AMHERST, MASS. – For the first time since 2010, the Williams Ephs (9-0) are NESCAC champions, holding off a furious comeback by the Amherst Mammoths (5-4) to win 24-19.
Though the Ephs also went undefeated in 2010, this marks the school's first undefeated season since the NESCAC's expansion to a nine-game schedule in 2017.
With under a minute to go, the Mammoths faced fourth-and-10 at their own 47-yard line. Quarterback Chad Peterson, who had played outstanding football in the second half, dropped back to pass and threw to Joe Masterson, his favorite receiver on the day, about three yards past the sticks. Masterson, covered by two Williams defenders, attempted to make a sliding catch but couldn't corral the ball before it hit the ground, effectively sealing the game for the Ephs.
"They're really well prepared, and they came to win," remarked Eph head coach
Mark Raymond on Amherst's performance. "Fortunately, we had one more play left in us."
Early in the second half, it didn't look like Amherst would even have a chance to make a comeback. The Ephs, with a 17-6 halftime lead, kept their foot on the gas pedal with a 67-yard pass from quarterback
Bobby Maimaron '22 to wide receiver
Frank Stola '22 on their first drive of the half. Three plays later, Maimaron found tight end
Justin Burke '22 wide open on an out route, and Burke rumbled into the end zone to give the Ephs a commanding 24-6 lead.
After forcing an Amherst punt, Williams got the ball back and drove into Amherst territory once again, with running back
Dan Vaughn '23 picking up a hard-earned first down on a third-and-7 run and Burke making an impressive 35-yard catch down the sideline. On third-and-goal from the 8, Maimaron scrambled to his right but couldn't quite reach the pylon, setting up fourth down at the 1. The Ephs decided to go for it with a run by running back
Joel Nicholas '23 up the middle, but Nicholas couldn't reach the end zone, and in an attempt to break the plane, fumbled the ball. Amherst's Manni Malone picked up the loose ball and ran it all the way to the 21-yard line to start the Mammoths' frantic comeback.
Peterson immediately led the Mammoths down the field, throwing pinpoint passes to Masterson and fellow wide receiver Turner Garland. On the ninth play of the drive, Peterson hit Masterson on a well-timed out-and-up route to narrow the deficit to 24-13 toward the end of the third quarter.
After forcing a Williams three-and-out, Amherst's offense got to work again. The Mammoths started the drive with a successful trick play in which Masterson threw a deep pass to wide receiver Carson Ochsenhirt for a 28-yard gain, and perfectly executed a triple-option play in which Masterson pitched the ball to running back Kellen Field for a 16-yard gain that put the Mammoths into the red zone. Four plays later, Ochsenhirt ran it in from 2 yards out, but Peterson's two-point conversion attempt was broken up by Williams defensive back
Chaz Cotton '23.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, Maimaron attempted to scramble but took a 16-yard sack, setting the stage for another three-and-out. The Ephs' defense, however, forced a punt after cornerback
Rocco Giandomenico '23 broke up a pass intended for Garland near the first-down marker on a third-and-12 play in Williams territory. Though the Amherst offense came back out on the field, they ran a quarterback punt play. Fortunately for the Mammoths, the punt rolled inside the 5 and was downed at the 1-yard line.
With their backs against the wall, the Ephs called a run play to Nicholas which went for no gain. On second down, Maimaron took a deep drop to the back of the end zone and threw a deep post pass to Stola, who hauled it in for a huge 37-yard gain to give Williams some breathing room.
"When you've got a player like Frank in a big-time game and a big-time moment, he's going to make big-time plays," said Maimaron. "I just sent a prayer up, but when it's a prayer to Frankie, he's usually going to answer it."
Though running back
Mario Fischetti '25 broke off a 25-yard run later in the drive, the Ephs were once again forced to punt. However, the Ephs ran a successful punt play of their own and downed the ball at the 2, setting up the Mammoths for their last chance with 3:29 to go.
The Ephs' defense bent, but didn't break. After forcing the turnover on downs, the Ephs ran three times with Nicholas, setting up fourth-and-1 at the Amherst 38-yard line with 15 seconds on the clock. Though Nicholas didn't pick up the first down after the Ephs decided to go for it, Peterson's ensuing desperation heave was picked off by defensive back
James Hemmer '24, officially sealing the win for Williams.
Despite the comeback falling short, Peterson still played a solid game, going 20 of 44 for 245 yards (5.6 YPA) in place of Brad Breckenridge, who had started seven of the Mammoths' eight other games this season. Masterson paced the Mammoths' offense with six catches for 115 yards (19.2 YPR), consistently moving the chains and scoring the team's only receiving touchdown.
On the Williams side, Maimaron played an incredibly efficient game, going 11-of-14 for 257 passing yards (18.4 YPA) and regularly hitting his receivers for chunk plays. Stola tormented the Amherst defense with 5 receptions for 138 yards (27.6 YPA) and his two huge second-half catches. Burke added 3 grabs for 66 yards (22.0 YPR) of his own, and Fischetti racked up 120 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on just 8 touches.
Fischetti's touchdown came on the Ephs' first drive of the game, which came after Eph defensive back
Edward Manzella '22 intercepted a Peterson pass to set Williams up with excellent field position. The Mammoths drove deep into Williams territory on their next possession but had to settle for a field goal after defensive lineman
Calvin Jackson '24 sacked Peterson on third down.
After a field goal drive of their own, the Ephs forced a punt and Fischetti made an explosive cut to the left and, with the help of a key block by Stola, sprung free down the left sideline and made it all the way to the 2-yard line for a gain of 48 yards. Two plays later, Nicholas punched it in to make it 17-3.
The Amherst defense, however, tightened for the rest of the quarter. After Manzella picked off Peterson again, the Ephs once again drove into the red zone but this time, Nicholas was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 carry. Though Amherst had to punt after the turnover on downs, the Mammoths' defense forced Maimaron into one of the few mistakes he made on the day, with defensive back Raymond Dixon making an incredible juggling catch on a pass intended for wide receiver
Mike DeGasperis '23.
The Mammoths, however, could only manage a field goal before the half.
The Ephs' win today, and their entire 9-0 season, was spearheaded by the senior class – Raymond's first recruiting class as Williams head coach. "They all came back [after the canceled 2020 season] for a game like today," said Raymond. "I'm so proud of them and I can't think of a group that deserves it more than them."
After taking the 573 steps from Farley-Lamb Field to St. Pierre's Barbershop on Spring Street – a measurement that Raymond made himself in his first year at head coach – following last week's victory over Wesleyan, the Ephs managed to finish on top, even if it took until the very last whistle.
"It's unbelievable," said Maimaron when asked about how it feels to be 9-0. "I'm so happy for everyone that we got to make all our effort pay off."
