NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Baker Green and Malachi Mitchell each recorded touchdowns as the Builders fall to NCAA D3 #18 Christopher Newport, 43-14, in the inaugural Anchor Bowl.
CNU controlled the ball for nearly seven minutes on the opening drive before the Builders' defense stiffened at the goal line, forcing a stop on 4th-and-6. However, starting from their own 6-yard line, Apprentice couldn't escape the shadow of their own end zone, a holding penalty in the end zone on 3rd down resulted in a safety, and CNU cashed in the ensuing free kick with an 84-yard kickoff return touchdown to take an early 8-0 lead.
Apprentice eventually found their footing. Facing 4th-and-1 near midfield, Mitchell took the handoff and raced 42 yards untouched for the score, cutting the deficit to 15-7 with 5:13 left in the first quarter. It was part of a strong night for Mitchell, who finished with 46 yards and a touchdown on just 6 carries.
The Captains responded with a marathon 15-play, 75-yard drive spanning nearly 10 minutes, pushing the lead to 22-7, a score that stood at halftime.
To start the second half, the Builders wasted no time moving the ball. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Brock Hoffman found Green streaking down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown, the longest play from scrimmage in the game for either team, pulling Apprentice back within one score at 22-14. Green led all Apprentice pass-catchers with 3 receptions for 96 yards.
CNU answered right back with a 3-play score to push the score to 29-14. They tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the 4th quarter to earn the 43-14 victory.
Apprentice's defense made the Captains earn every point. Linebacker Leslie Hines paced the unit with 11 total tackles, and Brandon Church added 9 stops. The Builders also forced a fumble recovery from Jerrell Burse and got defensive pressure from Paul Pritchett, who logged a pair of quarterback hurries. The defensive unit held CNU to 3-of-9 on third down conversions for the contest.
With the loss, Apprentice falls to 1-1 on the young season and looks to bounce back as they travel to Rock Mount, on Sept. 12, to take on N.C. Wesley University at 1:00 PM.
