Golden Bears Still Ranked No. 1 in New England Heading into Saturday’s Showdown at Salve Regina
Western New England looking to secure second consecutive NEFC crown
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (October 31, 2016) – The sixth edition of the Grinold Chapter New England Division III Football Poll was released this morning, with Western New England University holding the top spot for the sixth straight week.
Western New England (8-0, 5-0 NEFC) raced out to a 21-0 lead en route to a 48-25 victory over Maine Maritime on Saturday afternoon at Golden Bear Stadium. Junior quarterback Anthony Service (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) completed 9-of-17 pass attempts for 130 yards and three touchdowns, in the process breaking the program record for single season passing touchdowns, while sophomore bear Kurtis Jolicoeur (Windham, N.H.) recorded ten tackles, including 1.5 for a loss of seven yards, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on his way to NEFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Western New England received nine of the 12 first place votes, retaining the No. 1 spot in the poll with 117 points, while Salve Regina checked in at No. 2 with one first place vote and 104 points. The Golden Bears and Seahawks will square off on Saturday in Middletown, R.I. with the NEFC title on the line.
Trinity College earned the final two first place votes and placed third with 102 points, while Husson (72) and Bridgewater State (66) rounded out the top-five.
The New England Division III Football Poll is presented by the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation, which also serves as the title sponsor of the weekly Gold Helmet Awards presented by the New England Football Writers Association throughout the season.
A 12-member panel representing all four New England Division III playing conferences will serve as voters in this year's poll, and rankings will be released each Monday afternoon through November 14th. Members of this year's voting panel are E.J. Mills (Amherst), JB Wells (Bowdoin), Jay Civetti (Tufts), Tom Kelley (Framingham State), Paul Castonia (Plymouth State), Pat Haverty (Fitchburg State), Skip Bandini (Curry), Chad Martinovich (MIT), Kevin Gilmartin (Salve Regina), Gabby Price (Husson), Tony Volpone (Castleton) and Mike Landers (Mount Ida).
For more information on the Grinold Chapter of the National Football Foundation, please visit www.grinoldchapter.com.
