2014 New England Football Conference (NEFC) Preseason Poll Release
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Endicott Football team has been selected by conference head coaches to repeat as champions of the New England Football Conference (NEFC) in 2014. Endicott is in search of the program's third NEFC title, having won top honors in the conference previously in 2010 and 2013 with automatic bids into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Gulls received first place votes from four of the eight conference head coaches and second place nods from the other four institutions. Endicott has been named the preseason favorite in the NEFC in three of the last four seasons.
Salve Regina ranked second in the 2014 NEFC Preseason Poll with two first place votes, four second place nods, and two selections for third. Behind the Seahawks are Western New England (one first place vote), MIT (one first place vote), Curry, Coast Guard, Maine Maritime, and Nichols.
Endicott is coming off an 8-3 overall campaign in 2013 with an unblemished mark in NEFC play at 7-0. In the first season of a new conference alignment in which the regular season champion earned the league's automatic qualifying bid into NCAA postseason play, the season came down to a de facto conference championship between Endicott and Salve Regina in week 10. The Gulls shut out the Seahawks 24-0 in that game, capturing their second NEFC Championship.
The Gulls will be returning the large majority of their offensive lineup including NEFC Offensive Player of the Year, senior quarterback Drew Frenette (New Bedford, Mass.), First Team All-Conference players in senior linemen Anthony Fulmine and Mike Marini (Trumbull, Conn.), junior receiver Alec Matys (Woburn, Mass.), and junior running back Spencer Walsh (Malden, Mass.). Second Team All-Conference defensive back Jake Cox (Wrentham, Mass.) is also back for his senior season.
Endicott begins their 2014 season on Saturday, September 6th with a road game against the defending MASCAC champions Framingham State. Kickoff at Maple Street Field is at 12:00 pm in Framingham, Mass. The conference schedule begins for all NEFC teams in week four with Endicott hosting Curry on Homecoming Saturday at noon.
School | Points (first place votes) |
1. Endicott | 12 (4) |
2. Salve Regina | 16 (2) |
3. Western New Eng. | 30 (1) |
4. MIT | 32 (1) |
5. Curry | 40 |
6. Coast Guard | 42 |
7. Maine Maritime | 55 |
8. Nichols | 61 |
Points are awarded based on position selected in the poll. A first place vote is awarded one point, a second place vote is two points, etc... |