October 7th, 2019 3:00am
Bye Week
It seems like the bye weeks are helping teams play better. Teams are now 2-0 following the bye week as it is giving teams time to rest and relearn the basics of their schemes.
It started two weeks ago as Bentley defeated New Haven Friday night after taking the previous week off. Stonehill repeated the success as they defeated American International 31-13 this past Saturday.
The Skyhawks played well on both sides of the ball and used the bye week to their advantage just like the Falcons. We will see if the trend continues in two weeks as American International takes this weekend off from gameplay.
Two teams have filled their bye week with non-conference opponents. St. Anselm lost on the road to Tiffin this past weekend and Franklin Pierce travels to former conference member Merrimack in the final weekend of the regular season.
Coaches are always split on not playing games, but it seems like the unbalanced schedule in the NE10 is showing solid early returns. Teams start preseason camp in early August and go six days a week until mid-November. A week to relax and focus on non-football activities might be a must going forward.
First Victory
Southern Connecticut jumped out early and earned their first victory of the season 55-27 over Franklin Pierce. The Owls scored the first 35 points of the game and never looked back.
Jonmichael Bovina had three rushing scores and led the team with 70 yards on the ground. Julian Chung had five catches for 131 yards and two receiving scores for the Owls.
Freshman Jackson Ostrowsky was solid again from his quarterback position as the freshman accounted for 267 yards through the air. This performance followed his Rookie of the Week award in the loss two weeks ago to American International.
Southern Connecticut travels north to Bentley this weekend.
Wild One
Most people started to flip away as Assumption led Bentley 42-14 in the third quarter. But Bentley scored 28 straight points to tie the game and force overtime.
A Greyhound field goal in overtime and then the special team’s unit blocked a Falcon try to seal the victory 45-42.
Freshman Patrick May kicked his first career field goal in the extra session as he finished the day going six for six on extra-point attempts.
Khaleed Exum-Strong scored four times and teamed with Doug Santos to once again be a solid one-two punch for the Greyhounds. Santos had a team-high 127 rushing yards and a score.
Jordan McAfee filled in for the injured Easton Turner and kept the offense moving. He hooked up on a nice 71-yard touchdown pass with Brevin Easton on a slant and go.
The Assumption defense was solid in the first half before they struggled in the second half. They forced three turnovers in the game but allowed 21 points in the final 15 minutes to allowed overtime.
An Isaiah Collins 94-yard kickoff return for a score seemed to jump-start the Bentley offense that railed off 28 points in the final 16 minutes of the game.
Bentley was not able to carry the regulation momentum into overtime and had their field goal blocked to drop the game.
Assumption travels to Pace next weekend.
Second Time
For just the second time in 24 years, Stonehill defeated American International 31-13. The Skyhawks are quietly 3-1, 2-0 NE10.
Justin Felder again was the catalyst of the offense as he made three trips to the end zone. Two of them vie the ground and one via the air. It is the second time this year that Felder had three scores in a game.
The Stonehill defense was very solid. They allowed a mere 191 yards and forced four turnovers. They have played well and a big reason why the Skyhawks have three wins already this year.
Stonehill will make their first trip to Franklin Pierce this weekend.
Quality Win
New Haven showed why they were the favorite to win the NE10 as they defeated Pace 28-21 last Saturday afternoon. The Chargers jumped out to a 28-7 lead at the half and let their defense do the rest.
Christian Lupoli got the start for New Haven and tossed four touchdowns in the first half. Two of those touchdown passes went to Ju’An Williams as it seemed like the pair was on the same page. The quarterback position has been a point of emphasis for head coach Chris Pincince as it said that his team will do as well as the production of his quarterback.
On the Pace sideline, Carlton Aiken did not enter the game until the second half. Once he did, the Setters scored two touchdowns to make it a game. He rushed for one and found Ramir Tann-Davis for another as they were not able to complete the comeback. They recovered an onside kick, but the offense was not able to capitalize in the final minutes.
New Haven will be on the road this weekend at St. Anselm.
Multiple TDs
Most weeks see one or two players visit the end zone multiple times. But this past weekend saw numerous players with multiple touchdowns.
The leader of the bunch was Assumption running back Khaleed Exum-Strong. The senior had four rushing scores in the Greyhounds’ victory.
Don’t sneeze at Justin Felder. The sophomore had two running scores and a receiving one. It is his second three-touchdown game of the season.
Jonmichael Bovina had three scores for Southern Connecticut to go along with fellow teammate Julian Chung who amassed two receiving scores in the Owls’ first victory of the season.
Bentley had Noah Neville and Jordan Artope find the end zone two times apiece in their loss to Assumption.
Ju’An Williams had two receiving scores for New Haven and on the other side of the field, Ramir Tann-Davis had two touchdowns for Pace.
It is just your typical multiple touchdown weekend in the NE10.