Bridgewater State Holds Off Endicott for 20-14 Football Win

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Two weeks into the season, the Endicott College football team had already scored 100 points.

The Gulls ranked among the national Div. 3 leaders when they arrived at Swenson Field on Saturday afternoon to take on Bridgewater State University for the first time.

When Endicott left the BSU campus, though, its scoring average had decreased by a substantial number and it was no longer undefeated.

The Bears' impressive defensive unit kept the high-powered Gulls off the scoreboard through three quarters, then withstood a furious fourth-quarter comeback bid.

BSU held on for a 20-14 victory over Endicott, improving to 3-0 for the first time since 2005.

"We were cautiously optimistic that we could (slow Endicott down),'' said Bears coach Chuck Denune. "We definitely felt watching them that we could play with these guys. They were the most talented team we've seen on film so far, but we thought we could play with them.

"The defense played with a lot of intensity and they came up with stops.''

BSU, which got 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Mike McCarthy and 103 rushing yards from sophomore Blaise Branch of Brockton, built a 14-0 halftime lead and took a 20-0 lead into the fourth quarter.

Endicott finally got into the end zone with 12:41 remaining in the game on a 12-yard pass from Drew Frenette to Greg Dellorco, and the two connected again for a 25-yard score just 4:06 later, pulling the Gulls within six points.

After going three-and-out on the next series, the Bears had a punt blocked, giving Endicott the ball at the BSU 32 with 6:59 remaining. But on fourth-and-six from the 28, the Gulls were stopped when Justin Cruz made one of his seven tackles, taking down Jimmy Nguyen after a three-yard completion with 5:20 to play .

"Our defense was tired,'' said Denune, "but you know what? They played hard and gave everything they had, and that's what it took.''

David Silvia led the way with 11 tackles while Dillon Huber-Parker had 10. Eddie Jewel and Brian Smith (in the end zone) picked off passes while Adam Toman recovered a fumble and Tate Doehler, Vincent Henry of Middleboro and Paul Melicharek had their usual strong games.

BSU took advantage of the Toman fumble recovery and opened a 3-0 lead on a 35-yard Jarred Diorio field goal just 3:48 into the game. He also connected from 26 yards out with 2:26 to go in the first quarter.

McCarthy, who carried the ball 20 times, extended the margin to 14-0 with a 2-yard run with 6:40 remaining and he also scored on a 31-yard run with 2:09 to play in the third quarter.

"Mike's really grown into his own,'' said Denune. "I can't even label him a quarterback. He's just a football player who makes plays with his legs and his arm.''

Branch, the former Cardinal Spellman High standout, had 63 of his yards in the fourth quarter to help BSU take time off the clock.

"We've been waiting on that from Blaise,'' said Denune. "We know what we've got in Blaise. He's explosive. If he can get through that line, he'll give you good chunks of yardage.''

BSU opens the New England Football Conference Bogan Division schedule with another test on Friday night at home, facing defending champion Framingham State University. The Bears will do so with their best start since Denune's first season in '05.

"It's just a compliment to how hard we've worked,'' said Denune of the 3-0 mark. "We didn't have a real long camp. We had to go, go, go. It's a testament to how mentally focused they've stayed in these three weeks. They work hard every day.

"The season starts now. Now we get into divisional play. The weeks become more important at this point.''