September 23rd, 2019 3:00am
Putting the D in Defense
Assumption has always gotten noticed for their offensive prowess, but it was the defense that led them to their first NE-10 victory of 2019. In their 19-7 victory over Southern Connecticut, their defense spent a lot of time in the opposing backfield.
The Greyhounds accounted for eight sacks and were in the face of Southern Connecticut quarterback Matt Sanzaro all night long. The defense had 19 tackles for a loss, pushing the Owls back 77 yards on those tackles. They limited the Owls to 259 yards of total offense and forced three fumbles.
Cullen McCarthy was credited with 10 tackles on the day from his linebacker position. Egan Batchell had 3.5 tackles for a loss and forced two fumbles in the victory.
Once the defense did their job, the offense had another ground and pound attack. Doug Santos had 190 yards on the ground and just wore down the Southern defense. It is his second straight 100-yard rushing game as he has no problem taking the ball and grinding out the yards.
Assumption will host Franklin Pierce this Saturday in their inaugural meeting.
QB Play
New Haven head coach Chris Pincince said that his quarterback play needed to improve if they were going to play well in the league. Nick Robins listened to his coach and played his best game of the year.
The Chargers improved to 2-1, 1-0 NE-10 after defeating American International 37-7 in their home opener.
Robins finished the day going 13 for 20 for 221 yards and two scores. He connected with six different receivers and seemed to be in control of the offense from the opening whistle. Robins also called his own number for a one-yard touchdown run.
The Charger offense amassed 374 yards in the victory and will be very dangerous if they are balanced with their playmakers on the outside. With improved quarterback play, the run game will be stronger than it already has been.
For the second straight week, the New Haven defense only allowed one touchdown and seven points total in a victory. They pressured American International and even got into the scoring fun when Allah Sessions took back a 58-yard interception.
New Haven is right back on the road again as they travel north to Bentley for a Friday night game.
Record Night
Stonehill wideout Andrew Jamiel continues to move his name to the top of the receiving records in program history. Last Saturday night, he took over two records on a single play in the Skyhawks’ 38-14 victory over St. Anselm.
With his 51-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter, he becomes the school’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (26) and yards (2,815). He already held the record for receptions and is closing in on total touchdowns and all-purpose yards.
Justin Felder dominated the first quarter with three touchdowns and finished the night with 137 yards. It was the first career 100-yard rushing game for the sophomore who saw more time because of an injury to Brian Kearns, Jr.
It was also the 16th consecutive year that the ‘Ol Bronze Hawk will have a residence in North Easton as it is the only place it has ever called home.
Stonehill enjoys a bye week next weekend as they prepare for American International on the first weekend of October.
Taking Care of Business
Pace was able to defeat Franklin Pierce 52-7 for their first league victory of the season. The Setters used the arm of Carlton Aiken and the legs of Jhalen Bien-Aime to win their first trip to Rindge, NH.
“You celebrate every victory right there,” Pace head coach Andy Rondeau said. “The scoreboard doesn’t tell the story here. It was an impressive and hard-fought effort by that team {Franklin Pierce} who really wants to prove themselves.”
The Setters had 437 yards of total offense and had several big plays that ended up in the end zone. Darius Jones led the team in receptions with six and a score, but it was Ramir Tann-Davis that had the catch of the night.
Early in the fourth quarter, he readjusted on an underthrown ball, split two defenders to make the grab and then raced to the end zone for the score. Both of his catches on the night resulted in scores.
The Pace defense had a bend but not break mentality as they allowed several yards in the middle of the field but stiffened up inside the 20-yard line. A key goal-line stand in the third quarter helped to shift the momentum to them.
“It is kind of who we are,” Rondeau said of his defense. “I don’t know if we are first down ready or first play ready yet. We are still trying to figure out the loss of five guys who could really lead us last year. We are not there yet.”
Pace will host St. Anselm this weekend.
Building a Program
Franklin Pierce lost their first NE-10 league game in history to Pace 52-7. The final score didn’t do justice to the effort that a young Raven team put up against a team pitted to finish high in the league.
Head coach Russell Gaskamp has been honest with everyone that he talks to about the program. They are not going to win the league in their first year, but they are trying to get better week in and week out.
“We have to continue to get better,” Gaskamp said. “My number one goal was for us to be competitive. We want to go into every game with the idea that we can play the game 1-0.”
He has a team that started a week later than the rest of the league and a lot of the players were not able to play spring ball. Since they were incoming freshmen, they were still in high school in April and not able to participate and learn the system.
“We are going to give some people in the league problems,” Gaskamp said. “In a couple of years, we are going to scary by the time this is all said and done. We have some good players. We need to keep maturing. I am really happy with the effort of the kids. Our coaches are working hard, and we are getting better.”
The Ravens are trying to build a program from scratch, and they had great fan support in their three-game homestand. They announced a crowd of 2,267 for their first night game last Saturday.
They will hit the road for the first time when they travel to Assumption this weekend.