SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 6, 2026) – The Western New England football team will celebrate its senior class ahead of tomorrow's opening kickoff against Maine Maritime Academy, with the Golden Bears looking to close out its home schedule on a high following last weekend's 49-0 shutout over New England College. 

Last Time Out:
Western New England dominated its last time out, picking up a shutout victory on the road over NEC, the second straight season in which the Golden Bears have not allowed a point to the Pilgrims. It took the Golden Bears just the opening kickoff to get the scoring started, as the Blue and Gold ran back a 79-yard kickoff return to take the opening 7-0 lead in the game. The WNE defense made a sack on the third offensive play of the game for the Pilgrims, forcing a quick three-and-out. The Golden Bears were quickly on the scoreboard again, using an 11-play, 64-yard drive to add seven more points to the scoreboard, taking a 14-0 lead with 7:40 to play in the opening quarter. The Western New England defense had a pair of sacks and forced two three-and-outs to shut down the Pilgrims in the first frame. WNE scored with five minutes to play in the second quarter, taking advantage of a missed field goal from NEC, driving down the field in eight plays, gaining 80 yards, capped off by a rushing touchdown to take a 21-0 lead. NEC fumbled at their own 29-yard line on their next offensive chance, while WNE cashed in again to take a commanding 28-0 lead at the half, gaining 137 yards in the second quarter alone, while NEC ran 21 play, generating just 20 yards. 

WNE continued to cruise with the game well in hand in the second half, capping off a ten-play, 55-yard drive on its first offensive possession of the game, finished off by a passing touchdown to lead 35-0. Scoring continued, while the WNE defense slammed the door shut on all facets of the New England College offense. With 1:29 to play in the third quarter, Western New England rushed for its fourth touchdown of the game and took a commanding 42-0 lead. New England College was forced to punt on the second play of the fourth quarter, which was taken all the way back for the final score of the afternoon for the Golden Bears, who downed the Pilgrims on their home field by a final score of 49-0, winning their second straight CNE contest. 

WNE's Offensive Weapons:
Four quarterbacks saw action for Western New England in the victory over New England College. Cody Jackson made the biggest impact for the Blue and Gold, coming away with six pass completions on ten attempts, throwing for 52 yards and a touchdown. Drew Caouette started the game at the position for WNE, tossing four completions on eight attempts. Evelio Lugo and Thomas Zullo all saw action at the position to lead WNE's offense down the field. Most of Western New England's success came from the run game, which mustered over 300 yards in the victory. Jackson led WNE with ten rushing attempts for 81 yards, scoring his first career collegiate rushing touchdown. Matthew McGuire ran nine times for 71 yards, averaging nearly eight yards per carry. Marcus Crawford scored two touchdowns on the ground of his three on the day, rushing for 60 total yards. Alex Silva, Devin Rowden, Jason Pratt, Drew Canaday, and Nico Scampolino all saw action on the ground to help the Golden Bears generate offense. 

Of Western New England's 12 completions through the air, four of those fell into the hands of Christian Delgado, who collected 34 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Jova'n Hill, John De Camps, Davion Joe, Kevin Acosta, Christian Anderson, Matthew McGuire, and Davis Nelson all caught passes for the Golden Bears in the win. 

Dominant WNE Defense:
The Golden Bears had a dominant effort on defense in the victory, as New England College totaled four yards on offense. The WNE defense got to the quarterback four times for a loss of 38 yards. Mike Zaremba, Austin Pszczolkowski, Michael Canavatchel recorded a sack each, while Ryan Clark and Dimaggio Ferrara combined for a half sack for the Golden Bears. Ferrara led WNE with nine total tackles in the win, four solo and five assisted, coming away with 1.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble leading to a WNE score. Pszczolkowski had four tackles, 3.5 of which came for loss, totaling a loss of 16 yards. Pszczolkowski was also credited with a quarterback hurry in the game. In the backfield, Western New England saw Zaremba, Clark, Alante Green, Chase Royal, and Colvin Levesque come away with pass break up in the game, while Drew Bartucca, Erik Pulkkinen, and Nick Kolifrath earned quarterback hurries. WNE's defense now ranks second-best in the Conference of New England (CNE). 

Special Teams Stars:
Western New England's special teams were on full display last week at New England College, recording a kickoff return for a touchdown, a punt returned for a touchdown, never forced to punt, and cashed in on all seven extra-point attempts. The scoring in the game began with special teams and ended with special teams. Marcus Crawford opened the game, just 14 seconds in, and recorded a 79-yard touchdown to quickly put the Golden Bears on the scoreboard. Jayden Melendez recorded a touchdown in back-to-back games, after coming away with a 41-yard touchdown on a punt return against New England College. Western New England did not need to punt in the contest, while Max LoGrasso continued his streak of extra-point makes, going 7/7 to improve to 30/30 for the season. 

Quick Scout On Maine Maritime:
The Mariners come into Golden Bears Stadium still in search of their first win of the season. The Mariners have been outscored 351-76 this season. MMA has given up 29 rushing touchdowns this season, but has been led by junior Auston Harris, who has rushed 119 times for 546 yards and scored all four of the Mariners' touchdowns on the ground. Harris Stone has been the only Mariner to play the quarterback position this season, throwing 118 completions on 225 attempts, collecting 1,106 yards of offense, and throwing seven touchdown passes. Stone's leading receiver is Ty Regis, who has caught 21 passes for 321 yards, grabbing one touchdown. Harris is Stone's top target, completing 33 passes to him for 292 yards, while scoring one touchdown. 

On defense, Lucas Houghton leads Maine Maritime with 86 tackles, which is the second-most in the CNE overall. Houghton had 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and one fumble recovery this year. Right behind Houghton are teammates Matt Gagin and Connor Cuba, who sit with the third- and fourth-most tackles in the CNE this year. Gagin has picked up 76 tackles, six of which have come for lost yardage, while Cuba has 65 total tackles, averaging over eight tackles per game.

Quarterback Harris Stone has registered 44 of MMA's 48 punts on the season, averaging over 35 yards per game, has placed 12 inside the 20-yard line, and produced three fair catches. Aidan Sullivan has picked up three punts this season, all coming in the opening game of the year. RJ Foxx has yet to hit a field goal for the Mariners this season, going 0/2. The Mariners have forced just seven punts this year, with Evan Flowers leading the way with three returns for just 22 yards. Flowers has taken in 23 kickoff returns on the season for 368 yards. Auston Harris has also been an option for MMA this season, taking 14 kickoffs for 263 yards. MMA has yet to score on special teams this season, but has given up three special teams touchdowns, two punt returns, and a kickoff return. 

The Game:
WNE will celebrate its senior class beginning at 11:40 AM, before the opening kickoff, set to begin at 12:00 PM. Tickets will be available for cash only at the gates, $5 for adults, and $3 for opposing team students and senior citizens. 
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