Football Clinches NEFC Boyd Division Title With 42-14 Victory at Nichols

Posted: Oct 31, 2009

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Ken Golner
(617) 333-2324
kgolner@curry.edu

CURRY WINS NEFC BOYD DIVISION WITH 42-14 VICTORY AT NICHOLS
Colonels Will Host Conference Championship Game on Nov. 14

DUDLEY, Mass. – Curry College senior quarterback Zach Cavanaugh (Marshfield, Mass.) threw one touchdown and ran for two more to lead the Colonels to a 42-14 win over Nichols College at Vendetti Field. The Colonels improved to 7-2 overall, clinched their sixth New England Football Conference Boyd Division title in the last seven years, and will host the NEFC Championship Game on November 14.

Through the opening quarter, the game looked to be a defensive battle, but the tide shifted in favor of the Colonels, who racked 512 yards of total offense on the day – 308 in the air split between Cavanaugh and freshman QB Mark Gilson (Mansfield, Mass.), who took over throwing duties late in the fourth quarter, capping Curry’s scoring with an 80-yard toss to Samuel Victoria (Brockton, Mass.).

Curry got on the board late in the first frame after junior linebacker Kevin McCarthy (Foxboro, Mass.) made a diving interception of sophomore QB Sean Smith-Vaughan (Cumberland, Maine) at the Nichols 33. A 19-yard pass from Cavanaugh to Jon Rodriguez (Leominster, Mass.) just tucked in the left corner of the end zone followed by a good kick from Matt Alksninis (Mansfield, Mass.) gave the Colonels a 7-0 lead with 1:02 left in the opening quarter.

Nichols (4-5, 3-3 NEFC Boyd) was forced to punt from its own 40, setting up Cavanaugh for passes of 8, 7 and 13 yards before Jamaal Woods (Malden, Mass.) followed a four-yard burst with a 42-yard scamper, hurdling over Bison backs to sprint into the end zone for a 14-0 Curry lead (Alksninis kick good) with 4:59 left in the half.

On the Bison’s ensuing possession, senior WR Anthony Pillari (Lumberton, N.J.) capped an 11-play, 58-yard drive with a flick pass to R.J. Gagne (Seekonk, Mass.) in the end zone from third and goal at the Colonels’ two yard line. A Dave Wyrick kick (Avon, Conn.) cut Curry’s lead in half headed into the break, 14-7.

Cavanaugh tacked on two quick scores in the third quarter on rushes of four and two yards, the first coming with 7:39 left after forcing the Bison to punt from their own 19 and recovering at the Curry 44. A pair of 14 and 26-yard passes set up the Colonels at the Bison 21 before Woods brought the Colonels to the Nichols four on rushes of seven and 10 yards.

After Bobby Driscoll (Milton, Mass.) picked off Smith-Vaughan on the Bison’s next possession, a 33-yard rush by Cavanaugh followed by a 21-yard hookup with Victor Martinez (Southbridge, Mass.) set up Cavanaugh to punch it in with just under 43 seconds left in the quarter for a 28-7 advantage.

Chris Haddad (Bellingham, Mass.) started the Colonels’ next scoring drive with an interception at midfield before returning it 16 yards to the Nichols 33. A pass interference call against the Bison pushed Curry ahead to the 18. Cavanaugh followed with a pair of seven-yard tosses before De’Jon Berment (Boston, Mass.) brought it in the final four yards for a 35-7 lead.

Nichols turned it over on downs at the Curry 45 on five plays as Gilson came in to take over the throwing duties for the Colonels. He connected with Martinez for seven yards before the 80-yard touchdown pass to Victoria.

The scoring wasn’t over, however, as Nichols’ RB Anthony Terenzi (Londonderry, N.H.) capped a six-play, 56-yard drive with his first career touchdown, a one-yard punch that followed a 21-yard catch from Smith-Vaughan to bring the score to 42-14.

Woods finished with 108 yards on 17 carries for the Colonels, while Cavanaugh logged 55 yards on the ground to go with his 221 in the air on 16 of 26 passing with a pair of interceptions. Gilson completed two of three attempts with one score. Martinez was the main target for the duo, logging 129 yards on eight catches.

For the Bison, Mike Seiger (Pittsfield, Mass.) led the receiving corps with his second 100+ yard game of the year, totaling 107 yards on nine catches. Pillari totaled 67 yards on eight snags. Smith-Vaughan finished the day completing 27 of a school-record 56 attempts with three interceptions and 217 yards.

Defensively for the Colonels, LB Scott Driscoll (North Andover, Mass.) led all players with 12 tackles (five solo) while DB Jason Ryan (Rockingham, Vt.) posted nine (seven solo) for the Curry defense that held Nichols to 240 yards of total offense.

Christopher Kerrigan (Hyde Park, Mass.) posted nine tackles for the Bison, while senior Bill Hassett (Oxford, Mass.) added eight with two sacks for a loss of seven yards and a forced fumble.

Nichols closes out the season next Saturday at Western New England College in a 1 p.m. Boyd Division game. Curry hosts UMass Dartmouth in a 1 p.m. game on the same day.