SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" Senior running back Mike Laroche (Berlin, CT) made his final collegiate game a memorable one by rushing for a career high 250 yards on a school record 52 carries with four touchdowns as Western New England College rallied from a 21-point half-time deficit to post a 35-31 win over Nichols College its season finale in a NEFC Boyd Division game played at Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley.
The Golden Bears finished the season with a 5-4 record for their first winning mark in six years (WNEC also was 5-4 in 1998). WNEC finished 3-3 in the division.
Trailing 28-7 at half-time, Laroche started the comeback by scoring three times in the third quarter.
He set a school record with a 92-yard run only 21 seconds into the period, then hit the end zone on a one-yard score on the team's next possession to get the Golden Bears within 28-20 at the 10:53 mark.
Nichols went ahead 31-20 on a 30-yard field goal by Matt Cestone before Laroche tallied his final score on another one-yard effort to pull WNEC within 31-28 with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
Western New England College scored the winning touchdown on a 65-yard pass on fourth and four from sophomore quarterback Jon Tallerico (Port Chester, NY) (7-of-10, 146 yards) to senior Mark Kyer (Stratford, CT) with 3:49 remaining in the game.
Nichols then drove to the WNEC 31, but lost the ball on downs and the Golden Bears ran out the clock.
Sophomore strong safety Brent Dube (Lewiston, ME) registered 12 tackles while sophomore free safety Jim Kantany (East Longmeadow, MA) had an interception.
Laroche's performance moved him from fourth to second on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,587 yards. He finished the year with 975 yards this season and 15 touchdowns.
"This was our best comeback in my 14 years," said an elated WNEC coach Gerry Martin. "I'm so proud of these guys. Just like the Red Sox, we never gave up and the result was a winning season."
WNEC also beat Nichols for the first time in five meetings dating back to 1998 and only for the seventh time in 21 games.
