COLLEGE NOTES: Stonehill College football team hopes to turn
things around at home
By Jim Fenton
The Enterprise
After spending nearly the entire first half of the season on the road, the Stonehill College football team plays a home game this weekend.
The Skyhawks (1-4) host winless Pace University on Saturday at 1 p.m. at W.B. Mason Stadium on "Easton Appreciation Day'' when there will be free admission for town residents.
Stonehill has played games in West Virginia, New York and Connecticut with its lone home appearance being a 35-17 loss to American International College on Sept. 11.
"It's been kind of a crazy schedule year,'' said Coach Robert Talley. "It's real nice to be home. We've been in a little bit of a tailspin and lost some tough games and close games.''
The Skyhawks (tied for last place in the Northeast-10 Conference with Pace at 0-3) have been competitive in three of their four losses.
They gave up a fourth-quarter touchdown and lost at Glenville State College, 21-14, in the opener in West Virginia. After defeating Wagner College, Stonehill surrendered 21 fourth-quarter points and lost to AIC, 35-17.
In its last game, the Skyhawks were overtaken by New Haven, 23-16, when Sharieff Hall of Brockton caught a touchdown pass with 21 seconds left and the Chargers added a 2-point conversion for a 23-16 win.
"It's been a little disappointing,'' said Talley. "We expected to be further ahead than we are. But we've had a rash of injuries that have hurt us. We've lost experience on the offensive and defensive lines and we've had younger players and some freshmen going through growing pains.
"They're getting better game in and game out, but we're just not finishing things off. We've got a lot of guys starting for the first time and they're pretty athletic, but you have to play to get experience.''
Stonehill had a bye last weekend, giving a number of the injured players a chance to get healthier.
"The bye week came at a good time,'' said Talley. "We're probably as healthy as we've been in a while.''
At halftime, Stonehill will retire the No. 54 game jersey in honor of Rick Susi, a 1989 graduate and former football captain who died in an automobile accident in August 2002.
The former all-conference linebacker will have a plaque in his honor placed in the football office, and his family and friends have established a scholarship fund in his honor.
