FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

Started by admin, August 16, 2005, 04:58:09 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 6 Guests are viewing this topic.

ITH radio

Good to see a local kid (from my area, Orlando/WP, FL) doing so well up in my hometown of Hartford. I remember talking about Fetter after Week 1 of NESCAC play and recognized the name but couldn't place it until after the discussion. I definitely saw him in HS, 3 of our 5 went/go to Trinity Prep and I remember thinking it was ironic he committed to Trinity College. That Saints team his SR year was one of the better ones they've had in a while. Glad to see he's going well for the Bants. Should be a great one this wkd btw them and the Pants.
Follow us on twitter @D3FBHuddle

BigKat

Let's not anoint the Ephs just yet. They were outplayed everywhere but the scoreboard on Sat by a dinged up Jumbo squad. Next few weeks will be interesting in how things shake out.

nescac1

I don't think anyone is anointing the Ephs for anything -- they are clearly one of the three top contenders for the league crown, but hardly a prohibitive favorite for anything.  Right now, it looks like a true toss-up between Trinity, Williams and Wesleyan, with Midd still maybe hanging around as a contender, but I doubt it. 

As for the Tufts game, both teams were pretty dinged up (Ephs missing their top offensive linemen plus I think his top back-up, as well as Jarrett Wesner, and their top DL left the game late with an injury as well).  And while the Ephs were fortunate to win the game, they played better than Tufts down the stretch, and I'd say that the game was dead even overall, as the statistics reflect -- each team had 372 total yards, neither team turned the ball over, the Ephs played a bit better on special teams but Tufts was penalized a bit less.  The only big disparity was possession time, which the Ephs dominated, but that's just because the Tufts offense moved the ball through big plays while the Ephs were grit-and-grind, as usual.  Hard to say the Ephs were "outplayed everywhere" when the teams had identical total yardage on the day and the Ephs controlled the ball for 48 minutes.
Williams could have played a bit better, especially on the penalties front which really hurt them in big moments, but Tufts also deserves credit; they are a lot better than their 0-2 record reflects and I think they will beat up on the bottom half of the league.  Beating them at Tufts is a very solid result for anyone. 

BigKat

Fair enough assessment. Agree those look to be the top 3 as of now. Just think Trinity has too many weapons...... if they stay healthy.

The Mole

There are 30 football players from SE PA (Delaware 10, Montgomery 6, Philadelphia 6, Chester 4, Bucks 4) counties on NESCAC rosters for 2021.

NESCAC School breakdown: Amherst 6, Wesleyan 6, Bates 5, Bowdoin & Colby 3, Hamilton & Trinity 2, Middlebury, Tufts & Williams 1 each. Geographically Wesleyan and Trinity are closest, so one might think they would have the most....

HS League breakdown: Inter-Ac 8, Phila Cath League (PCL) 7, Central 5, Phila Public 4, ChesMont 3, MAPL 2, Suburban One 1
Noteworthy: SJP is 6 of the 7 PCL, Lasalle is the other, all 4 Phila Public are Boy's Latin and all are at Bates.

PCL and Inter-Ac are half  (15/30) of the pool and SJP is 20% (6/30) with 4 at Amherst.

Inter-Ac School breakdown (8/30): Springside/Chestnut Hill Academy 3--1 each to Bowdoin, Trinity and Wesleyan. Germantown Academy 2--1 each to GA and Colby, Episcopal Academy 2--1 each to Trinity and Colby, Malvern Prep--1 to Bowdoin, Penn Charter and Haverford School--ZERO.

The Inter-Ac is the oldest high school conference in the country. Many rivalries going back over 100 years. GA and PC have the longest CONSECUTIVE high school football rivalry in the country--playing every year since 1886, 134 years in a row, including last year. I think Exeter and Philips Andover have played longer but not continuous. Like NESCAC and Ivy, these teams don't participate in football playoffs in PA.

JEFFFAN mentioned this prior and I would agree--Malvern is the team to beat year in and out. Penn Charter and Haverford have been respectable programs year in and out--surprising they both have no representation here. GA and EA are improved teams (EA won the league in 2019). SCH tends to struggle in the league, but when they play schools their size out of league, do very well. Last 5 years, top to bottom a lot of competitive balance with close games.

This is a very good football league, it is under-represented in NESCAC. They send kids to Ivy, Patriot and Centennial teams year in and out. Again, maybe it is the geographic distance or the D1 mentality, but this is a good target for NESCAC programs.
TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Nescacman

Quote from: BigKat on September 28, 2021, 11:00:46 AM
Fair enough assessment. Agree those look to be the top 3 as of now. Just think Trinity has too many weapons...... if they stay healthy.

As previously noted, every team has their weaknesses....Hartford State's appears to be their running game (although Fetter & Co. have been so good at passing the ball, who needs to run the ball) and their pass defense (which to a certain extent may be more of a function of team's playing catch-up)...this week will be a tougher test when reigning OPOTY Jernigan and the Pants visit the Coop...

bantamweight

Quote from: Nescacman on September 28, 2021, 12:59:27 PM
As previously noted, every team has their weaknesses....Hartford State's appears to be their running game (although Fetter & Co. have been so good at passing the ball, who needs to run the ball) and their pass defense (which to a certain extent may be more of a function of team's playing catch-up)...this week will be a tougher test when reigning OPOTY Jernigan and the Pants visit the Coop...

I agree. You'd think their strong passing game would pull defenders out of the box and open up the run game more. This week should be interesting.

lumbercat

#17977
Quote from: Nescacman on September 28, 2021, 09:57:22 AM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on September 28, 2021, 08:31:40 AM
The Class of 2021 had a graduation ceremony as a group in large part due to the fact that so many of the seniors took a semester off in order for them to return for a 5th year and play in their final season. This is not limited to the football team---men's and women's basketball players, women's ice hockey players, and men's and women's soccer players all participated in the ceremony despite having another semester of academics to complete. The school felt that their class would be better off celebrating prematurely but together, instead of half the class doing the ceremony in June and the other half getting their diplomas in December without any fanfare. The bottom line is that Maimaron/Stola/etc. are still taking classes and finishing their degrees, and their decision to take a semester off last year was made almost a year before their quasi graduation ceremony.

Thanks Spring (Jack?)...that was our understanding....several schools also offered the graduate school option (Wes, Tufts, etc.) so their student-athletes could take advantage of the extra year of eligibility....



I wasn't challenging any eligibility issues. All players at all schools had the option of returning for a fifth year. Williams did nothing wrong.

I was pointing out that the other Nescac schools, to my knowledge, did not allow players who opted to take a semester off and planned to return for the fall semester, to participate in graduation festivities and walk in the diploma procession in June.

I believe it was the policy at other schools that students could not participate in graduation activities and walk in the diploma procession  until they actually completed their academic requirements.



Nescacman

#17978
NESCACMAN SPECIAL REPORT
NESCAC 2021 Roster Analysis, Volume 1

Our friend, "The Mole", motivated us to do some roster analysis of our own! Based on his analysis of NESCAC student-athletes from SE PA, we decided to take it to the next level.

For personal reasons, we analyzed NESCAC student-athletes from NJ. A few surprises: we did not expect the Mules to have so many players from NJ, although we shouldn't be that surprised given HCOF Cos' history at UMaine. We think this bodes well for Colby's future. Not surprised that the two cellar dwellers from the Potato State are pulling up the rear here, after all, it's tough to get a decent plate of "macaroni and gravy" in Brunswick or Lewiston. Probably part of the reason both teams are so talent-starved. Was a little surprised to see the Ephs and Hartford State with so few Joisey recruits. Guess we are doing our job! Fuggedaboutit!

Student-Athletes from New Jersey on 2021 NESCAC Rosters

1.   Middlebury-16
1.   Wesleyan-16
3.   Colby-13
4.    Hamilton-8
4.    Tufts-8
6.    Amhurst-7   
6.    Hartford State-7
6.    Ephpeoples-7
9.   UBates-5
9.    Bowdoin-5

Next, we took a look at student-athletes on NESCAC rosters from outside of the Northeast (defined as New England, NY, NJ, PA). for purposes of this analysis, the DC/MD area was not considered part of the Northeast. Tufts gets about half of their roster from outside of the Northeast with Middlebury next with 40 players from outside the Northeast. Not all that surprised given their reputations as schools with a national appeal. A bit surprised that the Ephs roster is so East Coast-centric. Also surprised that Hartford State is so focused on Northeast players....guess if it ain't broke. And I think we should all be getting the idea of what the issue is with UBates...if you're only getting kids from the East and none of them are from NJ, tough competing with everyone else for kids from MA...lastly, looks like HCOF Hammer gets the joke; fish where others aren't...

Non-Northeast Student-Athletes on 2021 NESCAC Rosters

1.   Tufts-49
2.   Middlebury-40
3.    Amhurst-33
4.    Bowdoin-27
5.    Wesleyan-23
6.    Colby-18
7.   Hamilton-16
7.   Ephpeoples-16
9.   Hartford State-14
10.   UBates-6      

polbear73

Expanding beyond the Northeast not only broadens the football talent pool, but NESCAC schools at times place a premium on geographic diversity in admissions decisions. Perhaps a way to slip in a couple of student athletes.

The Mole

Good work 'Cacman! Would be curious about the North NJ vs South NJ breakdown. My hunch is more north of Princeton vs South of Princeton as that tends to be Philly oriented. Dice did an interview recently with Sunil Sunder Raj "inside the pressbox" and he discussed how the NJ ties have been a great recruiting pool for the Cards--link below

https://youtu.be/p5WaBIz8Wx8
TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

SpringSt7

Not that it really matters but I believe the Williams football class of 2020 had 5 NJ recruits. I think most of those were Kelton recruits but it provides a slightly larger snapshot. I think they will continue to get kids from Jersey

nescac1

Where Williams thrives in recruiting is in New York.  I believe that 23 Ephs hail from NY, more than, I assume, any Nescac team other than Hamilton.  They do well in all parts of the state, with key players from Long Island, upstate and the NYC metro area.  A combination I imagine of geographic proximity and the coaching staff's deep ties to New York lead to that recruiting emphasis, which clearly has worked out well for the Ephs.  WR, DE and TB in particular are stocked with NY recruits. 

PolarCat

Great to see another outside-the-nine-dots discussion topic here.

Adding to Big CAC's astute macaroni and gravy observation:  Have you ever tried to find a decent hoagie or cheese steak in NESCAC land?  (Yeah I know lumber has a dive in Medford he likes, but he's a native New Englander so his opinion doesn't count).  And a decent slice of Shoo Fly Pie?  Fuggedabout it.

That may help explain the paucity of PA recruits.  Who wants to ball out in a foreign country where the natives not only talk funny but the food sucks?

(Big CAC left out another Joisey trope.  Hard to feel at home when you're wearing the only wifebeater on campus).

lumbercat

#17984
Aw c'mon Polarcat your'e selling me short. I've been to Pats and Genos in Philly and many of the NYC places and Bob's in Medford is just a whisker short.
For a top shelf Cheesesteak in the Greater Boston area try Carl's in Waltham- another one of my favorite joints.

Conversely, Go see what a Lobster Roll or Fried Clams are like in Jersey or Philly.

Within the past 10 year  the food at Bates and Bowdoin have each been recognized as #1 in the country of all colleges in terms of dining on campus.

However, I do have to fess up and admit at the end of the day that Polarcats gourmet influence at the Bobcat tailgate is sorely missed.