BEVERLY, Mass. — Twenty-one members of the No. 22/23 nationally ranked Endicott football team have earned Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) postseason honors, as announced by the league earlier today.
Headlining the group of award winners were Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) and head coach Paul McGonagle.
Johnson was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year, respectively.
The All-CCC First Team selection is just the second student-athlete in league history to complete the sweep and the first to do so for Endicott.
Meanwhile, McGonagle claimed his second straight CCC Coach of the Year award after leading the Gulls to their first undefeated regular season in program history (10-0, 6-0 CCC).
Endicott's banner 2022 campaign also marked the first time a team has run the table in the CCC era.
The remaining award winners for the Gulls included:
All-CCC FIRST TEAM
WR — Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.)
TE — Everett Knowlton III (Mansfield, Mass.)
C — Brendan Gill (Winchester, Mass.)
G — Justyn Lester (Tewksbury, Mass.)
DB — Tyler Davis (Bethel, Conn.)
DL — Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.)
DL — Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.)
LB — Jackson DeAngelo (North Reading, Mass.)
P — Quinten Fox (Old Greenwich, Conn.)
UTILITY — Joe Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.)
ALL-CCC SECOND TEAM
QB — Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.)
RB — Anthony Caggianelli (Pelham, N.H.)
G — Michael Awiszus (Andover, Mass.)
T — Charlie Kulhay (Glastonbury, Conn.)
ALL-PURPOSE — Anthony Bracamonte (Saco, Maine)
DB — Alfino Davis (Cranston, R.I.)
DB — Michael LeFebre (Methuen, Mass.)
DL — Michael Canney (Dracut, Mass.)
LB — Matthew Licciardi (East Greenwich, R.I.)
LB — Zachariah Twardosky (Merrimack, N.H.)
The league-record 20 honorees have all played major roles in Endicott's historic 2022 season.
Additional highlights from the year include:
- Entering the national rankings for the first time in program history
- Earning their first-ever simultaneous appearance in both national polls
- Closing out the regular season with a program-best No. 22 national ranking
- Going wire-to-wire as the top choice in every Grinold Chapter New England Division III Football Coaches poll this season
The Gulls currently rank top-10 or better among all NCAA Division III programs in fourth down conversion percentage (9th, 1st CCC, 0.733), defensive touchdowns (1st, 7), fumbles recovered (1st, 16), kickoff returns (9th, 1st, 24.59), fewest passes intercepted (4th, 1st, 3), red zone defense (9th, 1st, 0.562), scoring defense (3rd, 1st, 6.5), team sacks (2nd, 1st, 4.10), team tackles for a loss (10th, 1st, 8.6), turnover margin (2nd, 1st, 2.30), turnovers gained (4th, 1st, 30), and turnovers lost (4th, 1st, 7).
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
HECTOR JOHNSON | SO. | WORCESTER, MASS.
Defensive Player of the Year | Defensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
In 10 games played (all starts), Johnson has compiled 46 tackles (30 solo, 16 assisted), a single-season program record 14.5 sacks (21 TFL), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass breakups, and a block field goal — which he scooped up for a 78-yard touchdown.
Johnson has tallied at least 1.0 sacks in eight out of 10 games this year, highlighted by a career-high four stops in the backfield against WPI on September 9.
Nationally, Johnson ranks third in sacks per game (1.45) and eighth in tackles for loss per game (2.1). His play has also aided Endicott to a No. 15 national ranking in team defense (229.1 yards per game).
He is the fourth conference Defensive Player of the Year selection and second CCC Defensive Lineman of the Year honoree in program history.
PAUL MCGONAGLE | HEAD COACH | FIFTH SEASON
Coach of the Year
The three-time CCC Coach of the Year has compiled a 34-9 overall record (.791) and a 22-3 mark in league play (.880) since his arrival on campus in 2018.
That dominant span includes two CCC Championships (2021, 2022), a New England Bowl Title (2019), and a soon-to-be fourth postseason appearance when Endicott hosts Springfield this Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
As for the 2022 squad, the Gulls have produced some staggering numbers this fall including four shutouts and a 336-65 scoring differential through 10 games played, which also positions them first in scoring in the CCC at 33.6 points per game.
Endicott has only trailed by multiple scores once this season and fallen behind on the scoreboard twice.
Under McGonagle's leadership, the Gulls have compiled 59 CCC All-Conference honorees and won eight major awards (not including Coach of the Year).
For more on the success of the program click here: McGonagle's Culture-Driven Approach Is Leading Endicott Football To Historic Heights
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 22/23 Endicott (10-0) hosts Springfield in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this Saturday at 12 PM.
The winner of Saturday's matchup will advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament and will face the victor of Ithaca and UMass Dartmouth on Saturday, November 26.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - Chris Lyons '22)
