Williamstown, Mass. – The Williams Ephs achieved a resounding home success, defeating the Hamilton Continentals 42-7 in Saturday's 2024 opener. Back with a year of experience under his belt, sophomore quarterback Owen McHugh led the offense to a sparkling performance, finishing the game with 247 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, four of which went to different receiving players.
An atmosphere of anticipation settled over Farley-Lamb Field as the game got underway, with the Ephs looking to build off of a 3-6 season in 2023. Neither team – Williams nor Hamilton – could get much going early on in the first quarter, with the Ephs' and Continentals' first two drives each ending in punts.
The Ephs' defensive line held strong on a Hamilton 3rd-and-2 from midfield, with the ensuing punt placing the start of the third Williams drive at the 20 yard line. From there, the Ephs mixed in a variety of run and pass plays to slowly drive down the field. No individual play gained more than ten yards, but after five and a half minutes, senior Mario Fischetti punched in a five yard run up the right side to give the Ephs a 7-0 advantage after senior Ivan Shuran's extra point.
The Ephs' defense remained steady, forcing another quick Hamilton three-and-out. On the first play of the next Williams drive, senior Cameron Lee raced up the sideline, after nearly being tackled for a loss, to gain 44 yards and set the Ephs up close to the end zone. Two plays later, McHugh found a wide open Owen Johansen in the end zone for his first touchdown of the game, making it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Another defensive stop from the Ephs set up McHugh and company for an eight play, 66 yard drive which culminated in a beautiful 18-yard touchdown pass from McHugh to junior Sam Jaffe, who waltzed untouched into the end zone to make it 21-0.
Following the same formula that had worked all second quarter, Williams forced Hamilton into a 14-second three-and-out, then responded on offense with a 40-yard passing touchdown. McHugh found a streaking Brady Stahelski up the middle to punctuate a dominant second quarter and give the Ephs a 28-0 lead going into halftime.
A key in the sudden second quarter success was the Ephs' offensive line, according to McHugh. "The O-Line completely dominated, as I expect out of them," he said. "I know they are really good." The offensive line finished the game without allowing a sack, and was an unsung hero throughout the contest in providing McHugh with ample time in the pocket. "Pass protection was great, and then once we got the running game going they were physical and tough," Eph head coach Mark Raymond added, which paved the way for the Ephs' rushing attack to finish with 212 yards, an average of 4.9 per rush.
The third quarter saw McHugh continue his high level of play. "He was fantastic," said Raymond. "He was poised and he hit open receivers." On the Ephs' second drive of the third quarter, after the defense had forced two Hamilton punts, McHugh found Johansen in the end zone again for a 25-yard touchdown. With that touchdown, the Ephs led 35-0. Hamilton responded with its only touchdown drive of the game, with quarterback Luke Kurzum finding Chester Boynton over the middle for a 12-yard score that closed the gap to 35-7 with 5:32 left in the third quarter.
Despite allowing the touchdown, the Ephs were pleased with their defensive performance. "They played outstanding," noted Raymond. "They tackled well and really contained a dangerous quarterback." Senior Ethan Scott praised the linebacker core in particular, "They did a great job, just from start to finish. They shut down the run game completely and really set the tone for the defense," he said. Hamilton finished with 99 rushing yards, 3.3 yards per carry, struggling to find open holes all game in the face of the Ephs' swarming coverage.
The final score of the game came late in the third quarter. The Ephs, after Hamilton's touchdown, came out and ran the ball five times for good chunks of yardage to move into Hamilton territory. Then, on a 3rd-and-9, McHugh, in his final pass of the game, hit Jack Kennedy over the middle. Kennedy made an incredible play after the catch, willing his way through multiple defenders to stretch across the goal line for a 41-yard touchdown, which gave the Ephs a 42-7 lead after the extra point.
McHugh's fifth touchdown pass put the finishing touches on an offensive masterclass. "The offense is just so deep at every position, the offensive line, the skill players, and McHugh just took a huge step up," said Scott. "He had a great performance, but he did it because everyone else around him did their jobs today, so it was a great team win."
In the fourth quarter, neither team scored as the two teams traded punts while the clock wound down, eventually running out and giving the Ephs a satisfying victory to start the season.
The Ephs presented a balanced rushing attack throughout the game, with junior Jon Oris leading the team with 62 yards on 13 carries. Senior Will Sheskey came on strong late, finishing with 44 yards on seven carries, and Mario Fischetti added 39 yards on eight carries.
Stahelski led the team in receiving with 70 yards on four catches, and defensively, first year Luke Mangini led the team with eight tackles.
The Ephs' next opponent is the Colby College Mules, on the road on September 21 at 1 p.m. The Mules lost in their first game against Trinity, 17-7.
