NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University dropped a 38-35 decision Saturday night to the Apprentice School in the first meeting ever of the two local football programs. The high-scoring loss at Kelchner Field at TowneBank Stadium in front of 3,173 fans dropped the Captains to 1-2, while the Builders improved to 3-0 for the season.

The battle saw Apprentice open three different ten-point leads, only to have the Captains come from behind to keep things interesting. After falling behind in the second quarter, 17-7, CNU cut the lead to three at the half, 17-14. The Captains jumped ahead for their only lead of the night, 21-17, after three quarters, only to see the Builders surge to advantages ot 31-21 and 38-28 in the fourth quarter. Christopher Newport failed on two onside kick attempts in the final minutes after pulling within one score of the Builders, allowing them to escape with the three-point victory. 

"There's no question about how hard our team played and the effort we're putting forth," Head Coach Paul Crowley said. "Ultimately, running the ball and stopping the run is what wins most college football games, and they were better than us tonight in both areas."

Builders backs rushed for 166 yards on 39 carries, while the Captains managed just 96 yards on the ground on 27 attempts. Apprentice junior quarterback Mason Tatum completed 18 of 25 passes for 201 yards and a score. Tatum also ran for a 36-yard touchdown with just less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter for the Builders final score of the night. Three other backs (Curtis Green, Lawrence Reed, and Willis Walton) scored on touchdown runs for the Builders.

"Tatum really makes them go," Crowley continued. "We knew coming into the game that he would be tough to defend. He's one of the best quarterbacks we'll see all season."

CNU junior quarterback Matt Dzierski sparked the Captains by throwing for three scores and also running for a touchdown. Dzierski finished the night 15 of 23 for 234 yards in the air, connecting with three different receivers (Xander Jedlick, Trey Hayes and Colin Hart) for scores. The New Jersey Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year from a year ago, Dzierski also gave the Captains their only lead of the night thanks to a 19-yard scamper with just 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

"Matt played a whale of a game, and that's what we've come to expect from him," Crowley continued. "His play late in the first half gave us a spark before halftime, and really kept us in the game and made some big plays for us down the stretch."

Dzierski connected with Jedlick on a 24-yard scoring pass as time elapsed in the second quarter. His other touchdown throws came in the final 2:05 of the fourth quarter, as freshman Trey Hayes caught a pass that had been deflected from six yards out, and Dzierski later closed the CNU scoring with just 53 seconds remaining with a 29-yard scoring pass to freshman Colin Hart, who led the Captains in receiving with 81 yards on six catches. Hayes also tallied 81 yards in receiving on five grabs.

Freshman Gunner White opened the scoring for the Captains on an 18-yard scamper with just nine seconds left in the opening quarter, to tie the game at 7-7. White, last week's Offensive Rookie of the Week in the NJAC, finished with 43 yards on 11 carries. Fellow freshman Trenton Johnson, a wide receiver, led the Captains in rushing with 53 yards on four power sweeps.

CNU's defense was led by junior Kindrick Braxton's 11 tackles. The Captains struggled on third down for the second straight week, allowing the Builders to convert seven of 11 times. Both squads were hampered by penalties, as the Captains received seven flags for 55 yards, and the Builders were called for eight penalties for 103 yards. 

Christopher Newport will now look to snap a two-game losing streak, hosting Catholic University next Saturday, September 24th, at Kelchner Field at TowneBank Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m., and the game will be part of Family Weekend activities at CNU.