Merrimack finishes the season with a 4-6 record, 4-4 in the Northeast-10.
Pace took the early 6-0 lead, but the Warriors rattled off four straight touchdowns and racked up 46 points in two and a half quarters, as James Suozzo (Everett, MA) passed for a career high 397 yards on 19-of-29 passing and four touchdowns.
“I thought we came out strong and did a lot of good things in our final game of the season,” said head coach John Perry, who completes his third year at Merrimack. “We moved the ball well offensively and our defense forced some timely turnovers.”
Isaiah Voegeli (Hyannis, MA) also had a career day, catching eight balls for 222 yards, which ranks third in school history. Voegeli caught a pair of third quarter touchdowns, one for 71 yards and another for 67 yards and finishes the season with a team-high six touchdowns.
Loiseau totaled a team-high 10 tackles and added a sack in the victory. The junior who entered Saturday’s game ranked second in the country in tackles per game, finishes his season with 127 tackles, breaking his own school record set last year.
The Warrior defense racked up five sacks in all, led by two from Tony Johnson (Lynn, MA), while picking off three Setter passes, two of them from Michael Jones (Chicago, IL) and Ryan McCarthy (Newton, MA).
Jimon Hill (North Chicago, IL) also had a career day, rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Hill’s day ranks sixth all-time among Merrimack rushers. Michael Wheeler (Hanover, MA) also chipped in with 66 yards on 10 carries, while Suozzo totaled 33 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
Picked to finish second in the conference after winning the Northeast-10 Championship in 2009, the Warriors saw their title hopes dashed in a heartbreaking two-point loss at New Haven on October 23.
“That loss at New Haven was a tough one for our team to swallow,” said Perry. “It certainly took us longer than a week to get over it. But we’ll take today’s victory into the offseason and return next season with high expectations.”
Merrimack loses 11 seniors, including all-conference tackles David Bellmont (Melrose, MA) and Jacob Bradley (Dorchester, MA) as well as wide receiver Greg Abelli (Billerica, MA) and defensive tackle Garrett Boyd (Newburyport, MA).
But the core of the team led by Suozzo, Loiseau and Johnson will return for their senior season.
“While this season certainly didn’t go the way we wanted, we certainly have a lot of positives to look at as we head into next season. Our first recruiting class will be seniors next season, and we expect them to be highly motivated when we begin spring practice.”
www.merrimackathletics.com
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