Football Set to Open 2021 Season
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 3, 2021) – The Western New England football team will host Springfield College for the annual Pynchon SAW game on Saturday, September 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Recent History: Western New England Golden Bears vs. Springfield Pride
In 2019, the Golden Bears defeated the Pride 33-17 to reclaim the Pynchon SAW Trophy. In the game, senior Steven Fedorchak led the receiving corps with seven catches for a total of 118 yards and one touchdown. Senior Bailey Devine-Scott recorded a team-high 12 tackles while forcing one fumble and earning four pass breakups. Senior Erich Keutmann also made 12 stops along with a sack while senior Joshua Salem tallied 10 tackles. The Golden Bears recorded a total of 477 yards of offense with 305 passing and 172 rushing. Western New England also earned four sacks for a total of 26 yards in the game and had possession for 31:05 of the game. The Pride had 335 yards of offense with 23 passing and 312 rushing while tallying two sacks for 11 yards.
Golden Bears Offense:
The Golden Bears return multiple top players back to the offensive side of the ball. Steven Fedorchak is a senior wide receiver who in 2019 recorded 58 receptions for a total of 1081 yards to average 18.6 yards per reception. Fedorchak earned 12 touchdowns and his longest reception was 69 yards and Fedorchak was named to the All-CCC Second Team. The Golden Bears are also returning senior wide receiver Adam Razza who in 2019 tallied 44 receptions, 858 yards and seven touchdowns. Razza averaged 19.5 yards per reception with the longest reception being 68 yards. Western New England returns senior offensive lineman Cade Watkins who appeared in nine games in 2021 while being selected to the All-CCC First Team.
Golden Bears Defense:
Similar to the offensive side, the Golden Bears will be seasoned and strong of the defensive side starting with the 2021 D3football Preseason All-American Team selection Erich Keutmann. In 2019, Keutmann played in 11 games with 132 tackles, four sacks, three broken up passes and nine tackles for a loss for a total of 39 yards. Keutmann was selected to the New England Football Writers College Division (DII/DIII) All-New England Team and earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the CCC. The Golden Bears also have senior linebacker Joshua Salem back for the 2021 season. Salem appeared in 11 games for the Golden Bears in 2019 recording 97 total tackles with two interceptions for 43 yards, one broken up pass, two sacks for 14 yards and 5.5 tackles for a loss of 21 total yards. Salem was selected to the All-CCC First Team in 2019. Senior defensive back Bailey Devine-Scott returns for the 2021 season after competing in ten games in 2019 with 65 total tackles, two tackles for a loss of four total yards and 14 broken up passes. Devine-Scott was selected to the New England Football Writers College Division (DII/DIII) All-New England Team after his 2019 campaign while also being honored as a First Team All-CCC player. Senior cornerback Tucker Hartmann returns to the Golden Bears after appearing in eight games in 2019 with 45 tackles and 12 broken up passes. Hartmann was an All-CCC Second Team honoree. Another returner for the Golden Bears is senior defensive lineman Tony Figueroa. Figueroa appeared in ten games in 2019 with 19 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss of three yards.
Pride Offense:
Springfield's lone returning all-conference selection on the offensive side of the ball is fullback Tim Callahan, who has been recognized by the conference office the last two seasons. In 2019, Callahan appeared in 10 games for the Pride and totaled 121 rushing yards. Callahan averaged 68.3 yards per game and recorded six touchdowns. Anchoring the Pride's offensive line will be captain Lou Cocozza, while captain Ryan Deguire will join Callahan in Springfield's backfield. Cocozza appeared in all 10 games for the Pride in 2019 as well as Deguire. Deguire recorded 46 rushing yards and 341 yards in total. Deguire tallied two touchdowns and averaged 34.1 yards per game.
Pride Defense:
On the defensive side of the ball, the Pride returns senior linebacker Jack Duignan who was in the top five in 2019 on defense for Springfield. Duignan recorded 14 solo tackles and 20 assists for a total of 34 tackles on the season. Duignan earned 1.5 sacks for eight yards and had two broken up passes. Junior linebacker DJ Brown, who is a captain for the Pride, is back on the field after tallying 33 total tackles in 2019 with 21 solos and 12 assists. Brown earned four tackles for a loss of seven yards with two interceptions and two broken up passes.
Game Information:
The Pynchon SAW game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 4th.
Listen to Joshua Salem, Adam Razza and head coach Jason Lebeau talk about the preseason here: https://youtu.be/psilIpIv0Xk
Be sure to keep up with the game with the links below.
Live Stats: https://wnegoldenbears.com/sports/fball/2021-22/boxscores/20210904_81tw.xml
