2004 regional preview
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I know that the NEFC has struggled in postseason play, and NESCAC teams do not compete outside of the conference, but I think this could be the year that New England football finally wins a game in the Division III playoffs.
Now, here’s how I see the Northeast shaping up this season (2003 records in parentheses).
Favorites
Trinity, Conn. (8-0): Two seasons ago, the Bantams had to share the NESCAC title with Williams when both schools finished with identical 7-1 records, but in 2003, Trinity was in a class all by itself. Coach Chuck Priore’s team outscored its competition 248-30 and trailed only once all season en route to a perfect 8-0 campaign. All signs point to yet another solid year in 2004 for the Bantams.
Although Trinity is without last year’s NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year Tom Pierandri, who rushed for 1,065 yards last season including 304 in his collegiate finale against Wesleyan, the talented Bantam team still has an all-conference performer returning to its backfield. Drew Finkeldey, a converted wide receiver, averaged nearly 6 yards a carry in his first full season as a tailback and is poised to have a truly breakout performance this year with Pierandri out of the picture. Finkeldey will be running behind an offensive line that will have three new additions to the starting lineup, but with plenty of experienced hands to choose from, Priore is likely to once again feature a dominant ground attack.
At quarterback, Josh Pitcher returns after splitting time last season with Erik Paisley. Bill Schweitzer, a transfer from the University of Virginia, might also see significant snaps from under center. The Bantam quarterbacks will have a bevy of talented receivers to throw to, as the three leading wideouts from last season are returning to Hartford. The big-play group is headlined by All-NESCAC (as a return specialist) standout Brad Soules.
As good as Trinity’s offense was last season, the defense was even better, leading the country — not just the NESCAC — in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense. Six starters return from that stellar unit including All-NESCAC selections Aaron Goldstein at free safety and Mike Blair at defensive end. Blair and tri-captain Christian MacNamara will look to fill the void left up front by the graduation of Jamie Creed, Trinity’s all-time career sack leader. The biggest question mark heading into the season is at secondary where the Bantams must replace three starters.
All of Trinity’s key special team performers from last season return.
The Bantams will look to extend their 14-game winning streak on Sept. 25 when they play host to the Bobcats of Bates, but the real game to watch will be the following week when Trinity travels to Weston Field to take on the Williams Ephs in an early NESCAC showdown.
Curry (11-1): A lot will be different when the defending NEFC Champions take the field in 2004. On the plus side, coach Steve Nelson will enjoy the largest recruiting class in school history and Walter M. Katz Field — the new, state-of-the-art facility that will be home to the Colonels for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, in 2004 Curry will be without the services of two-time NEFC Offensive Player of the Year Raphael Zammit, who ran circles around his conference competition during his storied tenure with the Colonels.
Jarrad Jordan and Dave Vincent are the young, talented backs that Coach Nelson is likely to count on to help replace Zammit. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Kevin Holleran, will once again direct the Colonel attack that will return four starters on the offensive line and a number of capable receivers.
Although Curry must find six new starters on defense — Nelson might well have to completely retool his defensive line — the Colonels will likely have one of the best defenses in New England so long as NEFC Defensive Player of the Year Brian Robitaille remains healthy. Last season, the standout linebacker had eight sacks and 15½ tackles for loss. J.T. Eakins and Joe Ben will headline Nelson’s deep patrol.
If the team stays healthy, Curry has a chance to be the first team from the NEFC to win an NCAA Tournament game; the Colonels dropped a tough, 34-20 decision to RPI in the first round last year.
Westfield State (7-3): For the past three seasons, Westfield St. has been the class of NEFC Bogan Division, and despite losing some sensational talent through graduation, Steve Marino’s Owls ought to be in the hunt for a fourth consecutive NEFC Championship game apperance.
With star quarterback Chris Lapointe and Matt Yvon, the New England Division III career-record-holder for receptions (217) and receiving yards (3413), gone, the Owls will be obliged to find alternative means of offensive production this year. Jon Meczywor, a 6-5, 225-pound transfer from Division I-AA Maine, will compete to take Lapointe’s position, while David Trueira will lead a group of talented wideouts looking to fill the void left by Yvon. This fall, much of the offensive burden will likely be shouldered by halfback Don Jones. Jones rushed for more than 1,300 yards last year. Jones is one of 13 starters who return this season for Westfield.
Athletic defensive end Jessie Holmes will anchor Westfield’s defense. Matt Wooliver will also likely take a leading role in keeping opposing offenses at bay from his linebacker position.
Contenders
Williams (6-2): In his 17 years as head coach at Williams, Dick Farley amassed an astounding career record of 114-19-3, which includes four perfect seasons and a 14-2-1 lifetime record against archrival Amherst. Now that Farley has retired, it falls to Mike Whalen, Farley’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, to try to start a new era of dominance at Williams.
Unfortunately for Whalen, he must not only attempt to replace Farley, but the stalwart Class of 2003 as well. Led by quarterback Joe Reardon, a two-time NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year, and linebacker Graham Goldwasser, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year in the NESCAC, the Class of 2003 accounted for ten of Williams’ starters on offense and another seven on the defensive side of the football by the end of last season. But while the Ephs will feature a young squad this fall, they have more than enough talent to be a force in the conference. Linebacker Wes Connors and cornerback Elliot Moffie figure to be formidable figures on defense, while sophomore Sean Gleeson looks to be the next great Williams quarterback. Tim Crawley moves into the starting tailback position after seeing significant action in each of the past two seasons as Mike Hackett’s primary backup. Brendan Fullmer, Jon Drenckhahn, Nick Fera, Tyler Aura and Jeff Egizi provide the Ephs with quality depth and big-play ability at the wide receiver position.
Bridgewater State (6-3): At the helm of a veteran team, longtime coach Peter Mazzaferro is poised to challenge for his first Bogan Division title since his Bridgewater State Bears won the NEFC Championship in 2000. In order to leapfrog both Westfield State and Worcester State this year, the Bears’ defense will have to catch up with Bridgewater’s overpowering offense.
In 2003, Bridgewater led the NEFC in total offense (481.8 yards per game), mostly on the strength of its dominant ground game. While Andy Brems, the Bears leading rusher last season, has graduated, Bridgewater returns four starters on the offensive line and also retains the services of Brenden Kavey, who averaged over 100 yards per game on the ground last season in his eight appearances. Adam Camobreco will take over for Paul Bryant at quarterback, while Mark Hull and Brendan England return at receiver.
On defense, Sal Longo, Mike Sirignano, and Chris Gangitano will provide experience in the trenches, while Doug Borsari and Matt Hammond lead an otherwise inexperienced linebacking unit. Three year starter Adam Howe should be the Bears’ top playmaker in the defensive backfield.
Dark horses
Amherst (4-4): With First-Team All-NESCAC performers Fletcher Ladd and Jay Wagstaff returning at tailback and wide receiver, respectively, Amherst should have plenty of firepower to compete in the NESCAC. Furthermore, the Jeffs’ top signal-caller Marsh Moseley has two and a half years of starting experience under his belt. If Amherst’s revamped offensive line holds up and if E.J. Mills’ defense plays to its potential, the Lord Jeffs could end up on top of a highly competitive NESCAC this season.
Fitchburg State (5-4): Last season, the Falcons went 0-3 against Bogan rivals Westfield, Bridgewater, and Worcester, but Fitchburg was highly competitive in each of these games: The Falcons lost the three contests by a combined 10 points. With its leading passer, rusher, receiver and tackler all back to do battle in 2004, Fitchburg looks primed to make a serious run at a Bogan Division crown.
Endicott (4-5): In its inaugural season of intercollegiate football, Endicott managed to field a competitive team and produce a respectable 4-5 finish. Now that the first-year jitters are behind them, the Gulls are likely to record another first: a winning season. Playing with only three seniors on the roster last season, Coach J.B. Wells knew his Endicott team had a bright future, the only question now is whether that future will produce tangible results in 2004. Sophomore Jameson Pelkey will man the quarterback position for the Gulls again this year. Indeed, all of Endicott’s key performers on offense should return for the 2004 season.
Game of the Week
Fitchburg State at Western Connecticut, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.
Just how good will Fitchburg be this year? The Falcons’ season-opener against Western Connecticut might well go a long way toward answering that question, as Corey Hetherman will lead his NEFC against what should be a very solid Colonial squad. The best part of this game will be that you will be able to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home thanks to the good folks at D3football.com who will be broadcasting this game live over the Internet.
Colby at Williams, Sept. 25, 1 p.m. While this game, in the NESCAC’s opening week, ought to be plenty entertaining on the field, the focus of attention might well be on the respective sidelines. For Williams, this game will mark the debut of new head coach Mike Whalen, who has the unenviable task of trying to replace the legendary Dick Farley, a man who epitomized excellence during his 17 years at the helm in Williamstown. On the other side of the field, Edward Mestieri will be taking over for the retired Tom Austin, another NESCAC coaching icon.