No. 11/12 Football Pummels Nichols, 50-10

BEVERLY, Mass. — The No. 11/12 nationally ranked Endicott football team upended Nichols, 50-10, in a Saturday afternoon Conference of New England (CNE) clash at Hempstead Stadium.

The Gulls leaped out to a quick 7-0 advantage at the 8:13 mark of the first quarter, as a Gulls defensive stop set up Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.) for a two-yard receiving touchdown to cap off a 64 yard, 4:43 drive (10 plays).

After the Bison got on the board with a field goal, the Gulls punched in their second touchdown of the day courtesy of an eight play, 67-yard drive finished off with a 13-yard run by Yavier Cosme-Diaz (Stratford, Conn.) into the end zone.

In their following drive, after the defense forced another Nichols punt, the Gulls got into the end zone once more with another short three-yard receiving touchdown between Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Aylward.

Before the half came to a close, the Bison got into the end zone to make it a 21-10 contest, but the Gulls carried that commanding lead into the halftime break.

Just over a minute into the third quarter, Endicott found its fourth touchdown drive of the day after Marengi broke loose for a 15 yard run to the house, his fifth rushing touchdown of the year.

Headed by Michael Canney (Dracut, Mass.), the Gulls forced a turnover on downs to regain possession, which then set up a 34 yard touchdown reception for Everett Knowlton III (Mansfield, Mass.) with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter. 

A few minutes later, Adam Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.) jumped in on the scoring, as his 33 yard catch downfield eventually got himself the redzone target from Marengi. He later hauled down a two-yard touchdown reception to make it 42-10 Endicott heading into the fourth quarter.

The following Nichols drive was cut short thanks to a Matthew Licciardi (East Greenwich, R.I.) interception (first career), which led to another Endicott touchdown for Michael Vecchione (Chelmsford, Mass.) (9:06 4Q).

The Gulls then took a 50-10 stranglehold on the contest after the Bison snapped the ball out of the endzone for a safety.

Marengi finished his day with 174 passing yards (17-20) and four passing touchdowns. He also added on 62 rushing yards on five attempts, including his 15-yard scramble to the end zone.

Meanwhile, Markys Bridgewater (Lawrence, Mass.) and Cosme-Diaz posted 99 and 89 yards from the backfield, respectively. Goodfellow led all Endicott receivers with 81 yards on six receptions.

On the defensive side of the ball, Zachariah Twardosky (Merrimack, N.H.) racked up a team-high six tackles, while Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) picked up a sack with a game-high three QB hurries.

Mike Bartley (North Caldwell, N.J.) converted all six of his extra point attempts, and Ryan Smith (Glastonbury, Conn.) compiled 438 yards on his eight kickoffs.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott moves to 19-2 in the all-time series against Nichols. The Gulls have taken 16 in a row from the Bison, dating back to 9/29/2007.
• Marengi's 85% completion rate is a career-high. Additionally, his four touchdowns are a season-high.
• Goodfellow's eight receiving touchdowns are tops in the CNE. His 29 receptions and 534 yards rank third in the conference. 
• The Gulls have posted 40+ points in four games this season (50+ twice).
• The Blue and Green totaled 311 rush yards while holding Nichols to just 28.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 11/12 Endicott (7-1, 3-0 CNE) welcomes Husson to Hempstead Stadium next Saturday on Senior Day for a 12 PM kickoff. Nichols (3-5, 0-3 CNE) heads home and will welcome in Curry for a 12 PM CNE kickoff next Saturday. 

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

(Photo Credit - Mazzie Hinsdale '26)