FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Go Continentals!]

Williams also has played JV games.

[amh63]

Gridiron...thanks for the info since I was deferring to more knowledgeable heads.  I believe hearing that Williams plays JV games.  Amherst???  Do not know.  Going back to before the player limit, when it was not surprising to see roster of 90 plus at times by Amherst and Williams.....gleamed from game literatures....there may have been some JV games at Amherst.
Question to posters?   Among the Maine schools, would Colby and Bates be the "arch rivals"...the game that each wants to win the most?   That would be my take.  Bowdoin joined Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan in pushing for the formation of a sports league in 1951 that is now named the Nescac ...info from the Internet. I always thought Bowdoin was closest to Amherst wrt to size, student population, academic goals.  The two schools would be arch rivals if Williams was not the "mother" of Amherst.

[frank uible]

Since at least the last 12 years the Williams JV has played JVs from Amherst, Middlebury, Union, RPI, Springfield and Dartmouth; the varsity from Hudson Valley Community College; and the club team from Vermont - and perhaps a few others which have slipped my mind.

[frank uible]

Your correspondent believes that Bowdoin/Colby is the primary Maine rivalry while for Bowdoin and Colby Bates/Bowdoin and Bates/Colby respectively are secondary - perhaps  for Bates Bates/Bowdoin and Bates/Colby are of roughly equal weight.

[gridiron]

I know that Middlebury varsity recently (last season I believe) scrimmaged Dartmouth.

Re the Maine rivalry, the "Big Game" is the season ending Colby/Bowdoin game.  Colby and Bowdoin are archrivals in all sports.  In fact, recent national coverage listed Colby Bowdoin hockey as one of the greatest college hockey rivalries in the nation.

All three football teams compete for the CBB (Colby/Bates/Bowdoin) champion title which is akin to the annual Williams/Amherst/Wesleyan champion title.  Therefore, the Bates/Colby and Bates/Bowdoin games are nearly as important in terms of rivalries. 

[gridiron]

The Bowdoin/Colby football rivalry began in 1892 and is the third oldest in the nation (DIII).

[amh63]

Posters all....good stuff to fill my idle mind.  The Colby -Bowdoin archrival info is great....especially the season ending game point.  The Amherst/Williams game and the Trinity/Wesleyan game are both the last ones of the season.....can I deduce a pattern here?
Almost want to suggest to the football powers that the scrimmages before the start of the season have changes.  Amherst can scrimmage Tufts at Tufts...being a short ride East.  Williams can go to Hamilton for the scrimmage...being almost NY state buddies.  This way Amherst can try some plays without holding back, etc.  Since I had heard the  scrimmage partners were done initially to save funds....downturn era as it were.....Amherst and Williams can make the trips.  Both schools have the funds...biggest Endownments and now building new football facilities

[iamhuge]

I caught the Wesley vs. Widener game last Friday night.  Suffice to say that none of the NESCAC teams could hang with Wesley.  They are much too physical and athletic for the NESCAC kids. 

Speaking of roster size, Wesley had 170 kids when they opened camp.  170!

[iamhuge]

The Jumbos are working hard.

The three Tufts captains are:

Connor Glazier - OL
Sean Harrington - LB
Tommy Meade - LB

Glazier is a seasoned veteran with good size and excellent positioning.  Harrington is a big linebacker who can easily shed blocks who likes to lay the wood on any receiver coming across the middle.  Meade is a Junior linebacker who also hits hard and has great ball instincts.

LB will definitely be the strength of this team.  Biggest losses were in the secondary as a few of the seniors from last season were very good athletes.

[frank uible]

About 2004 when Williams shifted the scrimmage from Colby/Bowdoin at such neutral sites as Tufts or Exeter to Amherst, home and home, Williams' motives in the shift were (a) reduction of the travel burden and (b) provision of more challenging opposition.

[lumbercat]

From what I can gather this year Tufts has dropped the recent tradition of the annual Bowdoin scrimmage and will not have an outside scrimmage this year.

ImHuge -By the way Meade at middle linebacker for Tufts is a fine player- saw him 3 times last year should be among the best at MLB this year. Good size in the middle at 240 and quick. not easy to come by in the NESCAC. Many teams going to 4-4 with smaller athletic guys because the big stopper in the middle s not always available in the NESCAC.

Bowdoin will scrimmage Bridgton Academy at 2:00 on Saturday in Brunswick.

Bates will host Colby Friday night in Lewiston. The game is a nice event each year and remains intense...no love lost between the Mule and the Bobcat.

Believe Trinity and Wesleyan will lock horns again this year---beyond that are we looking at Amherst - Williams and Hamilton-Middlebury as in past years?

Appreciate it anyone could post what they know on scrimmage matchups, venues and times.

[frank uible]

My SWAG is that in a typical year Wesley is a top 10 team (maybe top 5) and is 3-4 TDs better than whatever school is at the top of NESCAC.

[iamhuge]

My SWAG is that in a typical year Wesley is a top 10 team (maybe top 5) and is 3-4 TDs better than whatever school is at the top of NESCAC.

The energy level when these two teams played was really sky high.  I didn't really see that in the NESCAC last year.  The hitting especially was much different.

[gridiron]

Confirmed Bates/Colby scrimmage at 5:15 PM in Lewiston.  Parent of Tufts player knows nothing of a scrimmage this year, so you may be correct that there is none.

[lumbercat]

What I don't get is Bowdoin against Bridgton Academy! not sure what the Bears take from that matchup but maybe I'm missing something- when I questioned the matchup I was told the scrimmage was on and was a varsity scrimmage.
Maybe Caputi is just using a group of Freshmen and Sophs in that scrimmage.