Four Major Award Winners Highlight CNE Football All-Conference Honorees
BEVERLY, Mass. — Twenty-two members of the No. 24 nationally ranked Endicott football team have earned Conference of New England (CNE) postseason honors, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
Headlining the Gulls were first-time major award winners Joe Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.), Davenche Sydney (Malden, Mass.), Caleb Luz (Hudson, Mass.), and Bryan Ferreira (Woburn, Mass.).
Tirrell, a senior linebacker, was named Defensive Player of the Year, marking the fourth time in the last five years an Endicott student-athlete has won the award.
Sydney was selected as the league's Offensive Lineman of the Year. The senior tackle is the third straight Gull to receive the award.
Luz, a junior, claimed Defensive Lineman of the Year accolades, giving the Blue and Green four straight nods in the category.
Ferreira rounded out the list of major award winners as the conference's Rookie of the Year pick. The freshman is the second running back in program history to garner Rookie of the Year (or Offensive Rookie of the Year) honors.
Additionally, Gus Goncalves (Revere, Mass.) was chosen as Endicott's representative for the CNE Community Service. The Community Service Team highlights one student-athlete per institution who demonstrates a commitment to their community.
The rest of the Gulls' award winners were:
ALL-CNE FIRST TEAM
QB — Shea Lynch (Peabody, Mass.)
APB — Markys Bridgewater (Lawrence, Mass.)
G — Sean King (Wrentham, Mass.)
C — Vincent Insinga (Greenwich, Conn.)
T — Davenche Sydney (Malden, Mass.)
TE/HB — Jacob Ward (Coventry, R.I.)
DB — Alfino Davis (Cranston, R.I.)
DL — Brian Daly (Franklin Square, N.Y.)
DL — Caleb Luz (Hudson, Mass.)
LB — Danny Fleming (Tewksbury, Mass.)
LB — Joe Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.)
ALL-CNE SECOND TEAM
RB — Bryan Ferreira (Woburn, Mass.)
G — Joseph Palombo (Rockway Beach, N.Y.)
T — Shane Fitzgerald (North Andover, Mass.)
DL — Chase Duncan (Queens, N.Y.)
P — Garoid Stones (Braintree, Mass.)
ALL-CNE THIRD TEAM
RB — Markys Bridgewater (Lawrence, Mass.)
WR — Adam Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.)
DB — Mason Bachry (Haverhill, Mass.)
DB — Will Shannon (Topsfield, Mass.)
DL — Nick Ferguson (East Longmeadow, Mass.)
LB - Jake McKerley (Boscawen, N.H.)
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Joe Tirrell | LB | Sr. | Franklin, Mass.
Defensive Player of the Year | First Team
In 10 games played this season, Tirrell has compiled 51 tackles (27 solo, 24 assisted), 1.5 sacks, 7.0 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two pass breakups.
Tirrell has guided Endicott's defensive unit to top-tier NCAA D3 rankings in the following categories (NCAA | CNE | Value): first downs defense (16th | 1st | 135), fumbles recovered (8th | 1st | 11), red zone defense (25th | 1st | .650), scoring defense (16th | 1st | 13.5), team tackles for a loss (15th | 1st | 7.8), total defense (17th | 1st | 250.2), and turnover margin (14th | 2nd | 1.10).
The senior is a four-time CNE All-Conference selection (3x 1st Team, 1x 2nd Team), and just the second linebacker in program history to claim three All-Conference selections exclusively at the position (named 1st Team Utility in 2022).
Davenche Sydney | OL | Sr. | Malden, Mass.
Offensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
Sydney has not allowed a single sack this season, culminating in a 95% player grade at the tackle position over 10 contests.
His consistent, high-level play has Endicott's offensive line ranked No. 2 nationally for fewest sacks allowed at 0.30 per game.
The Gulls also rank sixth in rushing offense (2nd CNE, 284.6), seventh in scoring offense (2nd, 47.1), 13th in total offense (2nd, 486.0), and 25th in first downs offense (3rd, 233).
Sydney is the fourth student-athlete to earn Offensive Lineman of the Year honors, and the third straight Gull to claim the honor.
The last two recipients, Justyn Lester (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Charlie Kulhay (Glastonbury, Conn.), later claimed All-America laurels in their award-winning seasons (2023, 2024).
Caleb Luz | DL | Jr. | Hudson, Mass.
Defensive Lineman of the Year | First Team
In 10 games this season, Luz has recorded 34 total tackles (15 solo, 19 assisted) to go with 3.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
The junior has posted career numbers across the board, including eight total tackles in the conference championship game against Curry.
The Hudson, Mass. native recorded his first career touchdown this season versus UNE, and his four tackles for loss in the road win at Nichols ranks tied for seventh for most tackles for loss in a single game.
This is the fourth consecutive season (fifth time overall) Endicott has won Defensive Lineman of the Year honors, as Hector Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) earned the honor in both 2022 and 2024, while Colin Meropoulos (Monroe, Conn.) in 2023.
Bryan Ferreira | RB | Fr. | Woburn, Mass.
Rookie of the Year | Second Team
Ferreira is the ninth student-athlete in program history to obtain conference Rookie of the Year honors.
The star running back has shattered the program's freshman rushing records across the board. His 1,023 rush yards, 9.2 yards per attempt, and 14 rushing touchdowns are the most ever by a freshman.
Additionally, Ferreira's 14 touchdowns are tied for the program's single-season record set by Mike Lane '12 in 2010. His 9.2 yards per attempt are also ranked second to Lane's 10.03 in 2010.
Beyond the scope of his rushing dominance, Ferreira also made a big impact for the Gulls in the return and passing games.
On 75 kick returns this season, Ferreira has recorded 1,175 return yards (117.5 return yards per game). He brought one kick all the way back for a 75-yard touchdown against Western New England on October 18.
On that day against the Golden Bears, he posted a monster 259 all-purpose yard performance (184 rush, 75 return) along with three total touchdowns (one return, two rushing).
A week later, Ferreira exploded for his second consecutive 200+ yard performance from the field. On 13 rush attempts, the freshman back broke loose for 247 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught an 18-yard pass, totaling 265 yards of offense on the day, which set a new program single-game record.
Ferreira secures Rookie of the Year honors after he was a 4x CNE Rookie of the Week (10/6/25, 10/20/25, 10/27/25, 11/17/25) and 1x CNE Offensive Player of the Week (10/28/25) this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 24 Endicott (9-1) squares off against No. 9/12 Salisbury University (9-1) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, November 29 at 12 PM.
Next weekend's matchup in Maryland will be the first-ever meeting between the programs.
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