Football Closes Season With Loss to Endicott; Looks Ahead to Next Year
On their Senior Night, the Endicott College Gulls held the MIT Engineers to 107 yards of total offense after All-American Captain DeRon M. Brown ’10 was knocked out of the game with a concussion after rushing for only three yards on nine carries. The game was won by Endicott, 27-10.
The game began as a back-and-forth defensive struggle as both defenses held their opponents scoreless in the first quarter. The Gulls, however, appeared on the scoreboard first with a one-yard dive into the end zone and an extra point to go up 7-0. On the ensuing possession, quarterback Kyle T. Johnson ’11 was stripped in the backfield and Endicott’s Kevin Eagan returned the fumble 44 yards to give the Gulls a 14 point lead going into the half.
The home team received the kickoff to begin the second half. Quarterback Dan Leary methodically drove the ball down the field, leading to an 8-yard quarterback keeper to go up 20-0, but a blocked PAT by Aaron M. Fittery ’13 was able to keep the deficit at 20.
Leary lead the Gulls to a 27-0 lead two possessions later, after MIT had turned the ball over. The quarterback connected with Tim Vaill on a six-yard touchdown pass.
The following possession, though, saw the Engineers’ comeback attempt, as Brian P. Doyle ’11 faked a handoff to Phillip D. Hunt ’12 on the kick return to fool the defenders and streak up the sidelines for a score.
The Cardinal and Grey followed that score with another, the final of the game, as Johnson found fullback Cameron R. Brown ’11 on a check-down route, but a broken tackle and a burst of speed turned the pass into a 14-yard score up the sidelines. A botched snap on the PAT allowed holder Doyle to find Michael J. Yurkerwhich ’11 wide open in the end zone for 2 points.
The Engineers were lead by Stephen L. Yablonski ’11 on the ground, who took over for Brown after the concussion, finishing the game with 66 yards on 15 carries. The Cardinal and Grey defense was lead by Kristopher C. Weaver ’12 and Peter W. Gilliland ’12 who lead the team with 16 tackles apiece, along with Marcel B. Sanchez ’12 with 9.
After the game, Head Coach Chad Martinovich had words of encouragement and motivation, speaking of pride and love for the departing seniors. His overall message, however, was that this season was the foundation upon which to build for the rest of the year, using the losses as motivation to work hard in the offseason, stay committed and buy into the new program, and set a goal for next year.
The players understand Martinovich’s message, and seem encouraged by what he has put in place and how the program will flourish under him. “We have a lot of talent coming back next year to replace the graduating seniors’ spots,” says Jared M. Darby ’12. “The offseason program will be great to improve that talent and raise the bar from this year. The offseason program will also help with injury prevention, as injuries had a large influence on this year’s team.”
The Engineers finished the season 1-8, with a 1-6 record in the NEFC Boyd Division.