Football wins six straight, ranked first

The Cadets will host the inaugural Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) Championship Game on Saturday, Nov. 14, after defeating New York Maritime 15-3.

The Cadets have won six straight games.

With the season coming to an end the Cadets learned to pull it together and surprise the whole conference this year.

Early in the season the football team started off sluggish and slow. Losing the first three games by an average of 10 points weighs a lot on a team's confidence, players said.

"In the first three games our opponent didn't beat us, we beat ourselves," said Darnell Jackson, student running back coach.

"Losing the first three games really hit us hard, but we rebounded well and we played the way we knew we could play and have almost reached our full potential," said Don Hanni, 21, junior, a criminal justice major from Youngstown, Ohio.

Switching to a new conference seems to have played in Norwich's favor. After finishing 2-8 last year, this season the Cadets are predicted to finish first overall in conference play.

The Cadets are averaging 30 points a contest and locking down on defense, allowing opponents only seven points.

"We are the hunted right now and we are the only team in the conference without a loss," said Rocco DiMecco, 20, junior, a physical education major from Holden, Mass.

"Maritime beat us last year, but the past few years we have beaten them by a lot so we are expecting them to come here ready to play," Jackson said before Saturday's game.

The Cadets are number one in the conference. Mount Ida follows them in the number two slot.

"Now we know we can do anything if we play as a team and open our minds to it," said Captain Dan Wilde, 20, a senior from Worcester, Mass.

"People are gunning for us now, so we just have to stay focused and do what we do," said DiMecco.

"We're pretty much secured a spot in the conference championship and we are now playing for home field advantage, but we have to stay focused and can't take anyone lightly, and the team we play next just might put a beating on Mt. Ida," Jackson said enthusiastically.

The Cadets close out their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 7, when the Cadets travel to Castleton, Vt., to play rival Castleton State College at 1 p.m.