of Michie Stadium.