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| A color photo, in portrait mode no less, was not possible when New England College last won a football game. NEC athletics photo by Corbin Blake |
Montie Quinn did Montie Quinn things, the MAC just avoided getting all wacky, the Division III single-game completion record fell again and New England College got its first football win in more than half a century in action on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Division III football.
There hadn't been a football team at New England College in 51 years, and there isn't a record of any wins by NEC football since 1950. But that drought is no longer, as NEC defeated Maine Maritime 14-10. The game matched up two of the three first-year programs in Division III, and the only ones which had not yet recorded a win before the day began. The Pilgrims (1-6) got the job done on a drive of nearly seven minutes in the fourth quarter, as Lukas Köttstorfer completed five of seven passes on the drive and Aidan McDonald ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 3:15 left. After the defense got a four-and-out, McDonald had a 15-yard run to clinch the win. Icean Taylor totaled 123 yards on 20 carries in the win.
All-American running back Montie Quinn had another big day with four touchdown runs, three of them in the fourth quarter as Curry ran away from a tie with Western New England and scampered off with a 52-31 win. The win let the Colonels remain unbeaten in the Conference of New England, tied with Endicott, who rolled past Nichols. Quinn's three fourth-quarter TDs totaled 135 yards, leading him at 28 carries for 233 yards on the day, leaving him well on pace to finish the season with 2,000 yards. Quinn is averaging 240.4 yards per game and has 1,683 yards for the season, to go with 21 touchdowns on the ground. Curry is 6-1, 4-0 in CNE play. For Endicott, Bryan Ferreira had a big day on the ground, with 13 carries for 247 yards and four TDs in the 56-3 victory.
Eastern went to Misericordia and halted the Cougars' undefeated run through the MAC, as the Eagles topped the Cougars, 28-21, in a meeting of MAC title contenders. Eastern quarterback Brett Nabb went 13-for-13 through the air for 156 yards and ran for 129 yards and a touchdown. Eastern moves into a two-way tie for first place with Misericordia and holds the tiebreaker with three games to play. They are one game ahead of Delaware Valley, King's and Lebanon Valley after King's edged Leb Val 21-20 on a late interception.
Stevenson held the ball for 41 minutes, ran 85 plays and held a 38-21 lead late in the third quarter, but Delaware Valley scored 20 consecutive points to rally past the Mustangs, 41-38. Stevenson controlled the ball nearly the entire third quarter and converted 11 of their first 12 third down attempts, but the Aggies got a spark from freshman Joel Perez who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including a 96-yard return that ignited the comeback. Perez also caught three balls for 89 yards and the Aggies picked off Stevenson four times in the fourth quarter.
Kellan Stahl kicked the Division III record for completion percentage in a single game just a smidge higher, as he completed 27 of his 28 passes in Washington & Jefferson's 56-0 win against Waynesburg. Stahl completed 96.4% of his passes, which is now the record for best completion percentage with a minimum of 20 attempts in a game. He surpassed the 96.2% mark by Nick Semptimhelter of John Carroll earlier this season, also set against Waynesburg. No Presidents receiver had more than six catches on the day, but Jacob Macosko finished with six catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. The W&J defense limited Waynesburg to 81 total yards for the day.
Francesco Pileggi kicked a 32-yard field goal with three seconds left in the game to break a 14-all tie and Ithaca surrendered a safety on the ensuing kickoff as Union improved to 5-2 overall with a 19-14 win at Ithaca's Butterfield Stadium. The defeat was Ithaca's first conference loss, leaving Union and RPI tied at the top of the Liberty League standings. Pileggi's kick was the culmination of a game-winning eight-play, 60-yard drive that started at the 25-yard line with 1:51 left after the Bombers had just tied the game. Two runs by Patch Flanagan earned the first first down of the drive, and a huge 32-yard completion to Owen Corrigan set Union up at the 26-yard line with 18 seconds on the clock. Michael Dinardo followed with a key run to get to the 15-yard line, and Pileggi knocked it through from 32 yards out.
Roman Funk threw another six touchdown passes, four of them to Jason Leonard as Concordia (Wis.) defeated Concordia-Chicago 47-20 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play. Funk was 20-for-31 passing for 298 yards on the way to those six TDs, while Leonard caught eight passes for 138 yards and the four scores. CUW improved to 7-1, 6-0 NACC, while CUC fell to 4-3, 2-3.
MIT defensive back Lucky Deignan intercepted Salve Regina quarterback Thomas Fallon in the end zone with one minute remaining in the fourth quarter to seal a 28-20 NEWMAC victory for the Engineers over the Seahawks at Henry G. Steinbrenner '27 Stadium. MIT's defense recorded four interceptions on the day, including a pick-six from defensive back Dominic Hess that capped a dominant second quarter for MIT. The Engineers got out to a 21-6 halftime lead before Salve rallied to close the deficit to 21-12 in the third quarter. A 4-yard touchdown run from Andrew Kulhan gave MIT a 28-12 fourth quarter lead before the Engineers held off a late Salve Regina rally to earn the victory.
Stephen Jurbala came off the right side and blocked a 19-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game and Mass Maritime held on to defeat Framingham State 14-12. The Rams had gotten into position for the potential game-winning kick after Michael Marcucella hit Mathias Fowler for a 42-yard catch on the second-to-last play of the game, down to the 2-yard line. After a timeout, Jurbala got the block and the Bucaneers stopped the Rams from running it in to seal the game. Mass Maritime ran for 239 yards in the win, including six carries for 56 yards and a touchdown by Dylan Taylor.
St. Scholastica was not as fortunate, as Ethan Hess hit a 29-yard field goal as time expired to lift St. Olaf past St. Scholastica 44-41. The Oles (3-4, 2-4 MIAC) ran for 390 yards but it was the defense that got St. Olaf its final chance as Will Harris pounced on a St. Scholastica fumble after the handoff was dropped in the exchange at the Oles' 4-yard line. St. Scholastica had held the ball for more than seven minutes. But Gus Gartzke got the offense moving in the other irection, running for 17, 2, 15, 6 and 5 yards with a 26-yard Luke Crosby completion to Erick Brunsvold thrown in for good measure, setting St. Olaf up on the Scholastica 12 and setting up the Hess heroics.
The Lobster Trap will remain in Biddeford after University of New England defeated Husson, 38-28, in front of a homecoming crowd of more than 2,200 at Blue Storm Stadium. The Nor'easters are 6-1, 3-1 CNE, for the second time in three seasons, matching the 2023 campaign for the best start through seven games in program history. With 2024 having culminated in a road win over the Eagles, UNE's first-ever home victory over Husson will allow the Lobster Trap to call Biddeford home in back-to-back years for the first time in the five-year history of the rivalry trophy.
And Sewanee retook the lead in its rivalry with Rhodes, winning the Orgill Cup on Saturday by a 28-6 score and moving back ahead in the overall results, 45-44 with three ties. The teams have met each year since 1954, aside from 2020. The teams first met in 1899, the year Sewanee went on its epic barnstorming tour of five road wins in six days. Barton Mixon rushed 29 times for 201 yards and threw two touchdown passes in the win for the Tigers.