FAIRFIELD (Interstat) — Sacred Heart used a fast start and a pair of second-half touchdown runs from quarterback Poochie Snyder to defeat Hampton 35-21 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game Saturday at Campus Field. The Pioneers improved to 3-4, while the Pirates fell to 1-6 before an announced attendance of 3,674.

The Pioneers built a 14-point lead after the first quarter and added 14 more in the second to control the game by halftime. Hampton scored seven points in the second quarter and seven in the third, while Sacred Heart added seven in the third. The Pirates closed the scoring with seven points in the fourth quarter. Sacred Heart’s defense made the advantage stand, holding Hampton to 21 points and coming up with pressure in key spots. The Pioneers scored in each of the first three quarters and kept the Pirates from establishing a consistent rhythm until late.

Snyder was Sacred Heart’s top performer, completing 18 of 21 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns and rushing nine times for 42 yards and another score. In his previous outing, Snyder completed 21 of 37 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown and ran 14 times for 17 yards. Chuck Webb carried 21 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 38 yards. Darius Chukwuemeka added 10 carries for 35 yards and three receptions for 52 yards. Nick Gentilella caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, Jason Palmieri had three receptions for 29 yards, Dean Hangey caught four passes for 26 yards and Steven Dowdy Jr. had two receptions for 16 yards. Nicholas Yanchuk ran twice for 15 yards.

Sacred Heart opened the scoring with two first-quarter touchdowns. The Pioneers added to their lead in the second quarter when Webb finished a no-huddle drive with a 2-yard touchdown run up the middle with 2:12 remaining before halftime. Ryan Bocklet made the extra point. Snyder opened the second-half scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run to the left with 11:35 remaining in the third quarter. Snyder scored again on a 1-yard run up the middle with 2:32 left in the third. The previous play was reviewed for whether the runner was short of the goal line, and the call was upheld. Bocklet converted again.

Webb scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard run up the middle with 10:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Bocklet’s extra point extended the Sacred Heart lead. Hampton answered when Xavier Brookins ran right for a 38-yard touchdown with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter. Brett Starling kicked the extra point. The Pirates could not cut into the lead again.

Hampton’s offense split time at quarterback. Brookins completed 8 of 15 passes for 98 yards and ran seven times for 44 yards and a touchdown. Tre’Von Taylor completed 7 of 9 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns and ran four times for 10 yards. Isaiah Smith caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, MarShawn Ferguson Jr. had three receptions for 41 yards and Sejhe Jackson caught three passes for 30 yards and a score. Gracen Goldsmith ran 13 times for 25 yards and caught two passes for 41 yards. Donovan Shepard added 10 carries for 26 yards and one reception for 14 yards. Damon Short caught one pass for 24 yards, Marcellus Nash had a 15-yard reception, Chaz Portis caught one pass for 6 yards and Bryan Ramirez ran once for 7 yards.

Defensively, Sacred Heart’s Kymari Latney recorded seven tackles. Myles Hamilton had five tackles and a quarterback hurry, Kyle Hall added five tackles, Jared Hirschfeld had four tackles and a quarterback hurry and Chris Williams finished with four tackles. Matthias Lighten had three tackles, Janier Armstead recorded three tackles and a sack, Tristan Counter had three tackles and a sack and Dajuan Martin added a tackle and a quarterback hurry. Mike Deitelbaum had three tackles, Kevin Bright had three tackles and a quarterback hurry, George Inge and Jeremiah Lewis each had two tackles and Kenny Selby, Daimon Jacobs, Ben Evee, Jaylon Hebert, Jayden Miller, Ryan McDonald, Ben Hughes and Khamari Brown each recorded one tackle. Curtis Whiting added two tackles. Jack O’Sullivan punted twice for 89 yards. Tom Ligi returned four kickoffs for 92 yards.

For Hampton, Cam Sturdifen recorded nine tackles and half a sack, and Temond Marcus had seven tackles. Anthony Hightower III had six tackles and returned two punts for 12 yards. Cole Smith had five tackles, Marcellus Nash had five tackles and a 15-yard reception and Antonio Turner Jr. returned one kickoff for 18 yards. Bryan Ramirez had three punts for 94 yards. Hampton’s defense pressured Sacred Heart at times but could not prevent the Pioneers from scoring in each of the first three quarters.

Sacred Heart’s win came after a loss to Stonehill in its previous game, while Hampton remained in search of its second win of the season. The Pioneers had won two of their previous three games before that loss. Hampton opened the season with a win over Virginia Lynchburg before dropping six straight. The Pioneers are next scheduled to play at Stony Brook, with Towson, Bryant and Merrimack also remaining on their upcoming schedule. The Pirates are next scheduled to host Monmouth, with Towson, Elon, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook also ahead on their slate.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Sacred Heart 54, Hampton 19. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Sacred Heart with a 92.4 percent probability to win.