NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Endicott football broke numerous offensive records on Saturday in a 61-15 Gulls victory over UMass Dartmouth including team offensive yardage, individual passing yards, and individual receiving yards. The Gulls improved to 6-2 (4-1 NEFC Boyd) and will next take on rival Western New England on Saturday, October 27th at 5:00 pm at Endicott Stadium.
Endicott raced out to a 47-6 halftime lead and never looked back as sophomore Drew Frenette (New Bedford, Mass.) threw for 450 yards and four touchdowns and senior receiver Mike Murphy (Chelmsford, Mass.) caught 12 balls for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, the Gulls totaled 709 yards of offense which eclipsed Endicott's historic game last season versus Curry (652 yards).
The Corsairs stopped Endicott on their first possession, but the Gulls downed junior kicker Dylan Rushe's (Palos Verders, Calif.) punt at the UMD one yard line, and freshman quarterback Mario Rigali (Agawam, Mass.) was sacked on the first play for a safety. On the ensuing possession, Frenette connected with Murphy for a 45-yard touchdown.
Endicott made it 16-0 on a 12 yard scoring run by senior running back Mike Wheeler (Hanover, Mass.) midway through the first quarter before the Corsairs came back. They drove 49 yards in eight plays after senior defensive back Joune Fraser (Barnstable, Mass.) intercepted a Frenette pass and returned it 31 yards to the Gull 49, and scored when Rigali lofted a 31-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Brendan McNeish (Springfield, Mass.) with 1:44 left in the first quarter.
The Gulls put up the next five scores, with Frenette hitting junior tight end Greg Dellorco (Franklin, Mass.) and Wheeler on scoring passes, senior running back Jared DiBiase (Cranston, R.I.) scoring on a two-yard run, sophomore defensive back Jake Cox (Wrentham, Mass.) returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown, and Rushe kicking a 22 yard field goal.
Frenette hit Murphy with a 47-yard scoring pass early in the third quarter. UMD came back and got a safety when sophomore defensive end Kevin Roche (Mendon, Mass.) forced an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone. Rigali hit senior wide receiver Romario Berneche (Everett, Mass.) with a 14 yard scoring pass midway through the fourth quarter to account for the rest of the UMD points.
Endicott also put up 267 yards on the ground thanks to 76 yards from wheeler, 70 yards from Andrew Cummings (Springfield, Mass.), 60 from Cody Sinnott (Ricky Point, N.Y.), and another 46 yards from DiBiase. Wheeler, Cummings, and DiBiase each had a touchdown run.
Sophomore defensive back Mike Lago (Newtown, Conn.) led the Gulls with six stops, including four solos, an interception and a pass break-up. Kevin Pressey (Fairfield, Maine), Marcell Cooper (Dorchester, Mass.), and Andrew Holfinger (Sterling, Mass.) each added five tackles.
The Gulls defense totaled five sacks in the game and now have 23 sacks on the season.