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 on August 25th.

The season starts on September 4th when defending champ American International travels to Assumption to open the 2014 season.

Here is the my pick for #9 in the league in 2014:

St. Anselm College Hawks (1-10, 1-8 NE-10)

Coach: Patrick Murphy, 7th season (10-52)

Opening Game: September 6th @ Bowie St.

2014 Schedule

2013 Stats

2014 Roster

When teams saw St. Anselm on the schedule in the past, it was automatically chalked up as a victory. That is not the case anymore as the Hawks continue to improve and were very competitive in most of their games last year.

The offense is very explosive and returns a new of weapons. Sophomore quarterback Yianni Gavalas was solid in the final three games of the year. His signature game was a 28 for 30 effort for 316 yards and six touchdown passes against Pace. He tossed 13 touchdowns in those last three games and looks to emerge as the starter for the Hawks. He has a lot of receivers ready to catch his passes. Seniors Justin Bernard, Brandon Gomes, Ahkeen Williams and Nick Marcella will help to spread the field. The offensive line is where St. Anselm has improved and are experienced this year.

The defense will need to play well and help to keep their offensive mates from spending too much time on the sidelines. Senior defensive lineman Andrew Lebowitz will anchor the defense that needs to get stops and not allow too many big plays. Senior Mike Tatro will lead the linebackers and help to patrol the middle of the field.

Head coach Patrick Murphy has built a program that can score points with the best of them. It is the defense that needs to make the big plays this year. They have made strides over the years and will need to continue the momentum if St. Anselm expects to compete for the league title.