Football looks to reclaim title

After finishing 8-3 and suffering a heartbreaking lost in overtime to Framingham State, 27-21, last November, the Norwich football team is looking to reclaim the ECFC (Eastern Colligate Football Conference) Title, which it won two years ago.

After coming close to repeating as conference champions, the team is hungry to earn the title again.

"(If we are going to win the conference, we need to) win the games in our conference," said Mitch Przybocki, 19, a sophomore communications major from Middletown, N.Y.

"We have the best potential to be the best team in New England," said Adrian Dantzler, 21, a senior communications major from Mitcheville, Md.

The team will be looking for guidance from the 15 seniors on the squad, but every player has an important role in helping the team get another conference championship.

 "We have good leadership from the upperclassman, seniors and juniors," said Joseph Gumbrewicz, 21, a senior physical education major from Oxford, Conn., and a team captain.

The upperclassmen will be heavily relied on to make those plays in critical game time situations when Norwich needs it offensively or defensively.

"You always rely on experience," said Associate Coach Leo Fanning. Those seniors along with the starting returners are what is going to help this football team get where it needs to be, he said.

"You have to make them offensively and you have to deny them defensively. I think that becomes the criteria that will help us compete for the championship," Fanning said. "In critical situations (we need to) make the play."

The season opener was an away game on Sept. 3 against Western New England College. Norwich suffered a close loss, 28-24.

One lesson learned, said Przybocki: "Limit the mistakes. We're a physical football team, we just made a lot of mental mistakes and a lot of penalties."

With conference play just underway, Norwich looks to erase the troubles they have experienced in its non-conference matchups. "Play stronger and just believe in one another and everything will fall in place" said Derius Silas, 19, a sophomore communications major from Miami Gardens, Fla.

In the few games played so far, the team's running game is succeeding. Two of the four running backs, Andrew Fulford and Kris Sabourin, have recorded more than 300 yards rushing.

Another bright spot is the kick return; opponents have been kept to a total of 159 total yards in the first few games while they have totaled 327 yards.