NEWARK – Todd Turner is listed at 244 pounds on the Delaware Military Academy football roster.
That load became too much for the St. Elizabeth defense to bear on a misty Saturday night at Delaware Stadium.
Turner rushed 17 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns, dragging defenders with him through most of the second half as DMA grinded out a 27-21 victory over the Vikings in a matchup of Division II playoff contenders.
The big senior did most of his damage after halftime, lugging the ball 10 times for 90 yards and both of his scores as the Seahawks, ranked eighth statewide in Division II, improved to 3-1. St. Elizabeth kept fighting to the end, scoring a final touchdown with five seconds left, but fell to 2-2.
Turner set up DMA’s first score on the first play of the second quarter, taking the ball on a counter play and breaking free up the middle for a 59-yard gain to the 2. Seahawks quarterback Jacob Hudson took it in from there on the next play, and Corahn Alleyne added a two-point run for an 8-0 lead.
Then DMA put together a 12-play, 92-yard drive on its next possession. Hudson hooked up with Brennan Hazewski for a key 25-yard gain, then found tight end Marcus Brooks open over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the first half.
St. Elizabeth cut the lead in half with its first drive of the third quarter. The Vikings moved 81 yards in nine plays, with 51 yards of that coming on a pass from Casey Rock to tight end David Hazelton Jr. Cameron Ross ran 6 yards for the touchdown to pull the St. E within 14-7.
But Alleyne snuffed out the Vikings’ next drive with an interception at the St. E 45, and the Seahawks quickly cashed in on the turnover. Turner rumbled up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown, increasing the DMA cushion to 20-7 with 10:57 left in the game.
Then the Seahawks surprised the Vikings with an onside kick, with Hudson recovering his own slow roller up the middle. Turner ripped off a 22-yard gain, and Alleyne broke free for 24 more yards to the Vikings 3. Turner bulldozed it in from the 1 two plays later to make it 27-7.
But St. E quickly got back within striking range, as Rock scrambled and found De’Quez Walker, who wheeled away from two DMA defensive backs and sprinted for a 63-yard touchdown. The Vikings were within 27-14, with 6:50 to play.
But St. E jumped offside on a DMA punt, giving the Seahawks a critical first down and allowing them to run the clock down to 3:12 before punting. The Vikings managed to move 90 yards in 16 hurried plays, using all of their timeouts, spiking the ball twice and getting out of bounds at every opportunity. Rock threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Herman Jones, but only five seconds remained.
Then DMA’s Tyler Noethiger secured the onside kick, and the Seahawks took a knee to finish it out.
DMA did a good job of containing St. E running back Chris Cropper until late. Cropper had only 26 yards on 13 carries with 9:24 left in the game, but got loose a few times in the waning moments and finished with 22 carries for 97 yards.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.
Delaware Military Academy tight end Brennan Hazewski makes a catch with Saint Elizabeth defensive back Timothy Butler Jr. on his back at Delaware Stadium Saturday.
Delaware Military Academy quarterback Jacob Hudson is tripped up by Saint Elizabeth defensive back Cameron Ross at Delaware Stadium Saturday.
Delaware Military Academy tight end Brennan Hazewski makes a catch with Saint Elizabeth defensive back Timothy Butler Jr., middle, and Michael Wilson, left, defending at Delaware Stadium Saturday.