DUDLEY, Mass. – Senior running back Jordan Capitanio (Torrington, CT) and junior quarterback Justin Walz (Groton, CT) enjoyed record-setting performances as the Western New England College football team ended its season on a positive note with a 42-14 victory over Nichols Saturday afternoon (Nov. 8).

This was the second victory in three games for the Golden Bears who finished with a 3-7 record, including a 3-4 mark in the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Boyd Division.

Capitanio rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns (34 and 58 yards) and caught two passes for 56 yards and another score (53 yards) in his final appearance. He became only the second player in school history to run for over 3,000 yards, finishing with 3,083. Marvin Langley holds the school mark with 3,401 yards (1998-2001). Capitanio also finished with 240 career points, two behind Langley.

Waltz completed 18-of-30 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns (53 and 17 yards) with an interception. He established a school record for yards passing with 1,907, breaking his mark of 1,894 sets last year.

Western New England College took a 7-0 lead on the first play of the game when freshman defensive end Scott Wojciechowski (Adams, MA) recovered a loose ball in the end zone following a bad snap.

Walz upped the margin to 14-0 with a one-yard run on the Golden Bears' next possession before the hosts got on the board when senior running back Robert Morris (Melbourne, FL) ran 80 yards with 6:35 left in the opening period.

Western New England College took a 28-6 advantage into halftime when Walz tossed scoring strikes to Capitanio (53 yards) and junior receiver Chris Vaillant (Holliston, MA) (17 yards). Vaillant finished with a game high seven receptions for 60 yards.

Capitanio ran for his two touchdowns in the third quarter to give the Golden Bears a commanding 42-6 edge.

The Bison scored their final touchdown on a 13-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Charles Samples (Deming, NM) to sophomore back Langston Little (Stratford, CT) 11 seconds into the fourth quarter.

WNEC's secondary picked-off three passes as sophomore Patrick Lesko (Seymour, CT). and freshmen Daniel Darragh (Northfield, CT) and Casey Dunne (Milford, CT) came through with big plays. Lesko also recovered a fumble as the Golden Bears forced five turnovers.

Sophomore linebacker Dylan Chandler (Durham, ME) and sophomore safety Joe Begnal (Waterbury, CT) compiled nine and seven tackles, respectively.

Nichols out gained Western New England College by a 349 to 285 margin as Morris finished with 100 yards on eight carries. The Bison ended their campaign with a 2-8 record (0-7 Boyd).