|
|
Freshman Eddie Vachon has eight catches this season, including a 28-yard touchdown reception. |
On The Horizon
Stonehill travels south to Bryant for possibly their
most important game in almost a decade, when it invades Bulldog
Stadium for a battle for first place in the Northeast-10. The
Bulldogs have a 5-0 NE-10 record, while Stonehill enter with a 4-0
Conference mark.
Series Particulars
The Skyhawks and Bulldogs have been meeting every
season since 1999, with Bryant holding a 7-1 series edge.
Stonehill's victory came in 2000 with a 45-13 win.
Inside The Series
The closest game in the series came in 2002 when the
Bulldogs eked out a 9-8 win. Bryant, however, has won six in a row
in the series, including last year's 35-14 win in North Easton.
Last Time Out
Stonehill amassed over 500 yards of total offense and
junior Jeffery Payne (West Haven, Conn.) and
freshman Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass.) each topped
the 100-yard barrier enroute to a commanding 56-7 win over visiting
St. Anselm. Bryant, meanwhile, stormed back from a 14-0 deficit and
defeated C.W. Post 24-17 behind 125 yards from Jerell Smith.
Double Trouble
Jeffery Payne and Eddie
Vachon topping the 100-yard mark in the win over St.
Anselm was the first time two Skyhawk rushers surpassed the century
mark in the same game since J.T. Nickley (124) & Derek Mazza
(109) each cracked 100 yards in a 41-7 win over Assumption on
October 19, 2002.
The Streak Is Over
It had been 24 games since the last Stonehill running
back eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Cliff Mason II was the last to do
it on September 4, 2005 against Assumption.
Record Setter
The Skyhawks tied a W.B. Mason Stadium scoring record
with their 56-point effort against St. Anselm. C.W. Post held the
mark alone previously in a 56-7 win over Stonehill in 2005.
An Even Dozen
After the Skyhawk defense forced three more turnovers
(two interceptions, one fumble) in the win over the Hawks,
Stonehill leads the nation in turnover margin, tied with Central
Washington at +12.
Point-Counterpoint
Another stellar defensive effort last week lowered the
Stonehill points allowed per game average to 11.6, ninth best in
the country.
First Half Freeze Out
Halfway through the season and Stonehill has only
allowed nine first half points. In four of the five contests, they
didn't allow any first half points.
Second Quarter Symmetry
The second quarter has been when Stonehill has done
most of its scoring. Of the 121 points they have scored this
season, 53 have come in the second 15 minutes.
Greene With Envy
Making his first start of the season, junior
Michael Greene (Plainview, N.Y.) had a
team-leading seven tackles, including six solo stops in the win
over St. Anselm.
Burris Is Back
Also making his first start of the season, senior
Dana Burris (Boston, Mass.) had a huge impact,
recording five tackles, a sack, an interception and two pass
breakups.
Gettin Picks
After making only three interceptions in 2006,
Dana Burris and Jon
Nunley-Kilborn (North Dartmouth, Mass.) collected the
seventh and eighth pickoffs for the Skyhawks this season. Burris
returned his 36 yards, the longest interception return for
Stonehill since 2005.
The Cruz-ing Continues
Cruz Parsons' (Signal Hill, Calif.)
streak of consecutive passes without an interception was extended
to 88 after he went 9-for-16 in the win over St. Anselm. He ranks
second in the country and in the Conference in fewest
interceptions.
Tony The Tiger
Senior Tony Camarota (Hudson, Mass.)
had two sacks in the win over the Hawks and leads the team with 3.5
this season. In addition to his sacks, he has recorded 15 tackles
and a pass break-up in five games.
Three Amigos
Cruz Parsons has tossed eight
touchdowns this season and seven of them have gone to either
J.J. Niamkey (Quincy, Mass.) (3) or David Pringle
(West Haven, Conn.) (4).
If All Else Fails
Cruz Parsons has also used his
running backs as targets as well. Freshman Eddie
Vachon has eight catches for 121 yards and a score, while
Jeffery Payne has seven catches for 74 yards, including a 35-yard
reception. Vachon took a screen pass 28 yards for a score in the
win over St. Anselm.
Takin' It To The House
David Pringle has caught a touchdown
pass in three straight contests and four of the five overall. All
four of his scores have come from 35 yards out or more (44, 35, 54,
67).
Sharing Is Fun
Three different Skyhawks have four touchdowns.
Jeffery Payne, David Pringle and
Eddie Vachon all have reached the endzone four
times. Not far behind is J.J. Niamkey, who has
cracked the goal line three times.
Chain Mover
David Pringle ranks second in the
Conference in yards per catch at 21.9 per grab. Merrimack's Chris
Laham sits atop the list at 22.3.
The Blocks Continue
Prior to missing Saturday's win against St. Anselm,
Chris Palmer (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had blocked
kicks in back-to-back games. George Whetstone
(Norwood, Mass.) picked up the slack for Palmer, blocking a Hawk
punt, extending the blocked kick streak to three games.