Four Major Award Winners Highlight CNE All-Conference Honorees
BEVERLY, Mass. — Twenty-three members of the No. 10/11 nationally ranked Endicott football team have received Conference of New England (CNE) postseason honors, as announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.
BEVERLY, Mass. — Twenty-three members of the No. 10/11 nationally ranked Endicott football team have received Conference of New England (CNE) postseason honors, as announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.
Headlining the award winners were quarterback Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.), defensive lineman Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.), offensive tackle Charlie Kulhay (Glastonbury, Conn.), and head coach Paul McGonagle.
Marengi was named conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is the only student-athlete in program history to earn multiple conference Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Johnson received two major awards, Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year.
The senior standout is just the second Gull to collect two Defensive Player of the Year awards – joining Endicott Hall of Famer Kevin Eagan '12 on the list – and is the only student-athlete in program history to earn numerous Defensive Lineman of the Year honors.
Kulhay also garnered Offensive Lineman of the Year accolades for the first time in his All-American career.
McGonagle rounded out the list of Endicott's major award winners with his fourth straight conference Coach of the Year award after leading the Gulls to their third consecutive undefeated record in conference play (9-1 overall, 5-0 CNE).
Endicott is the only team in league history to produce a perfect conference season (2022-24).
Additionally, Brandon Alfaro Mateo (Marlborough, Mass.) was selected as the Gulls' representative of the CNE Community Service Team. The Community Service Team highlights one student-athlete per institution who demonstrates a commitment to their community.
The rest of the Gulls' award winners were as follows:
ALL-CNE FIRST TEAM
WR — Adam Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.)
TE — Everett Knowlton III (Mansfield, Mass.)
OT — Charlie Kulhay (Glastonbury, Conn.)
OG — Jackson Paulishen (New Haven, Conn.)
C — Brendan Gill (Winchester, Mass.)
QB — Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.)
DL — Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.)
DL — Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.)
DL — Michael Canney (Dracut, Mass.)
LB — Matthew Licciardi (East Greenwich, R.I.)
LB — Joe Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.)
DB — Zachariah Twardosky (Merrimack, N.H.)
DB — Johnny Carreiro (Southington, Conn.)
P — Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.)
ALL-CNE SECOND TEAM
WR — Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.)
RB — Yavier Cosme-Diaz (Stratford, Conn.)
OT — Davenche Sydney (Malden, Mass.)
LB — Matthew Whelan (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.)
DB — Alfino Davis (Cranston, R.I.)
K — Mike Bartley (North Caldwell, N.J.)
RET — Kennedy Charles (Portland, Maine)
COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM
Brandon Alfaro Mateo (Marlborough, Mass.)
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Clayton Marengi | QB | Gr. | Lynnfield, Mass.
Offensive Player of the Year | First Team
In 10 games, Marengi has accounted for 28 total touchdowns (22 passing, 8 rushing) and 2,263 yards (1,775 passing, 488 rushing, 226.3 total offense avg/gm) under center.
The graduate student quarterback leads his conference counterparts in efficiency rating (172.9, min. 10 games played) and has only thrown one interception on 217 attempts (144 completions, 66.4%).
Marengi's NCAA ranks include: completion percentage (No. 39), passing efficiency (No. 35), passing touchdowns (No. 44), points responsible for (No. 25, 180), points responsible for per game (No. 26, 18.0).
He also leads the conference in completion percentage, points responsible for, and points responsible for per game.
Marengi is now a two-time conference Player of the Year and three-time All-Conference selection (2x 1st Team, 1x 2nd Team).
Hector Johnson | DL | Sr. | Worcester, Mass.
Defensive Player of the Year | Defensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
Johnson compiled 37 tackles (19 solo, 18 assisted), 5.0 sacks (61 yards), 10.5 tackles for a loss (76 yards), one fumble recovery, and eight quarterback hurries in 10 games played.
Johnson anchored the No. 1 defense in the conference as the Gulls have only allowed a league-low 11.9 points per game, 250.8 yards per game, 4.0 average yards per play, and 18 sacks (tied first) this fall.
Those figures are 12.8 points per game, 73.4 yards per game, and 1.2 average yards per play better than the second-ranked team in each category.
Johnson is a three-time All-Conference First Team selection.
Charlie Kulhay | OT | Gr. | Glastonbury, Conn.
Offensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
Kulhay was part of an offensive line unit that only allowed just .60 sacks/game, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division III football.
The Gulls also rank 34th in Division III in rushing offense at 193 yards per game and 34th in scoring offense at 38.1 points per game.
He did not allow a single sack this season and was graded at 96% versus then-No. 7/8 Hardin-Simmons and over 90% against No. 24/24 Ithaca and RPI.
The graduate student is the third student-athlete to win Offensive Lineman of the Year and the second consecutive Gull to claim the honor, following Justyn Lester's (Tewksbury, Mass.) selection last season.
Paul McGonagle | Head Coach | Seventh Season
Coach of the Year
The five-time CNE/CCC Conference Coach of the Year has compiled a 52-13 overall record (.800) and a 32-3 conference mark (.914) since his arrival on campus in 2018.
That dominant span includes four conference championships (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), a New England Bowl Title (2019), and a sixth postseason appearance when Endicott hosts Alfred State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this Saturday at 12 PM.
As for this year's squad, McGonagle guided the Gulls to their first-ever preseason national ranking and the first top-10 national ranking in program history.
Endicott's current NCAA ranks include: scoring offense (No. 34, 38.1), scoring defense (No. 13, 11.9), total defense (No. 22, 250.8), turnover margin (No. 6, 1.60), turnovers gained (No. 27, 21), and winning percentage (No. 12, .900).
The Gulls also lead the conference in all the previously mentioned rankings.
Under McGonagle's leadership, the program has compiled 98 All-Conference honors and 15 major awards (not including Coach of the Year).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 10/11 Endicott (9-1) welcomes Alfred State to Hempstead Stadium this Saturday, November 23 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (12 PM kickoff).
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - David Le '10)