FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[frank uible]

Williams has a band - Mucho Macho Moocow Military Marching Band. Plays and marches at all home games and plays at some away. Wesleyan also has one but, I believe, not marching.

[amh63]

Frank U....really?  Since I cannot remember seeing Wesleyan's band march...or hearing them in Middletown, I will take your word.  Guess, in spite of my faulty memory, both bands did not leave an impression on me .  Literally "out to lunch" I guess during halftime.
Will make a point of watching the Williams band when I come up.  Amherst has had a group of students play on occasions and I remember when they would "hire" a local available high school band.

[toad22]

I'm told by reliable sources that the new football field at Williams is a bit behind schedule, but making up ground every week, now that the snow has receded somewhat. The whole crew is now working from near sunup to sundown six days a week. I'm further told that the penalties for missing the completion deadline is quite steep. I think we will be complete on time.

[amh63]

Toad22......thanks for the info on the new facilities.  Hope it does not impact the football practices.
Remember not too long ago when when I was up at Amherst and saw portable lights and tackling dummies in a area where the baseball field/ruby field stands.  The old football practice was being changed over to a lighted turf field for lacrosse and field hockey.  New football practice field was not ready.  Eventually, a new practice field was carved out...not really sufficient and that caused the building of a new Pratt field, etc.  On reflection, I think it was all a plot .

[NCF]

The son of a family friend will be a senior at Wesleyan this fall. Anyone want to share an opinion of how the Cards will do this season?

[amh63]

NCF.....welcome your interest on this board...for next season.  Aside from getting some background from your friend's son, I will give you a brief and bias summary of last season when the Cardinals' of Wesleyan did very well.  For projection of the coming season, I suggest you come back in the Fall...when other more knowledgeable posters will post....when new rosters are available and recruits are known.
Having said that....Wesleyan finished last season at 7-1, tied for the conference title with Middlebury and Amherst.  However, the Cardinals won the coveted "Little Three" crown in quite some time.
Wesleyan beat Amherst at Amherst...a difficult task as home field is quite an advantage in the conference.  Amherst crushed Middlebury and squeaked by Trinity, both at home.  The previous year, Amherst lost to Middlebury badly away and lost to Trinity in the 4th quarter in Hartford CT...while beating Wesleyan in Middletown.
Anyway, it was the Cardinal's lost to Trinity in Hartford in the last game of the season...in a rival game that cloud's the picture for this season.  Under pressure to complete an undefeated season...the Cardinals got crushed by the Bantam.
Middlebury graduated its record breaking QB, the best in the conference.  A closer look at the rosters around the conference is needed since all teams have holes to fill and on both sides...so to speak.  Last season, IMO, new players...young players...surprised many.  Wesleyan had a number of new players on the defensive side that came up big.  Amherst had several freshman backfield players replace more experienced runners. An impact recruit can often change the outcome of a key game.  Hope you are getting the picture. 
I close to point out several things wrt to Amherst. Amherst plays Trinity..the powerhouse team...away and meets Wesleyan in an away game.  I believe that Amherst has at this point the best returning QB, but must replace several key offensive lineman from the best offensive line in the conference last season.

I hope I got that all correct...I'm often confused....like who were the three teams that all finished at 7-1.  Oh, I forgot...having said all the above,   I do believe that Wesleyan returns a solid squad and should challenge for the title in the Fall.

[frank uible]

Better than solid and better than merely challenge.

[lumbercat]

Wesleyan will be the favorite this year--they lose very little to graduation and who knows.....the Whale may manipulate a couple of those graduating guys back as 5th year seniors if there is an outside chance of remaining eligibility.

The Cards recruiting efforts are beginning to mirror or possibly surpass Trinity's "creative" approach to
NESCAC Recruiting.

Whalen is a grinder with a ton of intensity-- He didn't move to Middletown to lose....Guarantee he does not consider his job close to being done until the Cards dominate the NESCAC and more significantly elevate the program to point where they beat Trinity---no idea who will be the first to blink in that gunfight but from past experience it won't be Trinity. They are still the program that totally empties the bucket and pushes the recruiting  envelope the hardest.

Trinity has a great recruiting class incoming which looks to be a reaction to those Cardinal footsteps that they are hearing loud and clear in Hartford.....could the Bants be stretching things even further in their recruiting efforts?

At the end of the day last year Wesleyan didn't finish the job and we know the Whale is grinding toward the goal of a win against Trinity and a NESCAC title.

The best QB in the league this year is Justin Ciero of Colby.

Trinity went with a FY QB last year who was rookie of the year but they have a kid coming in who may be better. It's a tough deal at Trinity when they bring a  kid who looks like someone who will have impact on the program only to sit on the pine and sometimes leave the program as their recruiting arms race escalates further each year......I always thought that there are many recruits who fail at Trinity who could have a fine career at other NESCAC schools. There might be kids sitting in dorms at Trinity who could be playing at a number of other NESCAC schools......too bad for some of the kids......maybe they "over recruit"

To the young athletes who don't win a starting job at Trinity and want to play football in the  NESCAC other NESCAC coaches would welcome them to their programs.

[nescac1]

I thought Wesleyan was a year away last year given that they lost 3-4 top players who transferred to other programs, and they had very few seniors.  And yet they dominated most of their games.  I'd say this year, with the bulks of the starters on both sides of the ball returning, they head into the season as the overwhelming favorites.  Trinity will be very strong yet again, especially on defense which returns a ton, but losing the monstrous two-headed RB duo will be tough.  This year it's Wesleyan that has an enviable RB duo returning in Drew and Gibson. 

amh63, as for Amherst, I think your assessment of Amherst's QB situation is a bit generous (it's a lot better than the Ephs, unless the Ephs found a HUGE impact guy in the offseason (fingers crossed), but that's not really saying anything) ... Amherst seemed to rotate a few solid guys in and out of the position, and they will be even better at QB next year, but as usual under Mills it was the OL and the defense that made Amherst a strong team.  The Jeffs were just so-so at the skill positions but a dominant offensive line and dominant defensive play allowed them to win a lot of fairly low-scoring games.  Amherst, while talented enough to win games, does not exactly look loaded with impact players at WR, RB, or QB next year, but the defense will be very good once again and while as you note they lose some good OL, Mills always seems to easily reload at that position. 

Ciero and Warren are clearly the top two returning QBs in NESCAC I'd say.  After those two the overall talent at the position in NESCAC is fairly marginal.  The Amherst platoon is probably third. 

Midd figures to take a big step back without Foote.  Amherst as always will be a contender.  If there is a dark horse it's Colby.  Dunklee, if finally 100 percent healthy, is the most dynamic offensive playmaker in the league, and Ciero the most dynamic QB.  Those two are capable of doing big things next year, and Colby has some talent returning on defense as well

As for my Ephs, I guess I am the eternal optimist but I feel like they should turn things around after an unimaginably disastrous year.  Obviously they need to figure out the QB situation, but despite the poor play at that position last year, they were well-positioned to win 4/6 games they lost heading into the last possession of the game -- they just fared REALLY poorly in close games.  That comes down to coaching strategy, QB play in the clutch, and bad luck.  If they can get slightly better luck and find a QB who can at least not throw the ball to the opposing team down the stretch, they have the talent to return to a winning team. 

The defense should be improved led by James Howe, who is the best returning defensive player in NESCAC and will be an absolute monster as an upperclassman, and all-NESCAC caliber guys Tom Cabarle and Adam Datema.  They return some good young LBs including the leading tackler from last year, and Tay Scott should emerge as a shut-down corner.  I believe another top-notch DB, Andre Lafontant, who missed the year with an injury, may also be returning for a fifth season, giving the Ephs four guys with starting experience returning in the secondary.  On offense, they return the entire two-deep on the OL, so I hope what was a huge weakness due to inexperience last year will turn into a strength this season (or at the very least, not hurt the team).  The QB play was certainly affected by a lack of time to throw the ball, and if the OL can do a better job in pass protection it will help the offense immensely.  Alex Scyocurka, if finally healthy and able to run behind a competent OL, needs to finally realize his huge potential as a senior for the Ephs to have a shot at a winning season.  Behind him are totally unknown quantities, so he needs to avoid the injury bug that has plagued his career.  Besides QB, depth at RB is the biggest on the Ephs heading into the season. 

Darias Sime and Steve Kiesel are a very dynamic receiving duo, Alex Way is a huge presence at TE, and Lewis Hayes should emerge as another big weapon next year.  Of course, they need to find someone to get them the ball, but with three top targets (Hayes, Sime and Way) averaging around 6'4 and 240 lbs, there will be the opportunity for some mismatches down the field agains the much smaller defensive backs typical of NESCAC teams..  I hope the Ephs figure out a way to take advantage. 

[jumpshot]

Does it occur to anybody else that NESCAC may not be playing football in as few as 10 years due to concussions and related issues? Perhaps a significantly modified version of today's game at the least.
Others thoughts?

[nescac1]

It has occurred.  But then again, jumpshot, how many NESCAC teams have just spent 20 million plus on massively upgraded football facilities over the past 5-10 years?  A bunch, I think.  Would they have done so in contemplation of football ending?  Football games, especially homecoming, are still some of the biggest alumni gathering of the year, if not the biggest, on nearly every NESCAC campus. 

And I really don't think that concussion-related trauma at NESCAC schools, which play abbreivated 8 game schedules, have limited practice time, feature smaller, slower players colliding with far less force, have no post-seaon, and which involve players almost all of whose careers ends after their final college game, is remotely comparable to Division 1 (or even Division 1-AA or high level Division-3) football.  Brain-related injuries are most accute with a lot of repetition of frequent, enormously powerful collisions occurring over a long period of time.   Playing NESCAC football may have some small impact in that regard, but it's a whole different universe from guys on the pro-football track.   I think the impact of concussions will be that we will never see NESCAC teams in the playoffs, and never see an expanded NESCAC practice or game schedule.  NO way, no how.

[NCF]

It has occurred.  But then again, jumpshot, how many NESCAC teams have just spent 20 million plus on massively upgraded football facilities over the past 5-10 years?  A bunch, I think.  Would they have done so in contemplation of football ending?  Football games, especially homecoming, are still some of the biggest alumni gathering of the year, if not the biggest, on nearly every NESCAC campus. 

And I really don't think that concussion-related trauma at NESCAC schools, which play abbreivated 8 game schedules, have limited practice time, feature smaller, slower players colliding with far less force, have no post-seaon, and which involve players almost all of whose careers ends after their final college game, is remotely comparable to Division 1 (or even Division 1-AA or high level Division-3) football.  Brain-related injuries are most accute with a lot of repetition of frequent, enormously powerful collisions occurring over a long period of time.   Playing NESCAC football may have some small impact in that regard, but it's a whole different universe from guys on the pro-football track.   I think the impact of concussions will be that we will never see NESCAC teams in the playoffs, and never see an expanded NESCAC practice or game schedule.  NO way, no how.

That's a shame that NESCAC teams will never join the playoffs.  Also, thanks to all for the info on Wesleyan.

[madzillagd]

Not sure I agree with NESCAC1 assessment of concussions based on the NFL documentary I watched last year.  It seemed to me that what they are finding at this point is there is brain trauma on even small hits and even players that go an entire playing career without any diagnosed concussions are still showing the same of the same effects as those that are diagnosed with multiple concussions.  With the NFL actively fighting the medical research teams to prevent a potential crippling impact to their cash cow, I'm sure it's going to take a few decades before we've amassed enough data to start to see the game itself impacted. 

With all that said, it's been pretty clear for decades that boxing results in brain injuries and we haven't seen much change in that sport.  Then again, boxing isn't a widespread college sport like football so maybe that will be the difference.

[jumpshot]

For one current view of the concussion issue, read League of Denial....

[amh63]

Hamilton's new HFC Is on board and very little signs of his impact on the website.  Did notice the schedule that faces the HFC.  Hamilton opens with Tufts vice Amherst this season.  Based on last season's records, Tufts maybe the best chance for a victory this year.  In any case, wish him luck as well as posting my interest in the Continentals' upcoming season.

In a response to Nescac1's comment on my assessment of the QB position at Amherst, I must clarify and provide more info without getting myself into trouble with the football staff.
Yes, for the last two seasons, there has been a rotation of QBs during the games...as if game situation dictated a change in the QB as well as the performance of the the starter.  Whatever the reasons for the changes made, the wins have exceeded the loses.  Whether this season will see an continuation of the practice remains to be seen.  First, there is talent at the QB position...returning.  None are the classic pocket QB.  The offensive scheme or the breakdown of the offensive line causes the QB to make positive yardage with his feet.  The QB for Amherst must make smart decisions..as the play unfolds/develops...as they say.  Mr Lippe is presently the starting QB.  He is a senior and has been the starter for the past two season.  He has the experience and has shown that he can make positive plays in difficult situations.  He rotated two years ago with a talented freshman.  Last year, the rotation by mid season was with another talented freshmen.  All can run the ball.  All have different abilities in the passing game.  Lippe has the experience..a key factor, IMO.
It will be interesting in the upcoming season to see how the offense improves/changes with the talent on hand and incoming.  Why?  The offensive Coordinator is now the AD.  Will there be a new play caller?  Amherst has a nice group of experienced talented WRs and big talented YOUNG receivers as well...returning.  Who will step up?  I see a strong possibility of a deep ball as well as an-explosive short ball passing attack this season ...with some continued rotation of QBs.