ONEONTA, N.Y. - Senior quarterback Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, NY) threw for 392 yards and tied a school record with seven touchdown passes as Hartwick posted a 63-37 victory over visiting Western New England College in a wild season opener for both squads Saturday afternoon (Sept. 6) at rainy Wright Stadium.

The Hawks racked up 538 yards in avenging last year's 48-21 season-opening loss to the Golden Bears in Springfield.

Boltus, the reigning Melberger Award winner as the NCAA Division III Player-of-the-Year, was 20-for-40 passing with one interception. He fired six of his scoring strikes to senior All-American wide receiver Jack Phelan (Slingerlands, NY) who finished the day with 13 catches for 289 yards.

Western New England College put up a good fight offensively by totaling 498 yards as the teams combined for 1,036 yards.

Junior quarterback Justin Walz (Groton, CT) connected on 19-of-31 passes for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns along with two interceptions. He also became the first player in school history to reach 3,000 yards (3,117) through the air.

Senior running Jordan Capitanio (Torrington, CT) gained 198 yards on the ground for his second best collegiate performance and scored twice. He moved into third place on the WNEC all-time rushing list with 2,411 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Western New England College trailed 14-3 after the opening quarter, but got within 28-23 when Capitanio tallied on a 55-yard run with 1:04 left before halftime. Hartwick quickly came back and took a 35-23 lead into the locker room after Boltus tossed a two-yard pass to Phelan with 24 seconds left.

Walz ran two yards to get the Blue and Gold within five at 35-30 before the Hawks went up 42-30 on a one-yard run by junior running back Tosh DeMulder (Unadilla, NY) at the 8:58 mark. Walz then fired a 39-yard touchdown to sophomore tight end Dan Crane (Waterbury, CT) just 17 seconds later to cut the margin to 42-37.

Boltus then broke the game open by hitting Phelan with scoring passes of 31 and 28 yards in the final 7:26 for a 56-37 lead after three quarters. Phelan also hauled in TD passes of 7, 32 and 40 yards for the team's first three scores.

WNEC junior wide receiver Rob Chiaccio (Groton, CT) had eight receptions for 81 yards, including a 16-yard score that pulled the visitors within 21-15 with 2:59 left in the second stanza.

Freshmen defensive backs Casey Dunne (Milford, CT) and Jim Kostek (Clinton, CT) each had their first college interceptions for the Golden Bears.