By Henry Nickerson | Staff Writer
You may not have heard fans parading in the streets every Saturday or players boasting their success in class, but Salve Regina’s 2016 football team silently became one of the big powerhouses in the Commonwealth Coast Conference this season. Owning one of the most disciplined and offensively minded teams in the conference, the Seahawks finished the season with at least 22 points scored in every game. The team quickly made an impression this season by cementing a 7-0 season record, and a 5-0 conference record going into the championship with Western New England University. A lot of those wins were met with 20 to 30 point deficits sported by their opponents.
But the Seahawks didn’t just spring out of the woodwork, they clawed. Senior quarterback and captain, Brandan Basil ’17, notes his team’s dedication during preseason. “We have a lot of talent on the team and we work really hard in the off-season to get better. This team has been incredibly dedicated and put everything into this season, and it has shown through our success,” he said. The football team had been doing this off-season work since early August when they showed up for training camp. “The biggest component of our success has been the unity of this team. We are truly one big family and we know that no matter what happens, we’ve got each other’s backs,” said Basil.
Another facet to the team’s winning attitude this season was senior leadership. Team leaders, like senior running back Sam Pascal ’17, ran in 14 touchdowns and 1,197 rushing yards. Basil threw 1,663 yard for 16 touchdowns. Senior linebacker, Ethan Gamble ’17, recorded 41 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Needless to say, there were some monster players on the team, but the senior captains promise that there will be more to come in preceding seasons from their young players. Some players to keep an eye on next season will be sophomore linebacker Tyler Derrico ’19, freshman receivers Brenden Nunes ’20 and Steve Croce ’20, and sophomore lineman John Salute ’19. “I’m really excited to be on this team for the next three years,” said freshman quarterback Joe Bryne ’20. “We are only going up from here.”
The Seahawks record remained perfect going into the conference final against undefeated Western New England University, but unfortunately fell to the Bears 41-22. The Seahawks will look to finish their season with a win against Maine Maritime Academy, as well as build off of their success next season.
