Oct. 25, 2003
A 29-point second half eruption pushed Curry past visiting Endicott 36-12. In the process, the Colonels remained undefeated at 8-0 and clinched their first-ever New England Football Conference Boyd Division Championship.
Endicott played well for the first half of the game, holding the Colonels to only 7 points. Raphael Zammit put up the only points of the first half -- taking a short pass over the middle from quarterback Kevin Holleran and rumbling 73 yards to give Curry a 7-0 lead at the break.
The second half belonged to Curry. Raphael Zammit became a dominant force on offense for the Colonels. Endicott (3-4, 2-2 NEFC Boyd) struggled on offense, and Curry's second-half explosion put the game out of reach. The third quarter began with a 31-yard scoring strike from Holleran to sophomore receiver Ben Bascon. Just 17 seconds later, Curry junior linebacker Brian Robitaille picked off a pass from Gulls' quarterback Jameson Pelkey and returned it 36 yards for a TD, boosting the Colonels' lead to 21-0. A 28-yard field goal by sophomore Matt Rapoza put Endicott at a 24-0 disadvantage, but the Gulls finally dented the scoreboard with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter when Pelkey hit wide receiver Scott Peters from 15 yards out.
In the opening minutes of the final quarter, Holleran connected on his third and fourth scoring passes of the day. A 2-yard hook-up with junior Pat Anderton and a 66-yard toss to junior Brad Dick gave the home team a 36-6 lead. With a minute remaining in the game, the Gulls tacked on a 34-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Hull Manwaring to account for the 36-12 final.
Zammit surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second season in a row, accounting for 165 yards on the ground, 84 yards through the air and a 19-yard kickoff return for 268 all-purpose yards. Holleran went 14-for-29 for 317 yards, four TDs and three interceptions. For Endicott, Pelkey finished 18-for-48 for 187 yards, one TD and three interceptions. Peters finished the day with 11 catches for 113 yards.
The Colonels were led defensively by Robitaille -- who in addition to his interception return for a touchdown had six tackles, a fumble recovery and four pass break-ups. Gulls' sophomore Jesse Blackwell took game-high tackling honors with 13 tackles (11 solo) and freshman Joe Leaver had a career day with 5 solo tackles and 5 assists, 4.5 tackles for loss (21 yards) and 1 sack (15 yards).
The Gulls will play next Saturday, November 1st at Nichols College in Dudley, MA.
