PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.- Junior wide receiver
Kyle Johnson found the end zone twice in the air but the Pace Football team fell to the Alderson Broaddus Battlers 57-37 in their season opener.
The Setters struck first on the opening drive as
Delaney Wallace surged in from 30 yards out for a 7-0 Pace lead. The Battlers answered on their first drive to cut the score down to 7-6 but their extra point was blocked by
Jah'Sheem Martin. Pace extended their lead late in the quarter as the Setters recorded a safety off a bad snap on a Battlers punt attempt.
Alderson Broaddus tied the game early in the second quarter with a field goal but the Setters answered later in the quarter as they capitalized on interception. Quarterback
Brian Beeker connected with
Jhalen Bien-Aime for 13 yards following the turnover to put the Setters back in front at 16-9. Alderson Broaddus answered with a pair of scores to close out the half including once with five seconds left as they headed into halftime in the lead at 22-16.
The Battlers extended their lead on the first possession of the second half as they pulled ahead to a 29-16 lead. The Setters answered on their next possession as they used a 12-play, 75-yard drive to close the gap. Pace capped the drive as Beeker connected with Johnson on a 32-yard connection as the Setters pulled to within six points. Alderson Broaddus went back up by 13 points as they scored late in the third quarter.
The Setters came with a huge defensive play early in the fourth quarter as junior
Jamir Gee picked off a Battler pass and took it 59 yards for a touchdown to pull the Setters back to within six points at 36-30. The Alderson Broaddus added three scores in the fourth quarter with the other Pace touchdown coming at the 7:46 mark as Beeker and Johnson hooked up for the second time of the afternoon for a 34-yard touchdown strike.
For the Setters, Beeker finished 12-for-31 passing for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Wallace rushed for 63 yards and one score, while Johnson hauled in four passes for 94 yards and two scores. Bien-Aime totaled two receptions for 25 yards and one touchdown. On defense,
Joseph Roman led the Setters with 12 tackles, while
Justin Fred added nine.
Tyler Owens posted seven tackles, including 1.5 sacks and a pair of blocked extra points.
The Setters are back in action next Saturday as they host Merrimack College in their Northeast-10 Conference opener at Ann M. Dorner Middle School at 12 pm.
For all Pace Football updates throughout the year, please log on to www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow @PaceUAthletics and @Pace_Football on Twitter for up to the minute information
