Sept. 18, 2004
Driving rain and a flooded field could not slow down Endicott College as the Gulls defeated Framingham State College 36-6 in Framingham. The Gulls ground down the Rams with a punishing ground attack led by sophomores Matt Thompson (15 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD's) and Jeff Trinque (6 carries, 94 yards, 1 TD). Gerard Festa (11 carries, 48 yards, 1 TD), Mark Killinger (8 carries, 78 yards) and Hull Manwaring (7 carries, 36 yards, 1 TD) all contributed to the Gulls' 384 yards rushing.
In his first collegiate start, freshman Alex Smith was 10-20 with 97 yards in the air. Smith found a familiar target all day in sophomore wide out Scott Peters. Peters had 6 catches for 70 yards.
On defense, the Gulls held Framingham State to -33 yards rushing and 139 yards passing for a total of 106 yards total offense. The Gulls were led by sophomore captain Joe Leaver. Leaver had 7 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Also playing well were linebackers Jay Munroe (5 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack) and Joe Depamphilis (4 tackles, 1 for loss and 1 sack).
The Gulls started the scoring six minutes into the game when freshman defensive back Pego Jean-Paul blocked a Framingham punt for a safety. On the ensuing drive, Jeff Trinque took a handoff and scampered 56 yards down the sideline for the Gulls first touchdown. Adam Maher then tacked on one of his 4 extra points on the day.
The Rams then got field position on the Endicott 21 yard line and scored on a 4th down attempt. Framingham quarterback Eian Bain hit Bryce Guillbeault for a 13 yard touchdown and the only points the Rams would score on the day.
With 10:06 showing in the 2nd quarter, Thompson took a handoff and ran 23 yards for the Gulls second score of the day. With only 52 seconds left in the half, Gerard Festa finished off an 8 play drive with a 20 yard scamper.
The Gulls put pressure on Framingham's punter and were able to force a 7 yard punt. The Gulls took over on their own 27 where Thompson would take the first handoff and add another score on a 27 yard dash. Sophomore Hull Manwaring would finish the scoring with a one yard plunge by with 11:26 showing on the scoreboard.
The Gulls (1-2) will host Western New England (1-1) College at 2:00 on September 25th.
