Curry, Coast Guard lining up for title shot
|
|
And you can put New England Football Conference powers Coast Guard and Curry at the top of that list. Coast Guard has clinched the Bogan Division crown and 9-0 Curry the Boyd Division crown. They will meet in the NEFC Championship Game at Curry on Nov. 10.
Curry will look to wrap up the regular campaign unbeaten this weekend by hosting UMass-Dartmouth. Coast Guard, 7-1, travels to Framingham State.
Coast Guard showed its mettle with a frenzied comeback in a 38-34 win over Maine Maritime. Coast Guard trailed by 17 points in the first half and still had to overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Coast Guard is led by senior quarterback Christian George. He rushed for 783 yards and 11 touchdowns and has thrown for another five scores.
Curry remained perfect by whipping Nichols 30-12 with Brian Taylor catching eight passes for 129 yards.
“What we are going to do is focus on UMass-Dartmouth this week,” Curry coach Skip Bandini said. “We have all next week to get ready for Coast Guard.”
Bandini said he will give many of his seniors who have not played a great deal, an opportunity to play this week.
That’s not a matter of taking UMass-Dartmouth lightly. It’s simply that he feels the staff owes that to players who have been with the program for four years.
“We have a tough game this week. We have a real good test this week. We’re not undefeated yet,” Bandini said.
“But we owe it to these kids. It’s all about the kids.”
Curry went unbeaten through the regular 2006 campaign and Bandini said it is gratifying that the players have contributed to the kind of consistency where they have a chance to do it again.
Two at the top
Two New England Small College Athletic Conference teams on a collision course in a quest for their special season are Middlebury and Tufts, locked alone at the top of the NESCAC with 5-1 records after their wins last week.
Tufts needs to dispatch Colby this week and Middlebury must get by Hamilton to set up a game at Tufts on Nov. 10 between two 6-1 teams.
Family matters
Middlebury freshman quarterback Donnie McKillop has to have Panther fans excited. It’s nice to know you have someone at the controls for three more seasons who has had the success he has had this year.
But there was more than football on McKillop’s mind last week as he prepared for the battle of 4-1 teams with Trinity coming to town. McKillop’s family in Poway, Calif., had been evacuated from their home because of the raging fires.
“He was in constant communication with his family,” Middlebury coach Bob Ritter said.
The home is intact and McKillop engineered Middlbury to its first win over the Bantams in six seasons.
Entering the game, the Bantams had lost just three times in their last 46 contests.
Struggles in the Pine Tree State
The Maine schools have struggled in the NESCAC this season. Bates, Colby and Bowdoin are a combined 2-16.
That makes the CBB Trophy particularly important this season. That trophy has gone to the winner of the season series between the three schools since 1966.
Colby took a step toward claiming it this week by beating Bates 20-13 and the Mules will travel to Bowdoin on Nov. 10. Bates, 0-6, will try to get in on the fun this week when the Bobcats host Bowdoin.
The future is bright at Colby where the Mules have a highly touted sophomore class.
In another NESCAC trophy game, Hamilton is at Middlebury where they clash over the Old Rocking Chair.
Big game
The NESCAC’s Williams and Wesleyan are both 4-2 and meet in a Little Three rivalry game on Saturday.
New kids on the block
North Atlantic Conference Commissioner Julie Muller said she has not received any formal inquiries from schools eyeing the conference which makes it football debut in 2009.
“I am sure there have been conversations behind closed doors,” Muller said. “But there have been no formal requests.
“We are excited about what we have to start with and we aren’t entertaining adding anyone to the mix at this point.”
Muller said a tentative schedule has been constructed and approved by the schools.
“When we hear what Castleton decides to do about football, we will probably release the schedule,” Muller said.
Castleton State is contemplating adding football as its 20th varsity sport. School president Dave Wolk said an announcement about Castleton’s decision could come in about six weeks.
“With Dave and Deanna’s (athletic director Deanna Tyson) leadership, I am sure Castleton will make the right decision for the school,” Muller said.
The charter members of the NAC are Husson, Gallaudet, SUNY-Maritime, Mount Ida, Becker and Norwich. Norwich will be leaving the Empire 8 after the 2008 season.