NE-10 Champions

It seemed like a blink of an eye. LIU Post scored 34 points over the course of 10 game minutes and walked away with the NE-10 Championship after a 58-25 victory over American International last Saturday.

Trailing by six points with just over five minutes left in the third quarter, the Pioneers put on a clinic as they just dominated AIC in every single facet of the game.

The game was back and forth at this point. AIC just scored after Kevin Arduino found Maurice Easterling in the end zone for a 17 yard touchdown pass. The Yellow Jackets led 23-17 with 5:30 left in the third quarter. That is when the game changed.

Post responded with a drive to regain the lead when Steve Laurino found a wide open Kamron Palmer in the end zone. It was a lead that the Pioneers would not relinquish.

A three and out by AIC on the next possession gave Post the ball at midfield. On third down, Shane Hubbard made an acrobatic catch in the end zone to give Post the 31-23 advantage.

AIC fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Post took advantage. Laurino threw another touchdown pass to Palmer and Post was in full control of the game. AIC would punt on their next possession.

Laurino needed one play as he found Palmer across the middle and he did the rest. He took it 72 yards for the touchdown and the rout was on. AIC would mishandle yet another kickoff and Post pounced on the loose ball.

Mike Williams scored on that drive with an 11 yard touchdown run and Post completed an amazing 10 minute stretch. Five drives resulted in 34 points and it turned a six point deficit into a 26 point cushion.

"We just caught fire," Laurino said of the stretch. "Our offense is just so explosive."

"We knew that if we executed, we would make plays," Laurino continued. "If we could create turnovers, we could score quickly."

The Post offense was unstoppable as they racked up 607 total yards against a very good AIC defense.

"Things broke our way coming out of halftime," head coach Bryan Collins said. "Our offense scored off of their turnovers which is what did it for us. AIC is an outstanding team."

Post becomes the first NE-10 champion to win on the road. The two previous champs celebrated on their home turf, New Haven in 2012 and AIC in 2013.

Playoff Bound

With that impressive victory on Saturday, LIU Post vaulted into the sixth seed in Super Region One and will travel to CIAA champion Virginia State on Saturday for the first round of the playoffs. The Pioneers were not on the radar screen of the playoffs until after the victory on Saturday.

It will be the first appearance in the playoffs for Post since 2005. They won two games that playoff season before falling in the regional finals to East Stroudsburg. Overall, it is the fourth trip to the postseason for the Pioneers as they previously made the field in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

It will be the first match up against Virginia State in program history.

Heartbreak

With one team celebrating last Saturday, the other team was wondering what just happened. American International was that team Saturday and they were completely stunned at the result of the game.

It was their third straight NE-10 Championship game appearance and they were poised to win their second consecutive championship. But turnovers and too many mistakes late in the third quarter doomed their fate.

It is tough to see a team that was so dominate at times during the regular season have no answers in a winner take all game. But AIC lived on the edge at times this year and just did not make the necessary plays when they needed to on Saturday.

It is a tough way for one of their most successful senior classes to end their careers but they accomplished a lot during their time in Springfield. It will take some time but they should hold their heads high when they look back at the good times of the past several seasons.

They have laid the groundwork for future teams that nothing less than a championship in AIC is unacceptable.

Full Circle

When LIU Post went to the PSAC following the 2007 season, they kept one NE-10 foe on their schedule as their annual out of conference match up. It was the American International Yellow Jackets and it was a game that both teams used to measure their preseasons and get ready for grueling league schedules.

Quarterback Steve Laurino was a part of those match ups during his five years on the Pioneers' roster. His first game during his red shirt season of 2010 was in Springfield as AIC grabbed a 20-11 victory.

The following season, Laurino got his first career start against another then freshmen quarterback, Kevin Arduino. The two quarterbacks tossed their first touchdown passes of their career in that game. The teams battled to a 7-7 tie at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Post had the ball first and faced a fourth and four. Laurino threw a pass that was picked off by AIC safety Markell Rice who took it 95 yards into the end zone to win the game for the Yellow Jackets.

"In my first college start ever, I threw a pick six to lose the game," Laurino remembered after the game. "To come full circle like this and finish my career, I could not be happier right now."

Laurino will finish his career 1-3 against AIC but the one victory comes on the biggest stage of the season, the NE-10 Championship game.

"We had some real bad seasons when we were fighting injuries and could not bring it together," Laurino said. "It could not have come more full circle for me."

First Win

Congratulations to Pace University as they won their first game of the season over Southern Connecticut 10-7 in the ninth place game of the NE-10 Championship Weekend. It is the first win for the Setters since 2011 as they had lost their previous 38 games.

I had mentioned last week that Pace was on the right track and was going to break through in the near future. Nobody had guessed that it was going to be that soon and it is a great way for the team to end their 2014 season.

They will have a lot of confidence in the off-season and head coach Andy Rondeau will have a pep in his step as he recruits for future Setters.

2014 Season

The 2014 regular season comes to an end but it was a remarkable season for the NE-10 members. First, LIU Post won the championship with an amazing display last Saturday at AIC and will continue their season this weekend in the playoffs. But there were a number of amazing feats during the season.

-St. Anselm wide receiver Justin Bernard ends his career as the all-time leader in Division II receptions. He broke the record against Merrimack and ended his career with 386 receptions.
-St. Anselm had their first winning record since 2000 with a 6-5 mark this year. The Hawks won their first five games of the season.
-Assumption finished the year with a 7-4 record and two victories over New Haven. The Greyhounds have won nine straight regular season road games.
-Pace ended their 38 game losing streak as mentioned above.
-Stonehill wide receiver Nat Robitaille broke numerous school records for receptions and also broke the hearts of Merrimack when he returned a punt for a touchdown late in their 33-19 victory.
-Bentley quarterback Danny Guadagnoli set the all-time single season passing record when he passed himself in the record books. He also tossed 31 touchdowns this year.
-New Haven won six straight games in the middle of the season and were just a couple of plays away from an appearance in the NE-10 Championship game.
-Three overtimes games that were decided on the final possession of the game. All three road teams walked away with the victory

Now we have a playoff game to look forward to and see how far this season will continue.