Best Team

Assumption once again proved that they are the top team in the NE-10. The latest victim was New Haven in a 41-6 victory that saw them move to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the league.

It started on the first drive and never let up for the Greyhounds. Marc Monks found Ashton Grant for the opening score. After a defensive stop, Deonte Harris took the first of his two punt returns to the house. It was from 78 yards out and the stadium was electrified.

"We are going all the time," Assumption head coach Bob Chesney said about the fast starts. "It is good leadership. It is not us as coaches. It is their quest to be great and it is good to see."

Another interception by the Assumption defense and they were off and running in front of over 200 former alumni football players. They picked a good weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program as they are seeing one of the best teams ever to don the uniforms.

"It is the byproduct of trying to be great at everything we do," Chesney said of the direction of the program and celebration of 50 years of Assumption football. "It is kind of cool to see this come to fruition."

Andrew Benson set a school record with his 15th interception. He also chipped in with a beautiful block that sprung Harris on the first punt return. He is averaging an interception per game right now.

Assumption is a juggernaut in the league and still needs to focus week to week. They are a top three team in the region and mostly likely in position to host at least one playoff game if they win out.

"We have more big games coming up," Chesney said. "It is a matter of us doing it day by day, not looking too far ahead. Not being too excited about this and be ready to go back to work tomorrow."

Assumption will look to go 8-0 for the first time in school history as they host Stonehill this weekend.

Mr. Excitement

I think that Deonte Harris is the most exciting player in the NE-10. When he touches the ball, things happen and that was on full display last Saturday for the junior.

He returned two punts for touchdowns in the Greyhounds' 41-6 victory. The first one from 78 yards away and then the second one from 76 yards.

"I am just looking for a seam," Harris said of the returns. "We go over special teams more than any team does. Coach really emphasizes making key blocks. All I do is catch the ball and run. The guys set it up for me."

"I would probably take a knee instead of kicking to him," Chesney joked. "That is a different game. His vision is so good. His quickness is so good. When he touches that ball, it is impressive to watch."

Since I have been covering this league, he is the best returner that I have seen. He has now eclipsed the likes of Andrew Jackson and Stephan Neville as he just has a knack for making big plays in big games.

It is the second time in his career that he returned two punts for a touchdown. The first occasion was on a Friday night two years ago against Bentley. He was just a freshman and on his way to making a name for himself in the league.

"I trust that my players will make a block," Harris said. "I trust my speed and athletic ability. I just try to go out there and make the plays the best way that I can."

He is the active leader of return touchdowns in the country with his nine scores. And people continue to kick the ball to him. Kick it out of bounds if necessary.

Points Galore

LIU Post put up the best offensive performance of the season in their 70-21 victory over American International. The Pioneers racked up 604 yards of total offense as Yianni Gavalas and Malik Pierre were again the stars.

Gavalas had four touchdown passes and Pierre had 139 yards of rushing with three scores. Plus he took a 100 yard kickoff to the house as he has been an unstoppable force the past couple of weeks.

After a 52-point performance against Southern Connecticut, Post added more points and more offense. They were a dangerous team entering the season but a two-game losing streak at the end of September seemed to derail them a bit.

They are still the defending champs and a solid all-around team. They will not win the NE-10 title this year but can still make some noise down the stretch.

They have three winnable games down the stretch as they are at Pace, have Merrimack at home and finish on the road at St. Anselm. Post could finish 8-2 if they win out and could be in the mix for the playoffs again.

Close One

St. Anselm and Pace always play exciting games despite being near the bottom of the standings. And this year was no exception as the Hawks eked out a 35-34 victory for their first win of the season.

Pace jumped out early 14-0 before a strong second half resurgence by St. Anselm helped them win the game. The second half of the game saw a back and forth seesaw battle with both teams making plays.

St. Anselm scored on an Eric Fairweather touchdown in the third quarter to lead 21-14. But Pace answered quickly with a Jhalen Bien-Aime touchdown. As the fourth quarter opened, Wilden Germain scored to give the Hawks the 28-21 advantage.

Then two plays later, Bien-Aime found the end zone from 38 yards out. And then St. Anselm answered again. A long six-minute drive was capped off by a Kyle Hill touchdown reception for the 35-28 lead. Both teams exchanged punts before Pace drove to try to tie the score.

Dan Anerella found Darius Jones from 37 yards out for the score and Pace was an extra point away from tying the game with 1:16 left. But the Setters were flagged for excessive celebration and the extra point was pushed back. Pace missed it and needed to recover the onsides kick which they did.

They were not able to capitalize and St. Anselm killed the rest of the clock for the win. The Hawks got their first victory of the season and continued their winning streak over Pace.

St. Anselm is back on the road next weekend at Merrimack while Pace host LIU Post for their final home game of the season.

Solid Win

For the second time this year, Southern Connecticut played a complete game and walked away with the victory. They jumped out early and defeated Merrimack 28-9.

It was also the best defensive performance of the season as they did not allow Merrimack to feel comfortable all game long. They allowed just 303 yards of offense and just a couple of plays greater than 20 yards.

The Owls offense also concentrated on the running game and had some success. Ray Catapano had 140 yards on the ground including a 64-yard touchdown scamper. He was able limit turnovers as they put the ball on the ground five times but scooped up each one of them.

Southern Connecticut faces a tough test next Saturday when they travel to Bentley while Merrimack host St. Anselm.

Overtime

What a game Saturday night as Stonehill rallied for an 18-point deficit to defeat Bentley 41-35 overtime. Bentley led 28-10 midway through the third quarter before the Skyhawks made a furious rally.

The star of the game was Brian Kearns, Jr. He rushed for 243 yards and broke off a lot of long runs on the night. Fellow running mate Malachi Baugh capped off the victory with the four-yard touchdown plunge for the winning points in overtime.

It comes off a weekend in which Stonehill dropped a tough one at New Haven as they allowed the winning points in the final two minutes.

It is a tough loss for Bentley as they were in position to keep pace with Assumption but they need to win out and Assumption drop their final three.

Stonehill will hit the road next week at Assumption while Bentley entertains Southern Connecticut.

NE-10

It is Assumption's title to lose right now. They are undefeated in league play and three teams are tied with two losses behind them. Plus, New Haven and Bentley still have a match-up on November 4th so someone is going to add on another loss.

Assumption is going to have to stumble big time in the final three weeks not to grab their second league title in three years. They look like a team on a mission and ready to make some noise in the region.

The next question will be if the NE-10 can get a second team into the playoff hunt. LIU Post and New Haven both have two losses but cannot afford another one. Post has an easier schedule down the stretch as New Haven has a trip to Bentley but two other winnable games.

Bentley is on the outside looking in right now. They have a winnable game with Southern Connecticut but then entertain New Haven and travel to Assumption to close out the regular season. They have three losses and the tough overtime loss to rival Stonehill will sting for a little bit.

The first regional rankings will be released on Monday and we will see where the chips fall for the NE-10.