MANCHESTER, NH (Nov. 5) -- As hard as it may be to believe, the end of Saint Anselm's first football season since 1941 is in sight.
Saturday afternoon, the Hawks gear up for a golden opportunity to pull even on the season and go above .500 in the Eastern Football Conference when they host winless Stonehill College at Grappone Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. Good tickets are still available. Parking is expected to be at a premium due to Saint Anselm's simultaneous hosting of the Northeast 10 Men's Soccer semifinals, so patrons are encouraged to prepare accordingly.
Saint Anselm stands 3-4 overall and 3-3 in EFC play and are coming off a restful bye week. The last time the Hawks took the field, the team put together the biggest upset of its first season, a 7-5 mudbowl road victory at heavily favored Merrimack College.
Stonehill, despite a 0-8 overall record and 0-8 EFC record, cannot be taken lightly. One of the younger teams in the league, the Chieftains have played tough throughout the season, falling in four close games to the likes of Assumption, UMass-Lowell, CW Post and Pace.
The game could be consider Saint Anselm's second "homecoming" of the season, so to speak, as the contest features a plethora of New Hampshire natives. Combined, 31 Granite Staters will suit up for the game (11 for Stonehill, 20 for Saint Anselm), including nine probable starters (three for Stonehill, six for Saint Anselm).
On paper, Saint Anselm holds the advantage against Stonehill in almost every offensive and defensive category. The Hawks come into the game just ahead of the Chieftains in total offense, total defense, passing defense and passing offense.
Despite generating just 119 total yard of offense against Merrimack two weeks ago, Saint Anselm remains ranked third in the EFC in passing offense at 196 yards per game. Quarterback Kyle Van De Giesen (North Attleboro, MA) is scheduled to get the start, having hit on 90 of 206 pass attempts thus far for eight touchdowns. Van De Giesen recently surpassed 1,000 yards in the air and stands at 1,222 overall.
The Hawks offense has continued to work to spread the ball around the field, although tight end Kevin L'Ecuyer (Fitchburg, MA) continues to be Van De Giesen's top target. With six catches against Merrimack two weeks ago including the game's only touchdown, L'Ecuyer has pulled in 20 receptions on the year for 49.7 yards per game and has pulled in a team best five touchdowns.
The Hawks tight end situation remains solid with Brian Johnson having moved up to fourth in team receptions against Merrimack (12 catches on the year for 125 yards). Freshman Mike Verroneau and senior Jeremy Forest (New Boston, NH) are also among the top receivers with 14 catches each.
The Hawks running game has struggled of late as regular starter Jon Turner (Foxboro, MA) has been battling nagging injuries. Forest, who has come in to provide offensive spark behind the line as well as down field, has remained the Hawks top full back with 33 carries for 148 yards (4.5 average), while freshman Robert Pike (Haverhill, MA), who started against Merrimack, has seen his time steadily increasing over the past few weeks and has carried 51 times. That running game will look to work on a Stonehill rush defense that ranks last in the EFC, giving up an average of 324 yards per game.
It was the defense that ultimately provided the victory over Merrimack two weeks ago for Saint Anselm, limiting Merrimack's (and one of the EFC's top rushers) Calvin Bryant just 101 net yards on the afternoon. The Hawks pass defense, which limited Merrimack to just 51 yards in the air took advantage of the mudbowl conditions, registering 16 tackles for losses, their highest output since week two against Hartwick.
Saint Anselm's rushing defense and total defense moved up the ladder a bit in the EFC to eighth overall. Geoff Raby (Attleboro, MA), who was the Hawks star of the game against Merrimack with 10 tackles (five for losses) remains third in the EFC in total tackles (68) and second in solo stops with 47. Lance Flagg has added to the Hawks defensive punch with 48 tackles (31 solo), while Patrick O'Shaugnessy has registered 37 tackles while working the secondary.
Stonehill is paced by junior quarterback John Darak (Londonderry, NH), who will see his younger brother Rhett, a freshman defensive back for the Hawks, across the sidelines. Darak has hit on 43 of 109 passes thus far for two touchdowns and 586 total yards.
Darak's top receivers include Pat Cullingford with 10 catches for 92 yards, and Chad Dwyer (Wakefield, MA) with nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.
In the backfield, Tyrone Jefferson has netted 591 yards on 111 carries for two touchdowns, while Chris Chisholm (Merrimack, NH) has added three rushing scores on 24 attempts.
Defensively, Stonehill has talent in Eric Mueller who leads the team with 72 tackles (31 solo), while Darren Shaughnessy has added 68 tackles (38 solo).
The game also features a pre game recognition of Saint Anselm's seven outgoing seniors. They include Forest, Mark Qualter (Methuen, MA), Pete Cushing (Lynn, MA), Mark Stevens (Manchester, NH), Pete Tonello (Medford, MA) Brian McInerny (Dracut, MA), Mike Mitchell (Newton, MA) and Brandon Murphy (Manchester, NH).
The Hawks close out the 1999 season on Saturday, November 13, at Southern Connecticut State at 1:00 P.M.
