Endicott football ranked third in NEFC Preseason Poll

BEVERLY, Mass. – The New England Football Conference (NEFC) have announced the preseason rankings for the upcoming Fall 2010 season and the Endicott Gulls were voted third in the Boyd Division. The Blue and Green earned one first place vote in the poll, but are ranked behind Plymouth State University and division favorite Curry College.

In the Bogan Division, Maine Maritime Academy was selected as the top contender for the division title. The poll was conducted by conference coaches.

The Gulls enter their eighth season of gridiron action after compiling a 5-5 overall record in 2009. In NEFC play, Endicott was 3-4 and finished with a third place standing in the competitive conference. 

Head Coach JB Wells returns for his eighth season at the helm for the Blue and Green and will return a veteran core of returners who all earned NEFC First Team All-Division status including running back \#Mike Lane\# (Medfield, Mass.), defensive back \#PJ Bay\# (Darien, Conn.), offensive lineman \#Nick Molinari\# (Staten Island, N.Y.) and defensive lineman \#Kevin Eagan\# (West Hartford, Conn.). Eagan, along with his NEFC accolades, was named an ECAC Division III Northeast All-Star and All-New England by the Division II/III New England Football Writers in 2009.

The team’s leadership will come from captains \#Kevin Eagan\#, \#Michael Dillon\# (Cheshire, Conn.), \#Kyle Capsalis\# (Townsend, Mass.), \#Luke Croxton\# (Groton, Conn.) and \#Bill Hickey\# (Walpole, Mass.).

On offense, the Gulls will once again be led by junior quarterback \#Phil Konopka\# (Shelton, Conn.) who posted career-highs in completions (130), yards (1,278), and touchdowns (14) in 2009. Mike Lane returns for his junior season after rushing for 875 yards and seven touchdowns last season and \#Mike Fimiani\# (Melrose, Mass.), \#Ryan Carino\# (Stratford, Conn.), and \#Neil Powers\# (Westford, Mass.) headline the outside receivers looking make an impact in the receiving game. Lane and Carino will also contribute in the kickoff and punt return duties.

Defensively along with Kevin Eagan, Endicott welcomes back linemen \#Christopher Gogolos\# (Newburyport, Mass.), \#Andrew Zani\# (Winchester, Mass.) and converted linebacker \#Steve Kerins\# (Arlington, Mass.). Michael Dillon and \#Nick Scozzaro\# (Wellington, Fla.) lead the linebacker core and the secondary welcomes back Kyle Capsalis, Luke Croxton and Bill Hickey. 

The Blue and Green open their season on the road at Framingham State College on September 4^th starting at 1:30 p.m. Other featured contests on the schedule include a non-conference battle against a tough RPI squad and NEFC games against powerhouse programs Plymouth State and Curry. Homecoming weekend for the Gulls will be on October 2^nd at 1:00 p.m. against Nichols College on FieldTurf Stadium.

NEFC Coaches Preseason Poll

Bogan Division	Boyd Division
1.  Maine Maritime Academy (5)	1.  Curry College (6)
2.  Bridgewater State College (3)	2.  Plymouth State University (1)
3.  Westfield State College	3.  Endicott College (1)
4.  Massachusetts Maritime Academy	4.  Western New England College
5.  U.S. Coast Guard Academy	5.  Nichols College
6.  Fitchburg State College (tie)	6.  Salve Regina University
Framingham State College	7.  MIT
7.  Worcester State College	8.  UMass Dartmouth