Surprise Team

You figured that it might be a down year for the AIC Yellow Jackets in 2011 but they do not seem to have rebuilding years in Springfield. They just seem to just reload year after year and are always in the hunt for the NE-10 title.

After losing a good chunk of their defense as well as a four-year starter at quarterback, it seemed that the Yellow Jackets might have a learning curve this year with so many new young faces at key positions. But that is not the case as AIC is 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the league after a thrilling 37-34 last second victory at Stonehill last Saturday.

Down seven points late in the fourth quarter, they drove down the field to tie the game and then drove down again to kick the winning field goal in the final seconds. That was the second straight come from behind victory in as many weeks. They also trailed Assumption the previous week and rallied to win their NE-10 home opener.

You might remember a week one victory on the road over CW Post in overtime. They traveled down to D1 FCS Bryant in week two and made a statement by playing the Bulldogs tough for 60 minutes and nearly pulling off the upset.

They are being led by a freshman quarterback, Kevin Arduino. He leads the team in rushing and passing and was a motivator inspiration to the team against Assumption as he was doubtful for the game before coming off the bench to spark the comeback.

Coach Art Wilkins and his staff have done a superb job recruiting over the years and it shows in the fact that the Yellow Jackets are always in contention. They have not had a season below .500 since 2002 and are always a tough opponent in and out of the conference.

This weekend, they will face another stiff challenge when they travel to Bentley. The games with the Falcons are always highly competitive and this week should be no different.

Weekend off

Pace is getting a well deserved weekend off after they were on the wrong side of two lopsided losses to open the NE-10 portion of their schedule. After a 23-20 win over Stonehill in Week Two, they have given up 124 points over the last two games while just being able to manage one touchdown in those games.

Yes, they played two of the better offenses in the league and were obviously overmatched against bigger and faster opponents. But the Setters are very young and are taking their lumps right now. Coach Chris Dapolito and his staff recruited like crazy in the offseason to find players capable of matching up against the likes of Merrimack and Southern Connecticut. It is not an overnight process.

They got a taste of what they need to do in the future if they are going to get back into contention in the league. If these young players mature and continue to bring in good young players to Pleasantville, it will help to make the league deeper and get Pace back on the map for football.

Defense

The Assumption defense put themselves on the map this weekend with a stellar performance against a very explosive New Haven offense. They allowed just 21 points and 375 yards in a 21-7 loss Saturday night at home.

The Greyhounds allowed just 54 yards on the ground in 39 attempts by New Haven. They also caused two fumbles, recovering one of them. They sacked the quarterback eight times and picked off one pass in the game while spending 35 of the 60 minutes on the field.

Seniors Sonny Dillinger and Nick DiAntonio were the leading tacklers against New Haven with 12 and 11, respectively. DiAntonio is tied for the NE-10 lead with 47 tackles in the first four games. Junior defensive end Nick Haag has been a terror on opposing players with 4.5 sacks thus far and 12 tackles for a loss.

Assumption was very limited on the offensive side of the ball as most of players listed as quarterback on the roster were injured and unable to go against New Haven. Coach Cory Bailey was down to his fourth and fifth option at signal caller but the defensive effort kept Assumption in striking distance most of the night.

Ho-hum weekend

It was a pretty status quo weekend in the NE-10. All of the teams favored to win won their games despite a couple of close games in Easton and Worcester. Friday night featured two lopsided wins as teams are starting to separate themselves in the league standings.

It even showed in the NE-10 pick-em on the message board as all but a couple of people were 4-0 for the weekend. Did I mention that I guaranteed a victory this season and I am in a tie for second place right now?

The top teams are starting to emerge from the contenders. It looks like five teams have a shot at hoisting the hardware at the end of the season. And none of them have matched up yet and it will make for some very entertaining football in the month of October.