Vachon Prepped For Success

Eddie Vachon finished his freshman season at Stonehill as the team's No. 2 leading rusher with 563 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Sean Jacquet, Daily News Tribune Staff

Ed Vachon is nothing if not versatile.

So if the team has a need, he's the man generally called upon to fill it.

During his two seasons as a starter on the Newton North football team, Vachon played tight end, wingback, wide receiver and safety in addition to occasionally returning punts and kickoffs. Operating mostly out of the slot as a Wes Welker-type in his senior year, after which he earned a Daily News Tribune All-Star nod, Vachon served as the possession receiver for the Tigers' group of talented skill position players, finishing the season with 460 yards and three touchdowns for the 2005 Division 1A Super Bowl finalists.

But when he arrived on campus for his prep year at Blair Academy (N.J.) in the fall of 2006, his new team called for a different role. A 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust team for its entire existence - ``It's not a passing offense at all,'' says Vachon - Blair had little need for another wideout. So, as he'd done his entire career, Vachon went where he was needed.

``(Blair) needed help in the backfield, so that made the decision easy for me,'' says Vachon. ``I missed playing safety, but I loved having the ball in my hands 20 times a game.''

So too, did Stonehill College, which sought out Vachon following a stellar season at Blair. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder soon carved out his niche with the Skyhawks, helping to solidify what was a dicey backfield situation heading into the season. After losing their top three rushers from a 1-9 squad in 2006, the Skyhawks looked to converted linebacker Jabari Prince as the feature back.

But Vachon and junior Jeffery Payne, a transfer from Division 1-AA Hampton University, emerged as a formidable two-headed rushing threat, splitting carries almost equally throughout the season. Vachon rushed 120 times for 563 yards (a 4.7 average) and three touchdowns as the speed component of the thunder-and-lightning backfield combo. Payne, after gaining only 58 yards last season, led the team with 704 yards on 144 carries (a 4.7 average) as the Skyhawks finished 5-5, one of their best seasons in some time.

``I think splitting carries was good for both of us because he's a great back and he needs the ball to be successful, just like I do,'' says Vachon. ``He's more of the power back and I'm more of the speed back so we can switch it up on defenses. Plus, it gives each one of us a breather.''

His experience as a wingback also proved valuable as he became a strong receiver out of the backfield, catching 12 passes for 153 yards and a score in Stonehill's diverse offense. While Blair almost exclusively runs the ball, the Skyhawks' attack is constantly changing, featuring, in Vachon's words, ``everything: the I, Power-I, spread, option, shotgun.

``I like having that versatility, being able to catch passes out of the backfield,'' says Vachon. ``I can run out patterns, catch swing passes and screens and it all means I get the ball that much more.''

Vachon lavishes a good deal of praise for his rapid ascent up the depth chart on the guidance of first-year head coach Robert Talley, who spent 2006 as a special assistant with the San Francisco 49ers. Though Stonehill faltered down the stretch, going 2-5 after a 3-0 start, many Skyhawks credit Talley with changing the culture of losing and lending some stability to the post after going through five other coaches since the program's inception in 1988.

``Even though I wasn't here last season, you can tell how different it is and what Coach Talley has done,'' says Vachon. ``It's obvious how much people respect him. I've talked to some players who were on the team last year and he's made it a much better atmosphere. Practices are more fun and the coaches are as much your friend as they are coaches.''

But asked to point out the main reason for his quick development from promising high-school talent to Division II starter in just two short years, Vachon cites the prep season as integral to his growth as an athlete and a student. The year at Blair dramatically improved his time management and his aptitude for multi-tasking, in addition to allowing him to ease his transition between the Bay State Conference and the NE-10. A year wiser, stronger and faster, Vachon acknowledges that Blair better prepared his to deal with the rigors of being a student-athlete at Stonehill.

``It (the prep year) definitely helped me get bigger, faster and stronger because every week you're playing against stronger competition than in high school,'' says Vachon. ``The athletes in the prep league are bigger, faster and stronger, so that prepared me well and helped me make the transition to college.

``I don't think I'd be where I am without that year at Blair.''