DUDLEY, Mass. – The Endicott football team breezed past Nichols College, 37-3, to clinch the Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC Football) Championship title on Saturday afternoon at Vendetti Field. 

While both teams were knotted at 3-3 in the second quarter, Jake Trahan (Merrimack, N.H) recovered a fumble in the end zone for a scoop and score at the 12:36 mark before Tyler Bridge (Wells, Maine) burst out of the backfield for a physical 37-yard house call to give Endicott a 17-3 lead with 9:51 remaining and the Gulls never looked back. 

Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.) went on to convert two more field goals (5:58 Q2 l 3:17 Q3) sandwiched around a  John Kenney (Wilmington, Mass) 15-yard TD scamper that pushed the Gulls out in front over the Bison, 30-3.

From there, Anthony Caggianelli (Pelham, N.H.) more than sealed the deal for the Blue and Green with a 4-yard rushing touchdown (0:36 l Q3) to put the exclamation point on Endicott's championship victory. 

BEYOND THE BOX 

• The Gulls captured their first conference championship since 2013 (NEFC).
• Endicott is 16-2 in the all-time series against Nichols (13 straight wins).  
• This is the sixth time in school history the Gulls have won eight or more games in a season. 
• Offensively, the unit scored 37 unanswered points following the first quarter field goal by the Bison. 
• The Gulls ran their way to victory behind the team's 198 total rushing yards, qualifying for Endicott's highest net rushing yard performance of the year. 
• Endicott's defense wreaked havoc on Nichols' backfield, recording eight tackles for a loss and three sacks combined among Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.), Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.), and Ismar Kandic (Cromwell, Conn.) as the defense only allowed 176 yards on the day. 
• Tim Russell (Stoneham, Mass.) made a team-high six stops in the championship-clinching victory. 
• Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.) led the team in receiving for the sixth time this season, accumulating three catches for 29 yards.
• Alyward leads the Gulls with 669 total receiving yards. 
• Smith had a perfect day converting all three of his FG attempts. 

WHAT'S NEXT 

Endicott (8-2, 5-1 CCC Football) will find outs its postseason opponent on the NCAA Tournament Selection Show this Sunday, November 14 at 5:30 PM on NCAA.com.

Nichols sees its season comes to an end at 2-8 overall and 0-6 CCC Football. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - Tammy McManaway)