For Immediate Release
August 29, 2011
Courtesy of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Written by John Conceison
Worcester, Mass. — For the Assumption College football team, last September was one to remember, with its 4-0 start and breakthrough to the regional polls.
There was a thrilling home win over Wagner and then that 30-24 victory at Fordham, a pair of Division 1 teams in New York and the latter a Patriot League rival of Holy Cross.
"It was my homecoming, so that was a lot of fun — and our president, Dr. (Francesco) Cesareo, is a Fordham grad, too," said Greyhounds coachCory Bailey, who starred for the Rams in the 1990s. "It was a great win, but I tell everyone I'd trade that win for a conference championship any day of the week."
Injuries took a toll on Assumption in what wound up a 6-5 season, 3-5 in the Northeast-10. Bailey thinks his young squad can learn from last season, the Hounds' second straight winning campaign but one that left the team wanting so much more.
"We're still learning how to win, and now we're learning how to handle winning and taking that next step and win even more," he said. "The big wins we had last year were exciting, but at the same time, it has really raised the bar for our program where we have only one class that knows a losing season."
Assumption graduated nine starters on offense, including Herb Woodard (1,004 yards, 5 touchdowns rushing), David Canney (1,086 yards receiving, 5 TDs), Andrew Kupec (2,662 yards passing, 22 TDs) and tackle Matt Sidebottom, the NE-10's Lineman of the Year, and six defensive starters also graduated. But Bailey has a hungry team hoping to surprise.
"We had a great senior class, and it's too bad we couldn't finish the job," he said, "but at the same time, the guys that were here who have returned saw how you can be on the top of the world one minute and on the bottom the next, so that was a good experience ultimately for our program, as long as we continue to learn from it."
"We're young, everyone knows that, and we'll definitely be overlooked by a lot of teams, and we look forward to that," senior outside linebacker Dan Conrad said. "We take that personally, and it motivates us. While we have young guys filling spots from last year, we're not going to back down from anyone. I think we have just as much talent on this team than any other team, young or old."
Sophomore Bobby Jordan, who won the quarterback job in spring drills, suffered a season-ending knee injury early in camp, leaving four first-year players — Sean Mayo, Derek Fernandes, Kevin Bumpus and Jason Lassiter — vying for the job.
"We have some young quarterbacks who have a lot of ability, we just have to get them ready to play," Bailey said. "One of those four guys will be ready, and athletically, they're all going to be very, very good, but they're freshmen."
While Woodard graduated, junior Uly Gibson proved he's a quality back, rushing for 234 yards and three touchdowns in an early-season win over eventual NE-10 champion New Haven. Former Wachusett Regional star Matt Pedone also is expected to help in the backfield.
Senior center Dan Duggan was an all-conference lineman last season, and he's surrounded by experience guards in classmates Erik Stevens and Brian Shea. "The tackle position is what we have to figure out," Bailey said of the void left by Sidebottom, now the Hounds' running backs coach.
"Defense should be our strength this year," said Bailey, whose entire secondary returns, though Conrad was moved from cornerback to linebacker. Senior safeties Pat Jordan and Sonny Dillinger and junior cornerback Eric Agyeman are the top returning tacklers, and the Hounds have a big hitter in former Holy Name standout Nick Haag (6-3, 245) at defensive end.
Also returning is all-conference kicker Brian Nowak, a junior. "He's got a great leg, he's always been a good kicker, and he's really improved with his punting," said Bailey, who knows his team is young but is excited about its talent.
"We have what we think are the best freshman and sophomore classes the school has ever seen," he said. "Every day, we just want to improve, we just focus on getting better every day. We just need to get these guys to the level they need to be at."
