SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Shepherd (4-4, 4-1 PSAC East) held off East Stroudsburg (6-2, 4-1 PSAC East) for a 26-23 victory in PSAC East football action at Monte Cater Field at Ram Stadium on Saturday. The Rams registered their fourth consecutive win.

Shepherd took a 7-0 lead when graduate student quarterback Michael Hardyway (Winchester, Cal./Oceanside/Bucknell) teamed with redshirt senior wide receiver Malakai Brown (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) on an 11-yard scoring strike with 11:30 left in the first quarter. Sophomore kicker Keith Baker (Prince Frederick, Md./Calvert) added the extra point.

Baker connected on a 32-yard field goal with 3:58 left in the half to give the Rams a 10-0 advantage at the break.

Shepherd was awarded a safety when East Stroudsburg was flagged for holding in the end zone with 5:57 left in the third quarter.

Redshirt junior running back Jordan Barnett (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge/FUMA/Southern Utah) scored on a five-yard run with 14:53 left in the fourth quarter to up the Shepherd lead to 19-0.

Harrison Susi scored on a five-yard run and also rushed for the two-point conversion with 10:47 left to cut the lead to 19-8.

Hardyway teamed with Brown on a 29-yard scoring strike with 7:29 remaining to give the Rams a 26-8 lead.

The Warriors mounted a furious comeback as Susi teamed with Jaylen Andrews on a 26-yard scoring strike with 5:31 left, and Evan Roche scored on a 33-yard scoring pass from Susi with 1:22 left. Susi added the two-point run to cut the lead to three points, but Shepherd held on for the hard-fought win.

Hardyway completed 16-of-24 passes for 179 yards and two scores. Susi was 6-of-11 for 65 yards and a score for the Warriors in relief of Sean McTaggart.

Junior wide receiver Kordell Batten (Waldorf, Md./St. Charles) led the Shepherd receivers with four receptions for 62 yards. Brown added three catches for 52 yards. Jaylen Andrews had five catches for 91 yards for the Warriors.

Barnett had a career-high 27 carries for 138 yards for the Rams. Susi rushed 12 times for 125 yards for East Stroudsburg.  

Shepherd amassed 391 yards of total offense and East Stroudsburg totaled 354 yards.

Junior defensive back Makai Young (White Plains, Md./North Point) had seven tackles (all solos) and senior defensive lineman Nathan Muhle (Harpers Ferry, W.Va./Jefferson) added six stops (four solos) to lead the Shepherd defense. Ashton Blose recorded a game-high 11 stops (six solos) for the Warriors.

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host Shippensburg at noon for Military Appreciation Day.