Holy Cross makes opening statement with more than 500 yards of offense to defeat Merrimack

NORTH ANDOVER — Holy Cross obviously needed no extra motivation going into its 2022 football opener Friday night at Merrimack.

The Warriors whipped the Crusaders last year at Fitton Field, and HC was eager to exact some revenge and make an immediate statement on what is expected to be a special season.

Junior quarterback Matthew Sluka completed 13 of 22 pass attempts for 242 yards and touchdowns to senior Ayir Asante and junior Jalen Coker, and carried 13 times for 102 yards and a score, to lead the No. 16 Crusaders to a 31-17 victory before a packed crowd of 8,147 at Duane Stadium.

“It’s amazing,” said Coker, HC’s leading receiver with three catches for 60 yards. “It feels so great. We owed this team a little bit. To come out with this energy, it feels really good.”

The Crusaders rolled up 502 yards and were 7 of 12 on third down. Senior running back Peter Oliver rushed for 73 yards on 13 carries.

“Overall, the offense is doing great,” Sluka said, “the offensive line, the running game, the passing game, the receivers are making plays. It’s clicking, and it feels good to put the ball in the end zone.”

HC, the three-time defending Patriot League champion, won its third straight season opener.

“It’s so good to be back,” Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney said. “It’s great to be back and watch these guys play, and to pull out a win on the first one is a big deal. We’ll be right back to work tomorrow and continue this process.”

Chesney was less pleased with HC’s nine penalties for 110 yards and the late TD — with 51 seconds left — the third-string defense allowed.

“We’ll learn from that,” Chesney said.

Running game held in check

Merrimack sophomore Jack Zergiotis, a transfer from UConn, was 15 of 29 for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. HC held the Warriors to 91 rushing yards. Last year, Merrimack ran for 200 yards against the Crusaders.

“That was a major issue last year,” Chesney said. “They beat us up and pushed us around the field.”

Merrimack, which is in an NCAA Division 1 reclassification period, will become a full member of the Northeast Conference in 2023-24. The Warriors finished 5-6 last season.

Senior linebacker Liam Anderson had a team-high five tackles for Holy Cross. Senior safeties Walter Reynolds and Hunter Burns each had interceptions.

Burns’ pick came at a pivotal moment.

Early in the fourth, Merrimack had a chance to get within a touchdown, but Burns was in perfect position in the end zone to take a touchdown away from junior tight end Pat Conroy.

“I was the low player, and the corner was the high player,” Burns said. “(The receiver) broke off for the corner and put his hands up. I saw his eyes go big, so I knew the ball was coming, and I reached my arms in there and came down with it.”

The Crusaders converted the takeaway into seven points as Sluka hit a wide-open Coker with a 46-yard touchdown pass.

“That’s what our team does,” Coker said. “We roll with that momentum.”

In addition to a 46-yard touchdown pass to Coker, Sluka had completions of 34, 33, 28 and 26 yards.

“We’re very happy with Matt,” Chesney said. “His throwing ability is very different. He stood in there composed. He didn’t have to pull it down and run all over the place, but when he does, he’s still Matt Sluka, which is awesome to be able to have him back there and watch his quarterback development. It showed today. He did a really good job today.”

Holy Cross led, 19-10, at halftime, and added to the lead early in the third. After a Merrimack three-and-out, senior Spencer Gilliam blocked the Warriors punt out of bounds for a safety.

Reynolds intercepted backup quarterback Gavin McCusker to end a wild sequence that included a fourth-down conversion, a HC taunting penalty and a fumble, that both teams chased and Merrimack recovered.

Two penalties (unsportsmanlike, false start) plagued HC during the ensuing drive, and the Crusaders added three points with a Derek Ng 30-yard field goal to make it 24-10, with 26 seconds left in the third.

The teams traded early field goals, then the Crusaders put together a 10-play touchdown drive, gaining all 75 yards on the ground. On third-and-6 from the Merrimack 41, Sluka snaked through the Warriors’ defense for a 26-yard gain, and later scored on a 7-yard keeper.

Merrimack had a tough go of it on its next possession with a delay of game penalty followed by a fumbled snap. A short punt put HC at the Merrimack 48 to start its next drive, and the Crusaders overcame a 15-yard personal foul penalty with the help of two perfect Sluka balls to Asante, the first for 28 yards, the second a 24-yard touchdown throw.

Ng, who made a 37-yard field goal to cap HC’s opening drive, missed the extra point. It was just the fifth missed PAT of Ng’s career.

After another Merrimack punt, the Crusaders were on the move again. Sluka completions to sophomores Justin Shorter and Jordan Fuller, a first-down gain by Sluka and back-to-back runs by Oliver had the Crusaders inside the Merrimack 20.

The Warriors stopped Fuller on third-and-2 from 13, but Fuller powered through for 4 yards on fourth down. HC, however, came up empty on its next three plays and settled for an Ng 25-yard field goal.

A Holy Cross personal foul on the ensuing kickoff and a HC 15-yard facemask penalty aided the Warriors on their final possession of the first half. Zergiotis hooked up with sophomore Jacari Carter for a critical third-down conversion deep in HC territory.

On first down, Anderson chased Zergiotis into an intentional grounding penalty. Two plays later, though, Zergiotis completed an 18-yard TD pass to Conroy.

Ng missed a 48-yard field goal attempt, wide left, as time expired in the first half.

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holy Cross makes opening statement with over 500 yards of offense to defeat Merrimack