DUDLEY, Mass. – The Endicott College football team spoiled Nichols’ homecoming with a 27-20 New England Football Conference Boyd Division victory at Vendetti Field Saturday afternoon. The Gulls were led by a pair of late scores from senior running back Drew Cusato (Merrimack, N.H.), who led Endicott’s ground attack with two touchdowns and 93 rushing yards on 13 carries on the day.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Nelson (Oceanside, Calif.) threw for three touchdowns, completing 24-for-43 passes with a career-high 246 yards. Joining Nelson with a career-high day was junior Anthony Pillari (Lumberton, N.J.), whose 119 receiving yards and touchdown marked a career-best for the junior.
After forcing Nichols to punt on fourth and five at their own 37-yard line, Endicott (2-3, 1-1 NEFC Boyd) struck on its first possession of the game when sophomore Neil Powers (Westford, Mass.) jumped over a Nichols back to snag a Phil Konopka (Shelton, Conn.) pass and run it in for a 79-yard touchdown reception. Chris Brennan’s (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) kick was good for a 7-0 Gulls’ lead just over two minutes into the game. Konopka completed six of 16 passes for 129 yards and had an interception on the day.
The Bison (2-3, 0-2 NEFC Boyd) maintained possession for most of the quarter, but it wasn’t until early in the second that Nichols got on the board. Nelson started the drive at the Nichols 43-yard line with an 18-yard toss to Pillari and capped the seven-play 60-yard drive by finding Pillari in the endzone for another 18-yard pass as the junior scooped up a low pass just inside the goal line. Nelson then connected with senior tight end Chris Vallee (Fitchburg, Mass.) deep in the endzone for the two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead into halftime.
Endicott took the lead early in the third quarter when Mike Lane (Medfield, Mass.) capped a seven-play, 64-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown run, giving the Gulls a 14-8 lead.
The Bison rallied on their next drive, with Pillari snagging a 19-yard catch to set up Nichols on the Endicott seven-yard line. Robert Morris (Melbourne, Fla.) edged them ahead to the six with one of his 103 yards on the day on 29 carries – his fourth-straight 100+ yard rushing game – before Nelson again found Vallee in the endzone. The Nichols kick failed, leaving the teams at a 14-14 deadlock with 6:54 left in the third quarter.
Cusato then picked up his first of two scores late in the frame, eluding several tackles as he skirted across the field at the Nichols 41-yard line and then all the way in for the score. Brennan’s kick was good for a 21-14 Endicott lead with just over four minutes left in the quarter.
He then capped an eight-play, 47-yard drive with a nine-yard rush after setting up the play with an 18-yard reception. Lane pushed the ball from midfield with a 16-yard carry, one of 12 on the day, totaling 132 yards.
Junior Bill Hassett (Oxford, Mass.) led the Bison defense with seven tackles (five solo), while Erik Valentine (W. Lebanon, N.H.) posted five tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss. Jason Vega (Methuen, Mass.) continued his impressive rookie campaign with four tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a second-quarter interception in the Gulls’ endzone.
Sophomore Mike Dillon (Cheshire, Conn.) posted a game-high 15 tackles (10 solo), a sack and a tackle for a loss to lead the Endicott defense, while Bill Hickey (Walpole, Mass.), John Ortolani (Billerica, Mass.) and Kevin Eagan (W. Hartford, Conn.) each put up nine.
Nichols travels to Salve Regina for a noon NEFC Boyd Division matchup next Saturday, while Endicott hosts Plymouth State in a conference game next Saturday at noon.
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