Williamstown, MASS.— With ten minutes left in the final quarter, Williams (4-2) led 24-14. The Bobcats had to make something happen. Starting at their 25 yard line, they steadily progressed up the field, and seemed to increase in momentum the closer they got to the Ephs' end zone.
Frustration was building, and a pair of defensive penalties made things easier for Bates (1-5). They pushed forward, but were challenged by a refocused Williams defense.
On 2nd and 8, an incomplete pass caused cheers in the Williams stands, and a delay of game on 3rd and 8 seemed to seal the deal in many fans' minds. However, the Bobcats hadn't given up yet.
Bates quarterback Colton Bosselait found Steven Guerrett in the end zone to his right, and sent him a quick one to bring the score to 24-20. The extra point conversion cut Williams' lead to three.
The Ephs got another drive, but couldn't do much with it, coming to a stop at their 29 yard line.
Leonardo Maiuolo's punt was crucial, and it didn't help that the snap was off. Still, he steadied himself and got the kick off, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief as he watched the ball sail towards the Bobcats' side of the field.
"I can't lie, it was a little panicking," said Maiuolo of the moment. "I didn't expect that to happen, but it was completely on me. I should have been a little bit more locked in there… I was confident that I was gonna get the ball off the whole time. I trusted my steps, I trusted my preparation, and then the punt ended up being fine and rolled far enough where we could back them up."
From that point, it was up to the defense to get stops, and they delivered, with
C.J. Vilfort and
Holden Gering getting a sack and a tackle, respectively.
Luke Mangini, a first year with 6 tackles today, noted that they had been preparing all week for Bates' offense.
"Right at the beginning of the week, our coaches did a great job of setting us up for success, so it's just repping it and repping it. Once the game started, I knew my fellow defensive teammates and I felt like we could read it so much faster because of that. So it was a challenge, but something that we were able to accomplish… On the last series, it's go out there and get it done."
The Bobcats tried to convert on 4th down, but the defense was rock-solid. Williams got possession and that was the game, 24-21.
Things started out much slower today. The Ephs' first drive— twelve plays for 45 yards, ended in disappointment on a 4th down attempt. The Bobcats took advantage of this early sluggishness, racing down the field.
In just ten plays, Bates covered 70 yards, rushing for most of them, but also completing a 17 yard pass to Steven Guerrett. Having pushed to the Williams 11, the Bobcats faltered, experiencing their first loss of yardage in the quarter.
However, they found their footing right away, and Sergio Beltran rushed for an 8 yard touchdown, setting the score to 7-0 Bobcats, with 5:18 left in the first.
Having a hard time threatening the pass, the Ephs found themselves checked by the Bates defense, and punted after six plays. The Bobcats fared worse, though, failing to get a first down.
The teams would trade another set of possessions before getting anything going. Eph quarterback
Owen McHugh started some action off by running it himself, cutting through the middle for 12 yards.
Mario Fischetti followed things up with a 7 yard drive of his own, bringing Williams just short of a first down.
McHugh and Fischetti led the Ephs in rushing yards, with 56 and 40, respectively. It was harder for Williams to run the ball today, with the Bobcats topping the Ephs in rushing yardage 198-124. However, key runs like these two were instrumental in the teams' success.
Fischetti said that the team doesn't get bogged down by frustration. After a stop, "we get in the huddle, and we just tell everyone: next down, focus," he said. "Every play is a new play, so we focus on the next one, forget about the last one."
So, just short of the first down, that's what the Ephs did. A short pass led to the first down, and after a 15-yard pass interference penalty, Williams was in position to score.
Jon Oris cut right and got the job done.
Ivan Shuran added on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.
The Ephs' defense was still firing on all cylinders.
Holden Gering, tied for the most tackles (7) for Williams, played tough on the second and third downs, leading to back-to-back incomplete passes.
Williams received Bates' punt at their 45. In just three plays, the Ephs were again threatening the Bobcats' end zone. This time, McHugh faked to Oris and ran it himself, covering 11 yards to score the touchdown. Shuran converted again to set the score to 14-7 with 6:35 in the half.
Bates got two more tries, but couldn't make anything happen. With possession on the last drive of the half, Williams had the opportunity to take decisive control of the game. Though McHugh floated one to
Jimmy Montesano just a little too high with the clock ticking down, the Ephs still had a timeout.
After the huddle
Ivan Shuran got a chance to leave his mark on the game. His kick from 47 yards was good— a career-high for the senior. The score was 17-7 going into halftime.
"It felt great— it's always good hitting a career high kick," said Shuran after the game. "Shout out to the holder and the snapper. It was a great operation, and we were lucky enough to have the opportunity before the half to knock that through."
Eph head coach
Mark Raymond recognized the kicker, too: "He has such great confidence. There wasn't a doubt in my mind he could hit it, and he did. He's a money player." Adding on, "...50 is a stretch for him, but he can hit from 50."
After Bates' first 70 yards that culminated in a touchdown, the Ephs were able to keep the Bobcats to just 30 yards for the rest of the first half. In the third quarter, it looked as if the Ephs were going to keep up this pattern, as the defense stifled four rushes to end Bates' first drive.
However, after a failed Williams drive and punt, the Bobcats were able to claw through the Ephs' solid defense. In a flash, Ryan Lynskey dashed past the entirety of the defense, and stormed down the field for a gain of 61 yards.
Soon enough, Bates found themselves in striking distance, and a touchdown pass to Ryan Gleason brought the score to a close 17-14.
The two teams traded possessions and Williams had the ball going into the fourth. This time, the trip up the field was tough, with the Ephs only gaining ground bit by bit. Things opened up a bit when
Cameron Lee brought down a 20 yard catch, but the drive almost ended in heartbreak when it looked like there was a breakdown in communication on third down.
The team decided to go for it, and
Jack Kennedy came down with an 18 yard catch on 4th down. With five to go,
Mario Fischetti cleaned things up, powering his way into the end zone. The extra point was good.
"It was great," Fischetti said of the scoring play. "I was in a three point stance for the first time… ever really. The lead block just opened it up and I was in there."
Now with a 24-14 lead, it was up to the defense to hold off the Bobcats' last-ditch efforts, and despite Bates coming up with one touchdown, Williams was able to get it done, taking the 24-21 win.
"Once we got settled in a little bit, I thought we played really, really good defense," said coach Raymond after the game. "We had a great stop at the end, and came away with the victory, which is what we want, but we just need to play better."
In that spirit, several players mentioned that their focus had already turned to preparing for Tufts.
The Ephs will play the Jumbos next Saturday (10/26) at 1:30pm, again at home on Farley-Lamb Field.
