BEVERLY, Mass. — Nineteen members of the No. 14/14 nationally ranked Endicott football team have earned Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) postseason honors, as announced by the league earlier today.
Headling the group of award winners were Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.), Justyn Lester (Tewksbury, Mass.), Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.), and head coach Paul McGonagle.
Marengi was named CCC Co-Offensive Player of the Year along with Curry College running back Montie Quinn (Goose Creek, S.C.).
Meanwhile, Lester and Meropoulos were honored for their respective play in the trenches with Offensive Lineman of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year accolades.
McGonagle rounded out the list of Endicott's major award winners by receiving his third straight CCC Coach of the Year award after leading the Gulls to another undefeated record in CCC play (9-2 overall, 5-0 CCC).
Endicott is the only team in league history to produce a perfect conference season (2022, 20223).
The remaining award winners for the Gulls include:
All-CCC FIRST TEAM
WR — Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.)
OT — Charlie Kulhay (Glastonbury, Conn.)
OG — Justyn Lester (Tewksbury, Mass.)
QB — Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.)
DL — Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.)
DL — Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.)
LB — Matthew Licciardi (East Greenwich, R.I.)
DB — Michael LeFebre (Methuen, Mass.)
DB — Zachariah Twardosky (Merrimack, N.H.)
PK — Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.)
P — Quinten Fox (Old Greenwich, Conn.)
All-CCC SECOND TEAM
TE/HB — Everett Knowlton III (Mansfield, Mass.)
OT — Kyle Secone (Harpswell, Maine)
C — Brendan Gill (Winchester, Mass.)
DL — Michael Canney (Dracut, Mass.)
DL — Ismar Kandic (Cromwell, Conn.)
LB — Joe Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.)
DB — Joseph Pagett (Newtown, Conn.)
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Clayton Marengi | Sr. | Lynnfield, Mass.
Co-Offensive Player of the Year | First Team
In 11 games this season, Marengi compiled 1,704 passing yards and threw for 19 touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 521 yards and five touchdowns.
Marengi scored a rushing or passing touchdown in 10 of 11 games this season, highlighted by a six-touchdown (five passing, one rushing) performance against Curry which earned him CCC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The Lynnfield, Mass. native led the highest-scoring offense in the CCC with an average of 36.2 points per game.
He is the first Endicott student-athlete to be named Offensive or Co-Offensive Player of the Year since 2019 and the fourth in program history (all quarterbacks).
Justyn Lester | Sr. | Tewksbury, Mass.
Offensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
Part of an offensive line unit that only allowed .64 sacks/game, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division III football.
The Gulls also rank 21st (tied) in D3 in rushing offense at 214.5 yards per game and 54th in scoring offense at 34.5 points per game.
Lester is the first Endicott student-athlete to win the award since 2019 and just the second Gull to do so in program history (three overall selections).
He did not allow a single sack in conference play this season.
Colin Meropoulos | Sr. | Monroe, Conn.
Defensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
In 11 games this season, Meropoulos recorded 44 total tackles (17 solo, 27 assisted) to go with four sacks and two forced fumbles.
Part of a defensive unit that allowed 9.7 points per game (5th in NCAA Division III) and 233.3 yards/game (10th in NCAA Division III).
Meropoulos had 1.0 or .5 sacks in five out of 11 games this season and had a solo tackle in nine out of 11.
Against No. 18 Ithaca, Meropoulos tied his career-high for tackles with eight (four solo, four assisted) to go with two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the game.
He currently ranks second all-time in program history with 22 sacks (needs two to break school record).
Paul McGonagle | Head Coach | Sixth Season
Coach of the Year
The four-time CCC Coach of the Year has compiled a 43-12 overall record (.782) and a 27-3 mark in league play (.900) since his arrival on campus in 2018.
That dominant span includes three CCC Championships (2021, 2022, 2023), a New England Bowl Title (2019), and a fifth postseason appearance when Endicott hosted Cortland last Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
As for the 2023 squad, the Gulls have produced some outstanding numbers by averaging 34.5 points per game while also only allowing 9.7 points a game. The team posted four shutouts throughout the season as well.
The Gulls defeated its first-ever nationally ranked opponent when they upended No. 5 Hardin-Simmons, 37-10, and climbed as high as No. 14 in both national polls to reach their highest national ranking(s) in program history.
Endicott never trailed by multiple scores this season and only fell behind on the scoreboard three times.
Under McGonagle's leadership, the Gulls have compiled 77 CCC All-Conference honorees and won 11 major awards (not including Coach of the Year).
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
