I will be previewing all of the NE-10 football teams over the next 10 days. I will roll out each team in my preseason poll from # 10 to # 1. The NE-10 will release the coaches preseason poll towards the end of August.

The season starts on September 5th when American International travels to face PSAC opponent East Stroudsburg.

Here is the my pick for # 6 in the league in 2013:

Stonehill College Skyhawks (5-5, 5-3 NE-10)

Coach: Robert Talley, 7th season (28-33)

Opening Game: September 7th @ Bloomsburg

2013 Schedule

2012 Stats

The Stonehill Skyhawks continue to improve each year. They received national attention when the CBS Sports Network cameras descended upon their Easton campus last year. They played toe to toe with eventual NE-10 champion New Haven before falling in the final seconds of the game. Everyone knows that Stonehill is not going to be a pushover this year.

The offense has a lot of skill players back in the fold. Senior quarterback Logan Meyer threw for over 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns last year. Fellow classmate Justin Willis will get the majority of the carries out of the backfield. The receiving core is young but has seen a lot of action over the past couple of years. Junior Nate Robitaille and sophomore Gordon McLeod are the top pass catchers back from a year ago and will be called upon to stretch the field this year.

The defense returns a number of key contributors from a team that allowed just 21.8 points per game last year. Linebacker Michael Hogan returns for his sophomore campaign as the top returning tackler from a year ago. Senior Tim Bennett will be the leader of the secondary after picking off four passes last year. The defensive line will be anchored by Eric Schneider.

Head coach Rob Talley has been building a solid core that is very experienced this year. Through relentless recruiting, Stonehill is becoming a solid contender year in and year out in the NE-10. They surprised a lot of teams last year but will not be under the radar this year. They will battle for 60 minutes each game and cause headaches for opposing coaches in the league.