WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State football hosts Western New England University in the annual "Presidents' Cup" rivalry game at Alumni Field on Friday evening, Sept. 13, 2019, in a game that doubles as the Owls' home opener.
The Teams: Westfield State enters 0-1 on the season, while the Golden Bears bring a 1-0 record into the contest. WNE was picked to win the CCC in the league's preseason coaches' poll. Westfield was picked sixth in the MASCAC preseason poll.
The Series: Western New England leads the Owls 17-14 in the all-time series, and has won eight of the last nine matchups.
Last Year: Westfield fell to WNE 31-23. Jake Cassidy threw for 156 yards and a TD, while Evan Garvey caught two passes for 79 yards. The Owls were driving late in the game with a chance to tie, but a fourth-down interception ended the Owls chances deep in WNE territory with seconds left in the game. WNE's Alec Coleman competed 18-27 passes for three TD's, and Peter Hoff ran for 56 yards and a TD.
Last Week: Westfield fell to Union (NY) by a 42-7 final score. Senior QB Jake Cassidy scrambled for the Owls' only TD of the game, and junior defensive back Alijah Ellis made 14 tackles and was named to the MASCAC weekly honor roll. Freshman LB Rashawn Settles forced a fumble that set up the Owls touchdown. Western New England topped Springfield College, 33-17 in the annual 'Pynchon Saw' rivalry game. QB Alec Coleman led a strong offensive performance for Western New England, completing 28-of-36 pass attempts for 305 yards and one touchdown. Coleman also rushed for 46 yards and an additional score.
Westfield on Offense: Westfield returns senior QB Jake Cassidy to the lineup. Cassidy is a dual threat in both the run and pass game. He threw for 906 yards and three TD's in 2018, and rushed for 456 yards and five more scores.The offensive line will be a strong suit, as seniors Chris Saba, Connor Gregoire, Saul Cabrera, Kevin Joyce and Cole Wyse return with junior Sean Green to give that group both experience and depth. Wide receivers Evan Garvey and Isaiah Lopez return for Westfield and tight ends Adam Cahill and Ethan Hallett are also back. Westfield will be looking to fill the void at running back left by the graduation of All-New England tailback Travon Holder. Candidates to fill that role include Shaquille Adjei, Chris Belsito, who returns after a year away from the Owls, and transfer Germaine Everett-Welcome, and sophomore Shane Clark.
Westfield on Defense: Westfield returns just three starters on defense from the 2018 season. Senior DB and captain Jack Buckley and Ellis anchor the defensive secondary, while senior DT Jake Mullins is expected to be a mainstay on the defensive line. Westfield will look to fill in around this group, with senior LB's George Cole and Joe Mazzotta stepping in to bigger roles, and the opportunity exists for many returnees and newcomers to earn playing time.
Westfield Special Teams: The Owls return a strong contingent in the special teams' game. Senior Evan Garvey led the nation in kick return yards per return in 2017, and senior kicker Corey Pooler, and senior punter Cody Cleveland are both back for the Owls as well. Cam Gallagher handles kickoffs for the Owls.
WNE on Offense: The Bears return QB Alec Coleman, who is the defending CCC player of the year. He had a big opening day last week, completing 28-of-36 pass attempts for 305 yards and one touchdown. Coleman also rushed for 46 yards and an additional score. Senior running back Peter Hoff carried the ball 15 times for 97 yards (6.5 avg.), while junior Steven Fedorchak paced the receiving corps with seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
WNE on Defense: Sophomore safety Bailey Devine-Scott led the Golden Bears with 12 tackles, a forced fumble and four pass breakups in the season opener. Junior linebacker Erich Keutmann also made 12 stops, including a sack, and sophomore linebacker Joshua Salem added 10 tackles.
WNE on Special Teams: Senior kicker Kieran Lombard converted all four of his field goal attempts while going 3-for-3 on extra point tries last week.
Coverage: The game is web-streamed at WestfieldStateOwls.com, and can be found on the MASCAC.tv channel on ROKU, AppleTV, and AmazonFire devices. Westfield State students Joe Braverman and Josh Delaney have the call of the game.
What's Next: Westfield State will open MASCAC play with defending conference champion Framingham State University on Saturday, September 21 for a high-noon kickoff at Bowditch Field in Framingham. The game will be the Rams' homecoming.