SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore quarterback Justin Walz (Groton, CT) enjoyed the best outing of his young career by passing for two touchdowns and running for two other scores to lead Western New England College to a 48-21 victory over visiting Hartwick College in the non-conference season opener for both teams before 2,550 sun-splashed fans Saturday (Sept. 1).

The 48 points were the most ever by the Golden Bears in their first game in 27 varsity seasons. As a club program, WNEC defeated Bentley in the 1975 season opener 50-6. This also was the first meeting between Western New England College and Hartwick since 1993.

Walz, who also is the starting second baseman on the school's baseball squad, accounted for 334 of the team's 458 yards after completing 20-of-32 passes for 222 yards while rushing for a career best 112 yards on 23 carries.

Hartwick, a member of the Empire 8 Conference, took an early 7-0 lead when senior running back Lindy Crea (Binghamton, NY) raced 84 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff after he picked up the loose ball that was muffed by teammate Tosh DeMulder.

Walz then marched the Golden Bears 52 yards on 10 plays running for six yards to tie the contest at the 10:50 mark. Junior James Farrell (East Longmeadow, MA) kicked a 31-yard field goal to give the hosts a 10-7 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter.

Western New England College extended its margin to 17-7 when Walz fired a 43-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Chris Vaillant (Holliston, MA) with 8:25 remaining in the second period. Hartwick pulled within three when junior quarterback Jason Boltus (Baldwinsville, NY) and junior wide receiver Jack Phelan (Slingerslands, NY) combined for a 19-yard touchdown with 4:05 left before intermission.

On the ensuing kickoff, freshman defensive back Pat Lesko (Seymour, CT) muffed the kickoff, but picked up the elusive ball and ran 78 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown to help the Golden Bears take a 24-14 lead into half-time.

WNEC, a member of the New England Football Conference, broke the game open in the third quarter when Walz hit junior running back Jordan Capitanio (Torrington, CT) for a 49-yard scoring play. Capitanio also contributed 64 yards on the ground on 11 carries. Walz ran 12 yards for his final touchdown on the next possession to give WNEC a 38-14 advantage with 3:18 left in the third stanza.

The Hawks tallied their final touchdown when Boltus (19-for-49, 279 yards) hit senior tight end Corey D'Agostino (Rye, NY) with an 11-yard score late in the final quarter.

Crea totaled 291 all-purpose yards, which included six kickoffs for 155 yards and eight receptions for 115 yards. He led all NCAA Division III players in that category last season.

Western New England College senior wide receiver Kevin Miculcy (Greenwich, CT) finished with six catches for 33 yards while senior Pat Murphy (Kensington, NH) had five receptions for 40 yards in his first game as a wide receiver. Freshman linebacker Dylan Chandler (Durham, ME) also was outstanding in his first college game compiling a team high 11 tackles with a sack. Senior linebacker Eli Gardner (Milford, NJ) chipped in with nine tackles. Senior free safety Dan Ballentine (Staten Ialand, NY) added eight tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone with 3:40 left in the first period to thwart a Hawks scoring attempt.

Senior linebacker Joe Flaherty (Hastings, NY) led Hartwick with 13 tackles, including eight solo stops. The Hawks finished the game with 343 total yards.