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Football
The Holy Cross football team got off to a great start to
begin the 2002 season. The Crusaders traveled down to West
Point, N.Y., and defeated Army, 30-21. The win over the Black
Knights was the College’s first over Army since 1987. Ari
Confesor ’04 (Providence, R.I.) racked up 327 all-purpose
yards and scored one touchdown, and Chris Vella ’04 (Franklin
Square, N.Y.) converted a school-record five field goals
to lead the team to a stunning 30-21 win over Army at Michie
Stadium. Confesor’s 327 yards are the second highest
total in school history (Gil Fenerty, 337 yards vs.
Columbia, 1983). For his efforts against Army, Confesor was
named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and Sports
Network National Special Teams Player of the Week; he was
also awarded the New England Sportswriters Gold Helmet as
the top New England player in I-AA football. His 209-yard
on kick returns set a school record while his 95-yard kick
return for a score in the third quarter was the fifth longest
in school history. Steve Silva ’05 (Providence,
R.I.) made his debut as the Crusaders starting running back
carrying the ball 25 times for 97 yards against the Army
defense.
Defensive back Ben Koller ’04 (Dayton, Ohio)
was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for
recording a career-high 14 tackles against Army. He also
forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and notched one pass
defense.
Holy Cross then improved to 2-0 for the second straight
season with a 41-13 win over Georgetown. Confesor had another
big day for Holy Cross, setting up two scores with big punt
returns, but the story of the afternoon was the team’s
offense, which racked up 410 yards of total offense. Quarterback Brian
Hall ’03 (Dallas, Texas) completed 15-of-25 passes
for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and three different Crusader
running backs scored to lead the offensive effort. Gideon
Akande ’06 (Chicago, Ill.) rushed for a team high
87 yards on eight carries, averaging 10.9 yards per carry
in his collegiate debut. He also scored on a 59-yard touchdown
run in the fourth quarter which was a season-long for Holy
Cross running back. Bill Pragalz ’04 (Glenview,
Ill.) notched the bulk of the carries with a career high
16 touches for 59 yards. Pragalz also scored the first two
touchdowns of his collegiate career. Silva rushed 11 times
for 27 yards and scored one touchdown. After the win, the
Crusaders earned their highest national ranking since 1991.
The team was ranked 23rd in the nation in the Sports Network and
the ESPN I-AA weekly poll. The last time that a Holy
Cross football team was ranked in the top 25 in the nation
was during the 1991 season when the College was ranked third
in the final poll.
The Crusaders then carried the momentum into a tough game
at Harvard. The defending Ivy League champions returned much
of their skill position players, and Holy Cross knew it was
going to be a battle. Harvard jumped out to a 21-7 lead at
the half, and despite a furious Holy Cross comeback, held
on for a 28-23 win at Harvard Stadium. The Crimson racked
up 498 yards of total offense and held the ball for 36:35
in picking up the win despite an incredible all-purpose performance
by Confesor. He racked up 318 all-purpose yards, recording
158 yards on kickoff returns and 103 yards on punt returns.
Confesor’s 318 all-purpose yard effort was the second
highest of his career and fourth highest in school history.
He is one of only two players in Holy Cross history to record
over 300 all-purpose yards twice in their careers (Gil
Fenerty, 337 yards against Columbia, 1983, 309 yards
against Harvard, 1985) and the first to accomplish the feat
twice in one season.
Holy Cross finally returned home to battle Towson on homecoming.
Unfortunately for the team, four turnovers, including two
at crucial times in the third quarter, proved its undoing.
The Tigers led 14-3 at the half and scored 21 unanswered
points in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Quarterback Luke Dugan ’05 (Maple Plain, Minn.)
scored his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter
to highlight the effort. Darran Davis ’06 (Upper
Marlboro, Md.) and Scott MacDougall ’05 (Rohnert
Park, Calif.) made their collegiate starting debuts in the
contest, recording five and seven tackles respectively.
The Crusaders will head on the road for their next contest,
battling Yale, but will then return home for four of their
next five games, including three crucial Patriot League contests.
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