The Saint Anselm Hawks football team has begun their season 5-0, and currently sits atop of the Northeast-10 Conference. Their next game will be home on October 11th at 1p.m. against the American International College Yellow Jackets.

In their most recent game, they faced Merrimack College on the road and beat them in dominating fashion for the first time since 2008 by a score of 55-24.

This game featured top notch performances from several Hawks players. Senior wide receiver Justin Bernard caught 14 passes for 163 yards, giving him 338 catches for his career. This set an NCAA Division two record for career receptions. The previous record was 325 yards set by Robert Holland who played for Chowan University. Yianni Gavalas also converted 40 of 49 passes for 426 yards and had a passing touchdown. He also ran for 50 yards and had two rushing touchdowns.

The week earlier, three thousand eleven fans packed into Grappone Stadium to witness a spectacular football game on Homecoming Weekend. In front of the highest attendance since 2000, the Saint Anselm Hawks crushed the Pace University Setters, 52 – 26.

Yianni Gavalas carried the ball five times for twenty-six yards. Gavalas also threw for 415 passing yards and a touchdown.

Hawks fans witnessed a spectacular offensive performance as they racked up 672 total yards of offense. Senior wide receiver Justin Bernard led the receiving corps as he gathered 196 yards on twelve receptions, resulting in one touchdown. Bernard also ran for twenty-four yards as he cruised to his second straight game with a hundred plus receiving yards.

The Hawks run game was led by the main running back, Elad Covaliu, who recorded seventy yards rushing on twelve carries and two touchdowns for his first multi-score game. Covaliu also snagged fifty-two yards receiving on two catches. He has averaged seventy-five yards rushing and at least one touchdown per game so far.

Sophomore Joe Hayman recorded two rushing touchdowns on fifty-three yards and eleven carries. The blowout victory also saw the debut of freshman running back Isaiah Douglas, as he carried the ball nine times for forty-eight yards, making him the third most effective back.

Once again the Hawks defense played a fierce game. They forced three turnovers, all on fumbles. They only surrendered twenty-six points and four hundred seventy-six yards to Pace, with sixteen of those points coming in garbage time.

The Hawks hope to continue their winning ways at Grappone Stadium this upcoming weekend against American International College.