Football Dominates No. 5/5 Hardin-Simmons, 37-10

D3FOOTBALL.COM INTERVIEW: LICCIARDI/JOHNSON 

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott football team defeated No. 5/5 nationally ranked Hardin-Simmons, 37-10, on Friday night at Hempstead Stadium.

Tonight's win marked the Gulls' first-ever victory over a nationally ranked opponent in program history.

Endicott accomplished the feat behind a season-high 37 points, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles (one recovery).

The Gulls also held Hardin-Simmons to season-lows for points (10), rushing yards (178), passing yards (91), and total offense (269).

Defensively, Endicott dominated the line of scrimmage by wreaking havoc in the backfield all night.

Four student-athletes recorded a tackle for a loss – highlighted by Michael LeFebre's (Methuen, Mass.) first career sack of 15 yards – while the front seven tallied six quarterback hurries as a unit.

Offensively, Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.) showed out with four catches for 111 yards and two scores (tied career-high), both coming in the second quarter (12:08, 12-yards, 10-0 | 9:48, 51-yards, 17-0) to give Endicott an eventual 17-3 advantage at the break.

The Gulls put the game away in the third via three-short-yardage rushing touchdowns.

Anthony Caggianelli (Pelham, N.H.) punched home a one-yard score at 10:59 to make it 24-3, while Yavier Cosme-Diaz (Stratford, Conn.) broke through for a five-yard score at 4:22 (30-3) and a 2-yard TD with three seconds to play in the third for the knockout blow.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• LeFebre finished with five tackles (one sack) and picked off his eighth career pass, which set up the game's opening score – a Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.) 28-yard field with 26-seconds remaining in the first.
• Zachariah Twardosky (Merrimack, N.H.) produced a game-high/career-high-tying 10 tackles (8 solo, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble, one fumble recovery).
• Colin Campbell (Howell, N.J.) notched four tackles and his third career interception, which he nearly took the house but was stopped at Hardin-Simmons' five-yard line eventually engineering Cosme-Diaz's five-yard rushing TD.
• Matthew Licciardi (East Greenwich, R.I.) filled the stat sheet defensively with five tackles (4 solo), one forced fumble, a pass breakup, and a team-high two quarterback hurries (tied).
• Corey Monteiro (East Providence, R.I.) recorded his second career interception with under two minutes to play in the third (Cosme-Diaz followed with his 2-yard TD on the ensuing drive).
• Aylward completed his first career pass for 28 yards to Adam Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.); the dime near the right sideline orchestrated Caggianelli's score two plays later.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (3-1) visits Hilbert on Saturday, September 30 at 2:30 PM. No. 5/5 Hardin-Simmons (2-1) hosts Howard Payne next Saturday at 1 PM. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - Mazzie Hinsdale '26)