MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – In their final game of the 2014 season, the Endicott football team suffered a 35-23 road loss to NEFC opponent Salve Regina on Saturday afternoon as their record dropped to 5-5 (4-3 NEFC) on the year. Several Endicott seniors playing in the final games of their career made an impact in this game including quarterback Drew Frenette (New Bedford, Mass.) who threw for a program record 507 yards and receiver Nate Lewis (Acushnet, Mass.) who turned in his seventh game with at least 100 yards receiving.
Frenette is the first quarterback in Endicott football history to throw for over 500 yards in a game, shattering his previous school record of 450 yards from 2012. He also set new records for passes completed (47) and attempted (67). With his final game in the books, Frenette ends his career with 8.313 passing yards (268.2 yards/game and 7.7 yards/attempt) and a 78-to-28 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Lewis continued his historic senior season where he ranks among the nation's best receivers with an 18-catch, 172-yard, one-touchdown effort in Saturday's loss to the Seahawks. His 2014 season statistics end with 97 receptions for 1,344 yards (13.9 yards/catch) and seven touchdowns.
Fellow senior receiver Brett Egizi (Walpole, Mass.) wrapped up his standout season year with his team-leading eighth touchdown catch of the season late in the fourth quarter. Egizi went for 26 receptions and 458 yards in 2014.
On the defensive side of the ball, graduate student linebacker Andrew Holfinger (Sterling, Mass.) recorded five tackles with one tackle for a loss in his final collegiate game while senior defensive lineman Nick Almeida (Somerset, Mass., four tackles and 1.5 TFLs) and senior cornerback Jake Cox (Wrentham, Mass., seven tackles and one breakup) also played well in their career finales.
Endicott jumped ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter as Frenette orchestrated an 11-play, 77-yard drive over the opening 3:04 of the game into the end zone courtesy of a 13-yard touchdown catch by junior tight end Dimitri Skinsacos (Old Orchard Beach, Maine). Skinsacos hauled in a season-high seven catches for 63 yards in the game.
Seahawks running back Dan Buonocore (Mahwah, N.J.) scored the first of his three touchdowns to tie the game 7-7 at the 10:53 mark of the first quarter. After Endicott's Kyle Regan (Nashua, N.H.) drilled a 27-yard field goal to put the Gulls ahead 10-7, Buonocore struck again with an 18-yard touchdown run at the tail end of the opening quarter to give Salve Regina a 14-10 lead.
Seahawks quarterback Steven Wilken (Ringwood, N.J.) connected with Matthew Traynor (Secaucus, N.J.) for a 21-yard touchdown pass to extend the Seahawk lead to 21-10 at the start of the second quarter. Salve Regina took that same advantage into halftime.
Buonocore capped off Salve Regina's opening drive of the second half with a three-yard score to make it 28-10 Seahawks. With the Gulls offense struggling to get going, Salve Regina capitalized with another touchdown to make it 28 unanswered points as Wilken scrambled for a four-yard touchdown just 1:07 into the fourth quarter.
Trailing 35-10, Frenette led two final, fourth quarter touchdown drives as he connected with Lewis for 10 yards and Egizi for 15 yards to trim Salve Regina's lead to 12 points as the final whistle blew on the 2014 season.
Frenette benefited from 111 yards on six catches from sophomore wide out Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.) as well as five catches apiece from running back Spencer Walsh (Malden, Mass.) and freshman tight end Nick DiTullio (Foxborough, Mass.). Walsh added 82 yards on the ground while DiTullio ended with 37 receiving yards in his first piece of major action this season.
