Cranston West product Cameron Alves reached new highs on the gridiron for Stonehill in the Skyhawks’ meeting with Sacred Heart, but the host Pioneers proved too strong and earned a 40-27 victory.

The ex-Falcon paced the Stonehill receiving corps in the losing effort with seven receptions and 67 yards, setting new individual single-game bests in both categories, while also finding the end zone with time winding down in the third quarter.

Alves hauled in a four-yard pass from Skyhawk signal-caller Ashur Carraha with five seconds remaining in the period, finishing off an 11-play, 75-yard drive and enabling the visitors to narrow the deficit to 13 points.

However, Sacred Heart responded on the very next play from scrimmage, as Marquez McCray connected with LJ Haskett on a 75-yard touchdown strike to put the Pioneers 34-14 ahead heading into the final term.

Stonehill’s special teams unit was also graced by Alves’ presence as he lined up as a kick returner for the first time in his collegiate career, fielding a pair of Sacred Heart kickoffs and gaining a total of 29 yards.

The setback saw the Skyhawks fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, having logged earlier victories against Division II opponents Bloomsburg and Post before knocking off Duquesne 24-20 on October 1 in their first-ever Northeast Conference game.

With their record on the campaign now at 3-1, Stonehill will be looking to return to winning ways this upcoming Saturday as they hit the road and face off with Saint Francis, who throttled Long Island 57-7 last weekend for their fourth straight win.

Going into the Skyhawks’ meeting with the Red Flash, Alves has 12 catches to his name, good for first place on the team ledger, whereas his 138 receiving yards is 20 behind the mark set by Chris Domercant.

Even though the Dean College football team has yet to win a contest this fall, Cranston East graduate Aaron Fonseca has been one of the bright spots for a Bulldog team that is in the throes of a nine-game losing run dating back to last season.

Splitting punting duties alongside Enrico Hernandez, the former Thunderbolt has booted the pigskin a dozen times, compiling an average of 43.17 yards per kick while placing three inside the 20-yard line and forcing opposing returners to wave for a fair catch twice.

A pair of Fonseca’s kicks have traveled at least 50 yards, with his season long of 62 yards coming in Dean’s September 9 game versus Nichols, which concluded with a score more in line with what would be expected if the schools had met on the hardwood.

The Bison emerged with a 71-55 victory that was helped along by 580 yards of total offense, 253 of which came from the arm and feet of quarterback Xavier Powell, who was at least partially responsible for five of the ten Nichols touchdowns on the night.

In their most recent outing, Dean were unable to hold on to a 23-12 lead after three quarters as Gallaudet shut out the Bulldogs 14-0 in the final period to grab a 26-23 triumph last Saturday, improving their mark to 5-1 in the process.

Dean will now attempt to prevent their slump reaching double digits this Saturday with the first of a pair of visits to the Empire State in consecutive weeks, taking on Alfred State before heading to Throggs Neck the following week to meet Maritime College.