Rout

The Assumption football is looking like the team of the past couple of seasons and that was on full display in their 66-3 victory over St. Anselm last Friday night. The Greyhounds are now 2-1, 2-0 and look unstoppable at the moment.

The defense forced five turnovers in the game and Mason Spence jumped into the scoring column with a 43-yard pick six in the second quarter.

Since Assumption trailed Kutztown 26-0 in the first half of the opening game, they have outscored their opponents 143-28 in about 150 minutes of football. That is a point a minute and that is a scary pace that the Greyhounds are running at right now.

Deonte Harris was his typical explosiveness as he had two first half touchdowns. Defensive breakdowns for the Hawks allowed him to be wide open on both scores as nobody was within 10 yards of him.

Assumption hopes to keep up their torrid pace when they visit Pace Friday night.

After Thought

Kicking has been a strength for Assumption the past four years. Despite graduating an All-American, the kicking game for Assumption is still strong.

Jacob Tondel stepped into the shoes and has been perfect thus far. He is 20 for 20 in point after attempts and drilled his first field goal last Friday night.

In fact, an Assumption kicker has not missed an extra point since November 19, 2016. Cole Tracy had two kicks blocked in the playoff loss at Shepherd that day.

Since then, that is 87 consecutive extra points for the Greyhounds over the course of the last 16 games.

It is an amazing streak for a team that has spent so much time on their special teams and have one of the best in the nation.

15 seconds

That was the time that Pace trailed in their 27-7 victory over American International. The Setters allowed an 80-yard drive early in the fourth quarter to trail 7-6. But that lasted 15 seconds.

Darius Jones took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 80 yards for the score and a lead that Pace would not relinquish in their second victory of the season.

The Setters defense then caused a turnover two plays later as Andrew Roach was credited with the interception. Four plays later, Carlton Aiken found Adrian Rybaltowski on a 25-yard touchdown pass and Pace was up 20-7. They scored on their next drive to seal their first NE-10 league victory of the season and go 2-1 on the season for the second consecutive season.

Pace will welcome Assumption next Friday to Pace Stadium.

Adversity

The Merrimack campus was shut down Thursday evening after the gas explosions in the Lawrence, North Andover and Andover rocked the area. But that was not going to stop the Warriors from grabbing their first victory of the season over their NE-10 rivals.

They scored 21 straight points in the middle of the game to grab a 35-30 victory at Bentley. The Warriors had an impressive opening scoring drive for the second straight week before allowing Bentley to take the lead late in the first quarter.

Three straight scores for the Warriors had them grab the lead for good. Matt Brehon, Marquis Spence and Jamari Venter all found the end zone and Merrimack was in control.

Bentley was not going away as they got within five points early in the fourth quarter. But a strip sack from Cory Hagerman and a 51-yard fumble recovery by Tyler Roberts was the difference in the game midway through the fourth quarter.

Christian Carter continues his development as a quarterback as the freshman was 14 for 20 for 120 yards and a score. The rushing attack for Merrimack helped their quarterback as they grinded out 271 yards on the ground. Carter and Venter both led the team with 84 yards apiece.

Merrimack will hope for an uneventful week as they prepare to host New Haven next Saturday night.

Elm City Dominance

The trophy will have a familiar location as New Haven defeated their cross-town rival Southern Connecticut 37-18 Saturday afternoon. The Chargers are now 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the NE-10.

The Owls dominated the first quarter as they were inside the 10-yard line several times but were only able to put three total points on the scoreboard. On the other side, Ryan McCarthy took the ball 79 yards to the house for the Chargers and it was the start of another strong day for the offense.

Southern would take the lead 10-7 but then the Chargers scored 30 straight points behind the arm of Ajee Patterson. He hooked up with Ju'An Williams twice in the third quarter to seal the game and the opportunity to raise the Elm City trophy for the ninth consecutive season. He finished the game with 193 yards through the air and three scores.

New Haven makes the trek north to face Merrimack this Saturday night.

2nd Half Again

LIU Post had another slow start to the game but was able to get things going in the second half to defeat Stonehill 27-7 last Saturday night. The Pioneers are now 2-0 and have scored 51 of their 60 points over the final 30 minutes of the game.

Chris Laviano was the catalyst for Post again as he threw three scores and had a rushing touchdown. He connected with seven different receivers as he went 25 for 34 and 274 yards on the night. He is starting to feel more comfortable with the offense and it is showing.

The Pioneer defense has been solid in the first two games. They have allowed 15 points and both of those touchdowns have been once they have a big lead. Post is swarming the ball and not allowing the opposing quarterback to feel comfortable in the pocket.

They will look for a quicker start when they host Bentley this Saturday afternoon.

Balance

We have talked about the balance of the NE-10 over the past several years and it was on display this past weekend. Look at the Pace Setters: they rebounded from a loss to New Haven to defeat American International on the road.

Or the Merrimack Warriors: they were crushed last Saturday by Assumption and then went on the road to defeat Bentley this weekend.

St. Anselm and Stonehill combine to score 111 points two weeks ago. This past weekend, they combine for 10 points. Granted, they played the top two preseason teams in the coaches' poll.

This league is unpredictable week in and week out. Anyone can knock off anyone else on any given Friday night or Saturday. That makes the league stronger and a main ingredient in the recent success in the postseason.