Sophomore Hayden Stanton leads the NEFC with 7.5 sacks on the season.
Sophomore Hayden Stanton leads the NEFC with 7.5 sacks on the season.

Salve Regina travels to Maine for NEFC showdown

Salve Regina
vs.
Maine Maritime Academy

Saturday, Nov. 2
Ritchie Field (Castine, Maine)
12 p.m.

Live Video
Directions to Ritchie Field
Game Notes - PDF Version
Coach's Show Interview - Featuring Dakota Cowell and Paul Hurley




Setting the Scene:

Salve Regina enters this weekend's contest off a 47-13 loss to DI Central Connecticut State, last Saturday.  Senior Richie Edwards (Trumbull, Conn.) led the Seahawks with 153 yards on the ground, his fifth-straight 100+ yard rushing game of the season. Junior Steven Wilken (Ringwood, N.J.) completed 15 of 34 passes for 158 yards, including a pair of touchdowns and classmate Dan Buonocore (Mahwah, N.J.) caught eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. 

Maine Maritime is coming off a shootout with Nichols in which the Mariners earned their first win of the season with a 63-52 victory over the Bison. Billy Wetherbee and Michael Fahey combined for 426 yards, and six touchdowns, to lead Maine Maritime.  

The Series

This is the six meeting between the Seahawks and the Mariners and the first one since 2001. Salve Regina holds a 6-0 lead in the series. 

This Week in the NEFC

Nov. 2

Salve Regina at Maine Maritime 12 p.m.
Curry at Western New England 1 p.m.
Endicott at MIT 5 p.m.

Taking the Reins

Former offensive coordinator Kevin Gilmartin takes over as the fifth head coach of Salve Regina football. Before coming to the Seahawks, Gilmartin worked five seasons handling the responsibilities of offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach, and admissions liaison. He helped lead the team to three consecutive postseason appearances, advancing to the ECFC title game in 2009, as well as the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl in both 2010 and 2011.

Prior to Mount Ida, Gilmartin was a special teams/assistant running backs coach at Hofstra (Division I-AA) and a quarterbacks/defensive backs coach at Hamilton (Division III) for five years. Coach Gilmartin also spent two seasons at Nipmuc Regional High School where he became the school's all-time winningest head coach. 

Seahawk Football History

Salve Regina added football in the fall of 1993 and is entering its 21st season on the gridiron. The Seahawks have  had 11 winning seasons since its inception and boasts a 111-85 all time record over the last 20 seasons. 

The Seahawks have made a trip to the post season four times; most recently winning the ECAC North-West Bowl 26-6 over Worcester St.  

October Baby

Salve Regina has played some of its best football in the month of October. The Seahawks boast a 56-34 all-time record in October and have won nine of their last 10 contests in the 10th month. 

Home Sweet Home

The Seahawks have enjoyed two different home fields over their 21 years of football at Salve Regina and have always faired quite well in front of their home crowd. Over the years, the Seahawks are 61-35 (.635) at home and currently have a 13-game winning streak on their home field. 

Traynor for 1,000

With 542 receiving yards this season, Traynor has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for his career as a Seahawk with 1,357. Traynor ranks fifth all time in Salve Regina's record books. 

Junior running back Dan Buonocore (Mahwah, N.J.) is just 153 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards in his career. 

Must Be Something He Said

Salve Regina has scored 127 of its 216 points this season in the first and third quarter and are out-scoring its opponents 127-68 after coming out of the locker room to open the game and after halftime. Salve Regina has allowed just two touchdowns in the third quarter this season. 

Taking it All the Way

Junior Phil Terio (Trumbull, Conn.) displayed his speed on homecoming as he took MIT's first punt of the game 61 yards into the end zone to give Salve Regina a quick 6-0 lead without an offensive series in the game. It was his second punt return TD of his career. 

Among the Elite

Sophomore Hayden Stanton (Wallingford, Conn.) leads the NEFC with 7.5 sacks on the year. Stanton is ranked 17th nationally as well in sacks. Senior Joshua Burnett (Whitham, Mass.) is third in the league with two fumble recoveries while ranking 50th in the country after forcing and recovering a fumble on special teams against Nichols. 

Junior Steven Wilken (Ringwood, N.J.) leads the conference with 15 passing touchdowns and is 30th in the country while leading the NEFC with 108 points this season, ranking him 45th in DIII.  

Stone Wall Defense

The Seahawks boast one of the strongest defenses in the conference and DIII right now. Salve Regina has the 11th-best red zone defense in the country, allowing just six scores on 11 chances this season. 

Speaking of Defense

Not only are they first in the NEFC in 3rd down conversion and 4th down conversion defense, but they are 26th and first in the nation in those two categories. The Seahawk pass defense is one of the best in the nation allowing just 155.3 yards passing per game. 

Speaking of Defense - II

Not only are the Seahawks defenders troublesome for the quarterbacks and receivers, but Salve Regina has a way with stopping its opponents from gaining first downs. The Seahawks are  ranked ninth in the country allowing teams to earn 92 first downs on them this season. Salve Regina allowed five Montclair State first downs and just six against Nichols.   

I'll Take That

Junior Phil Terio (Trumbull, Conn.) is a proven threat to most quarterbacks in the league. Last season, Terio led the team picking seven passes out of the air and set an NCAA Division III record by returning four of them for a score. Graduated senior Maxwell Shubert was close behind Terio with six INTs and finished his career as a Seahawk with 14, second all-time at Salve Regina.  

Terio picked up right where he left off in Salve Regina's 36-7 victory over Bridgewater St. to open the season. The cornerback picked off an early second quarter pass for his 10th of his career. Terio put the game away for Salve Regina two weeks ago as he picked off MIT's quarter back for his 11th INT of his career late in the fourth quarter to end the Engineers final drive of the game. 

Juniors Matt Conroy (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Frank Musco (Montvale, N.J.) each had a pick against MIT. Conroy ended MIT's opening dive of the second half and Musco kept six points off the board as he picked off MIT in the end zone in the third quarter. Musco picked off his second pass of the season against Nichols.  

Senior Joshua Burnett (Whitman, Mass.) picked up his second INT of his career late in the second quarter that set up a touchdown drive for the Seahawks. 

Welcome Back, Richie

Senior Richie Edwards (Trumbull, Conn.) is leading the rush game with 635 yards on 110 carries so far. Edwards has found the end zone three times on the ground and caught a 10-yard pass from junior Steven Wilken (Ringwood, N.J.) in Salve Regina's 32-0 win over Nichols.  

Since his return to the field for Salve Regina, Edwards has led the Seahawks in rushing every game and has had at least 100-yards rushing. The senior is 239 yards shy of 2,000 for his career. 

Double Trouble

Junior Dan Buonocore (Mahwah, N.J.) has become a true double threat on offense for the Seahawks. The junior is listed as a running back for Salve Regina, and with 244 yards on 71 carries and three touchdowns he is quite the force out of the backfield, but Buonocore is proving to be a threat down field as well. Buonocore has 410 receiving yards on 30 catches with three touchdowns on the season so far, including a 64-yard reception for a score against Western New England.  

Red Zone Offense

Salve Regina made it a habit of marching down the field to get into the red zone last season. Not only did they get inside the 20, but the Seahawks found the end zone once they were there. Salve Regina converted 35 of 44 chances with 29 touchdowns in 2012.  

The Seahawks picked up right where they left off a season ago and found their way into the end zone all five times they worked their way into the red zone against Bridgewater State. Against Montclair State, the Seahawks found themselves in the end zone four times and three of those times they scored. Salve Regina scored converted three of its five chances in the red zone against MIT. This season the Seahawks are 25-of-33 in the red zone. 

Not Getting Through

Not only have the Seahawks scored once they have gotten to the red zone, but they have stopped their opponents from doing the same. Salve Regina's defense is ranked 16th in the nation (6-of-11) in red zone defense.

Safety Dance

One score you don't see all the time on the scoreboard at a football game is two points but the Seahawks did what four professional teams in the opening week and converted a safety in their season-opener. Salve Regina's safety came off a blocked punt by junior Alex Hennessey (West Babylon, N.Y.) midway through the third quarter. Hennessy recovered the football outside of the end zone to put up two points for Salve Regina. 

The Seahawks added its second two-point score of the year two weeks ago against Nichols on a penalty resulting in the ball being marked in Nichols' end zone.

Against Curry, Salve Regina took a 36-10 lead with a two-point score as junior Rory McEntee (Wakefield, R.I.) sacked the Colonels quarterback in the end zone for the Seahawks third safety of the year.

The Seahawks have converted a blocked punt of a safety before, last time was against Endicott on Oct. 10, 2003. Salve Regina lost 27-20 in overtime. 

The Boy Who Blocked the Punt

Junior Alex Hennessy (West Babylon, N.Y.) blocked three punts against Montclair State to tie an NCAA DIII record for blocked punts in a single game. Hennessy has blocked four punts this year and five in his career. 

Sophomore Alex Hulme (Hopkinton, Mass.) blocked two punts against Curry, both in the first quarter. Hulme's second blocked punt of the quarter was recovered by junior Brad Kelly (Portsmouth, R.I.) for a 26-yard punt returned touchdown. 

Speaking of Blocked Kicks

Sophomore Hayden Stanton (Wallingford, Conn.) has two blocked kicks to his credit so far this season. Against MIT, Stanton blocked a field goal in the third quarter and blocked an extra point attempt in the first quarter against Western New England to keep the score knotted at 6-6. Along with Stanton, Hennessy and senior Joshua Burnett (Whitman, Mass.) have all blocked a kick for Salve Regina this season as the Seahawks have nine on the year, leading DIII football. 

Oh Captain, My Captain

Leading the Seahawks on and off the field this season will be a trio of senior captains, Joshua Burnett (Whitman, Mass.) and Richie Edwards (Trumbull, Conn.) and Floyd Shaffer (Conshohocken, Pa.).

I'm Honored

Sophomore Hayden Stanton (Wallingford, Conn.), junior Steven Wilken (Ringwood, N.J.) and senior Joshua Burnett (Whitman, Mass.) have been named NEFC Players of the Week this season. 

Senior center Floyd Shaffer (Conshohocken, Pa.) and Junior Phil Terio (Trumbull, Conn.) have brought a lot of national attention to the Seahawks prior to the 2013 season as pair have combined for 12 preseason All-America selections with Terio earning a pair of spots on three different lists. Terio also was featured by Josh Buchanan as one of the top-10 Division III players heading into the season.