Box Score
MIT
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Freshman Brendon Thompson (Enfield, CT) returned two kickoffs for touchdowns to lead Western New England College to a 59-21 victory over visiting MIT in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) Boyd Division game Saturday (Oct. 17).
Thompson tied the NCAA Division III record shared by many players after returning the opening kick 89 yards and adding a 79-yard score with 3:21 left before halftime as the Golden Bears took a 38-7 advantage at the break.
Junior defensive back Pat Lesko (Seymour, CT) had a pair of interceptions in the first quarter that WNEC turned into 10 points.
Senior quarterback Justin Walz (Groton, CT) was 11-of-16 passing for 197 yards and a touchdown. He added two rushing scores (1 and 5 yards) in the second period to give the Golden Bears a 24-0 lead. Walz also had his first college reception after hauling in a 20-yard pass from sophomore receiver Kenny Muhlack (Groton, CT) in the third period. Muhlack also had a 40-yard run on an end around play in the second quarter.
Senior placekicker Jake Field (Bedminster, NJ) established a school mark by converting eight points after touchdowns. He also added a career best 38-yard field goal. He also caught three passes for 47 yards and had a 44-yard punt.
Freshman back Mike Graham (Norwalk, CT) returned to the lineup after missing two games and rushed for a team high 62 yards on nine carries and one touchdown (4 yards) along with a 49-yard kickoff return.
Senior back Chris Winn (Norwich, CT) added 49 yards on the ground while sophomore JJ Jachym (Milford, CT) contributed 48 yards and a five-yard score.
Senior receiver Rob Chiaccio (Groton, CT) hauled in three receptions for 79 yards. Sophomore receiver Sam Stringfellow (Stratford, CT) caught a 28-yard touchdown from Walz while junior tight end Dan Crane (Waterbury, CT) had a five-yard score from senior quarterback Tim Hegarty (Bridgewater, MA).
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Todd Krolikowski (Bristol, CT) compiled a game high 12 tackles while freshman defensive back Phil Tsopanides (Fairfield, CT) had 10 stops.
Western New England College (3-4, 2-2 Boyd) set a school record for points, breaking the old mark of 57 set against Framingham State in 2001. The Golden Bears out-gained the Engineers by a 493 to 292 margin and had a season high 256 yards rushing.
MIT senior All-America running back DeRon Brown (Galax, VA) had another solid performance with 185 yards on 38 carries. He had a terrific 71-yard run for the Engineers' first touchdown in the second stanza and added a one-yard run early in the third period.
Junior back Stephen Yablonski (Mt. Sinai, NY) chipped-in with 33 yards and had a three-yard score in the final period.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Johnson (Fairview, NC) was 7-of-12 passing for 61 yards.
Sophomore linebacker Peter Gilliland (Grand Ledge, MI) led the Engineers with 10 tackles. Sophomore back Marcel Sanchez (Oneonta, NY) had a fumble recovery.
MIT drops to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the Boyd Division.
