Williams defeats Bates 31-7
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Despite not having senior captains Nick Caro and Ikenna Iheoma, the Williams College Ephs turned in their strongest performance of the 2009 season this afternoon in their home opener, defeating the Bobcats of Bates College for the 21st time in series history by a decisive of 31-7 margin.
A large gathering of students, parents, alumni, faculty, and
townspeople came out to Weston Field and stuck it out through
freezing rain to watch the Ephs put on an impressive performance,
one that included leaping interceptions, long pass completions, and
multiple touchdown drives.
“Today was very comparable with the way we’ve played
Bates in the past,” reflected Williams head coach Mike
Whalen. “Our focus was very workmanlike…we
didn’t play entirely mistake-free, but our effort was
consistent for four quarters and that was what won the
game.”
With several of their more experienced players sidelined with
injuries, the coaching staff had to rely on the depth of the squad
and hope that less experienced players could step up in a big way.
Indeed they did today, as various underclass players contributed
significantly to the win, providing important receptions, tackles,
and interceptions when their number was called. Among these younger
Ephs were sophomores Ben Oliva, J.C. Stickney, Dan Vaczy, Dylan
Schultz, Bryce Bennett, and freshman Chris Cameron.
“I was very pleased with the way the guys who don’t
play as much rose to the occasion today,” said Whalen.
“In the preseason, I thought our depth as a team is better
than it has been for a long time, so the fact that we’re a
little wounded right now isn’t as big a problem as it might
have been in past years.
“Guys like Ben Oliva, Chris Cameron, Danny
Vaczy…they’re not as experienced as the older guys,
but they proved a lot today and they’ve been proving a lot
all season. Hopefully, this is only going to make us
better…getting those guys some experience and confidence, so
that when we get guys like Nick, Ikenna, and Dan Johnson back from
injury, we’ll be that much more formidable an
opponent…. We can cycle these younger guys in and keep our
players fresh out there.”
A great deal of athleticism from the Ephs defensive backs was on
display in the first half of today’s action, as both Oliva
and senior Tyler Ware picked off pass attempts by Bobcat sophomore
Ryan Katon in diving and leaping fashion. Overall, the Eph defense
was stellar for the full sixty minutes, allowing just 62 yards on
the ground and 173 in the air. They also recorded 4 sacks and
forced two fumbles, one of which was recovered by the Ephs in
Bobcat territory, leading to the first Williams score of the
game.
“Defensively this was another great effort,”
acknowledged Whalen. “It was a kind of ‘bend but
don’t break’ mentality for us. They have two big tight
ends out there and they move the ball pretty well in the
air…so it was a matter of not giving up the big play and
limiting them to short games and minimal first downs, and I think
we did that very well."
The aforementioned fumble came as a result of senior Eric
Anderson’s sack, as he also knocked the ball out of
Katon’s hands and recovered it to set up the Eph offense on
the Bobcat 39-yard line for their first drive. Two sizable rushing
gains by Bennett and fellow sophomore quarterback Matt Coyne put
Williams within striking distance, and Coyne finished the drive
with a 4-yard touchdown run to give Williams the early advantage
7-0.
Bates responded quickly however, moving the chains efficiently
with mid-range slants and curls into the Williams half of the
field. After Ware nearly stymied the drive with an interception,
the Bobcats found the endzone on a pitch to senior Tom Beaton who
scored from four yards out, knotting the contest at 7.
On the next drive, Williams picked up right where they left off,
as they were in Bates territory on the second play, thanks to a
21-yard completion from junior quarterback Pat Moffitt to junior
tailback Ryan Lupo. After Bennett sped by the multiple Bates
defenders for a 32-yard run, Lupo finish the job on the last two
plays, a 10-yard catch and a 4-yard run, to take back the lead
14-7.
Although they scored on their first two drives, the offense was
slightly inconsistent in the first half. After Ware’s
interception at the end of the first quarter, Williams was forced
to punt on a 3-and-out after a dropped pass. A drive later, a
holding penalty and two more dropped passes forced Williams to punt
again, and had Whalen jokingly asking his quarterback whether he
thought it was a good idea to threaten his receivers to prevent
them from dropping balls.
“Pat [Moffitt] has gotten the brunt of a lot of things that
haven’t been his fault,” confessed Whalen. “We
have a lot of talent at the skill positions…Bryce is a
tremendous athlete as is Stickney, and we know these kids can make
big plays…it’s just a matter of doing it. It was nice
to see them settle in today and make some important catches when we
needed them.”
A shining example came later in the second quarter, when Moffitt
heaved a deep throw down the sideline that landed in the arms of
sophomore wide-out J.C. Stickney, who hauled it in for a 41-yard
touchdown grab that made it a two-touchdown game going into
halftime.
The Ephs’ momentum carried over into the third quarter, as
Stickney pulled down another Moffitt pass for 19 yards, followed by
a strong 14-yard carry by Lupo that moved the ball into the red
zone. Senior kicker Scott Sobolewski booted home a 26-yarder that
made it a 24-7 score. After the Williams defense forced another
quick three-and-out, Moffitt found junior tight end Jon Carroll for
a 24-yard gain, but Sobolewski barely missed the subsequent field
goal attempt from 30 yards out.
Anderson almost had the third Eph interception of the game on the
following drive, as Williams continued to contain the Bates offense
and limit them to less and less yardage with each possession.
Moffitt connected with both Bennett and Stickney on the next drive
for large gains downfield, and Lupo put the game out of reach with
a strong 3-yard touchdown run, his 2nd of the day. He finished with
107 yards on 23 carries, while Bennett netted 65 on the ground and
41 in the air. Stickney finished with a team-high 83 yards
receiving. Moffitt recorded 203 yards and one touchdown this
afternoon.
On defense, Anderson racked up 9 tackles (7 solo), a sack, and a
forced fumble. Schultz and junior Chris Rudnicki were right behind
him with 7 and 6 total bring-downs respectively. Senior Matt
Zanedis, who Whalen said “is playing as good as any corner
we’ve ever had,” was marked for five tackles on the
day.
“Overall we did some good things today, and it was important
to get the bad taste out of our mouths from the Trinity
loss,” concluded Whalen. “Middlebury has a great
offense…and after last year’s game, we know
they’re going to come out ready to play.”
The Ephs look to keep up their impressive level of play, and
hopefully surrender fewer points than in last season’s 50-45
shootout victory, when they take on the Panthers at Middlebury,
Vermont this coming Saturday. The action kicks off at 1:30PM.
