Point Football ends the season with a victory over the Knights
LAURINBURG, N.C. (Nov. 12, 2022) - The Point University football team returned to action Saturday afternoon for their season finale against St. Andrews University for an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup where they reigned victorious over the Knights with a final score of 27-16.
The Skyhawks' offense did not shy away from the big moment of coming out of the gates with the opening touchdown. Point put together a five-play drive which set up the one-yard touchdown run from D'Ontae Eatmon. Giovanni Martinez would convert the field goal to put the Skyhawks ahead 7-0. Point's defense rallied stops and did not budge on giving up anything in the endzone, which stalled the Knights on offense. However, St. Andrews put points on the board after a 25-yard field goal was good from Cameron McPhatter to bring the score to 7-3. Emery Bryant added fuel to fire for the Skyhawks by showing why he is a threat with the ball as he returned a touchdown for 80 yards on a kickoff return to extend their lead to 14-3. Both teams continued to chip away with intensity on the field at the end of the first quarter,m which resulted in a scoreless second quarter. Point's offense hit a wall in the second quarter, which took both teams to the half with the Skyhawks in the lead.
The action picked up in the third quarter, with the Knights fighting for every inch of life to keep the game within reach. The plan to do that was successful as Andrew Fowler gave St. Andrew's their first touchdown of the evening to now trail 14-10. Point's offensive struggles continued to show as they were held out of the endzone and out of the scoring territory for the quarter. The Knights turned the momentum on their side with a two-play scoring drive that resulted in a touchdown. Andrew Fowler connected with Aronson Cook for the 16-yard touchdown pass to put the Knights ahead. St. Andrews missed their point after try but still held a 16-14 lead as both teams headed into the final period of play.
Both opponents looked to leave it all on the field for the final game as Point looked to cook up a scoring drive to end their drought. The Skyhawks' defense looked for every answer they could find to create opportunities for their offense to get the chance to win. The Skyhawks seemed not to be able to find positive gains on offense until Mitchell Gossett aired it out to Nick Marien for an 80-yard touchdown pass which bolstered Point back into the lead. The two-point conversion attempt was not successful for the Skyhawks, but Point still held the lead with a score of 20-16. The Knights wanted to even the playing field with a scoring drive of their own, but the Skyhawks' defense rallied to get a key stop to help ice the game. Emery Bryant helped push Point's lead further with a two-yard touchdown run. The field by Giovanni Martinez was made to extend the lead to 27-16. Point's defense would be able to rally one last stop to wrap the game up with a victory officially.
In the box
The Skyhawks had a total of 308 yards on offense, and St. Andrew's had 335. The Knights outdueled Point in the air with 180 passing yards compared to the Skyhawks' 150. Point's running game was able to edge St. Andrews with 158 total rushing yards off 38 attempts.
Mitchell Gossett led the charge under center for Point going 4-for-17 with 150 passing yards, one touchdown, 18 rushing yards and one interception. Gossett's 80-yard-pass was his longest of the game, which helped the Skyhawks regain the lead.
Issac Jones led Point in the run game with 61 rushing yards off six attempts. Shiloh Addo-Nobles followed with 47 yards on nine carries. D'Onate Eatmon added 19 yards on seven carries, along with a touchdown.
Nick Marien led the Skyhawks in the air with one reception for 80 yards and a touchdown. Emery Bryant added three receptions for 70 yards.
Kemorion Larkin led the Skyhawks' defense with 11 tackles (seven solos). Quan Neal followed with seven tackles (five solos) with one interception. Aaron Anderson contributed six tackles, and Dayvon Dukes tallied five tackles with a forced fumble along with an interception.
Final Notes
Following the win, the Skyhawks have completed their 2022 campaign with an overall record of 4-7 and a record in conference play of 3-2. After an 0-5 start to the season, Point won their last four of six games to finish their season with a lot of upsides.