WATERBURY, Conn. – Freshman wide receiver Israel Hiraldo hauled in two touchdown grabs for Post University Football in Saturday afternoon's Homecoming Game, but junior quarterback Jay Kastantin's 10-for-15 afternoon with 214 passing yards and four touchdown passes would lead Assumption University to a 63-27 win over the Eagles, who drop to an even .500 on the year with their third consecutive conference loss.

THE BASICS

Post University 27, Assumption University 63

Post University (3-3, 1-3 NE10)

Assumption University (4-2, 4-0 NE10)

HOW IT HAPPENED
28 unanswered points would highlight the first-half start for Assumption as Kastantin completed touchdown passes of 26 yards, 54 yards, and 38 yards in just over 16 minutes of action between the first and second quarters to three different receivers. In all, nine different receivers would catch passes from both Kastantin and sophomore quarterback Dom Santiago, leading to five total receiving touchdowns by the Greyhounds from four different receivers with junior wide receiver Connor Smith leading the way with two. 

On the ground, Assumption would add four more touchdowns via the legs of both Kastantin and Santiago as well as freshman running back Kaiden Brochu and sophomore running back Kyon Simonson as part of an afternoon in which they had 319 rushing yards. Between that attack and their success in the air, the Greyhounds totaled up 592 total yards of offense on 62 plays, averaging 9.5 yards per play, and needing to punt the ball away only twice. 

Senior quarterback Malakai Taylor would be responsible for a large chunk of the offense for Post in the air, going 7-for-12 passing with 194 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Taylor would hit Hiraldo for one of his two touchdown grabs, doing so in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard strike that made it a 56-21 game with 8:53 left in the affair. Earlier in the second half, Taylor would hook up with senior wide receiver Aidan McNamara for the first touchdown catch of his career, a 58-yard snag, with 6:28 left in the third quarter. 

Post's first score of the game would come from junior quarterback Tyler Phommachanh using his legs on a one-yard tush push score with 1:02 left in the first half, looking to give momentum to the Eagles, who trailed by 21 points at the break, 28-7. Phommachanh primarily did his damage on the ground, but also completed 8-of-17 passes for 75 yards, while throwing a touchdown pass to Hiraldo as well as two interceptions. Rushing 15 times with the rock, the junior went for 82 rushing yards and his first-half score as part of a Post performance that saw them run for 108 total yards in the 63-27 defeat. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Israel Hiraldo finished with five catches for 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns -- Hiraldo's two touchdowns tie him with six other Post University players for the most in program history while the receiving yards are the fifth-most for a single game 
• Rushing the ball 40 times as a team, Post University ties for the fourth-most rushing attempts in a single game in program history with the record sitting at 51 attempts against Lake Erie College on September 14th, 2024
• As a team, Post University finished with 377 total yards of offense, their fifth highest offensive output in program history 
• Post University has allowed 60-plus points defensively against Assumption University in two of their three all-time matchups since their first in 2022

WHO'S NEXT
Finishing off their two-game homestand, Post University welcomes Franklin Pierce University to Municipal Stadium at 1:00 PM on Saturday. The two teams have split their last two matchups against each other in Rindge, New Hampshire, with the Ravens besting the Eagles last year, 55-20, after falling 16-13 the year before.