By Craig Gilvarg, Staff Reporter
September 22, 2013
Worcester, MA --- They grew up in neighboring towns, no more than a few miles away from one another. But Medway's Bryan Narcisse, and Zack Skerry, of Milford, only crossed paths on a football field briefly during their high school careers, at a summer camp run by former Milford coach Tom Cullen.
The schools, which played in the Tri-Valley League and Central Mass. Division 1, respectively, at the time, never scheduled each other during their time as high school players.
But as luck would have it, college allowed them another opportunity to get better acquainted.
Now, they're rarely more than a few feet from each other. The two entered their junior year at Worcester State University in September, and have become close friends.
Not to mention one of the most dangerous defensive line combos in the MASCAC.
"Both of them have really progressed tremendously," said Worcester State coach Brien Cullen. "They went from very good high school players to very good college players. They've taken that extra step and they've really bought into the program, and both have been outstanding players for us."
Through three games, the Lancers are 2-1. They opened their season with victories against Anna Maria and WPI, before being dealt a loss Friday by Bridgewater State.
And after three contests, Narcisse and Skerry, the Lancers' pair of defensive ends, have filled up the stat sheet, with Narcisse ranking second on the team in tackles and Skerry third.
Overall, Narcisse has made 23 tackles (17 solo), 9.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage, including 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Skerry, meanwhile, has 17 tackles (13 solo), with 4.5 for a loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles.
"We just like to set the tone for the whole team," said Skerry. "We play well as a defense as a whole, so we just go out there, set the tone and make sure everyone knows what they're doing. Honestly, we don't have to do much except line up and let everyone do what they do."
As far as setting the tone is concerned, Narcisse, one of the Lancers' four captains, took care of that in the season opener against Anna Maria.
Turning in the most dominant performance of his career, Narcisse was a terror, registering 13 tackles, seven of which came behind the line of scrimmage, including four sacks.
"I've never had a game like that before in my life," said Narcisse. "It was just one of those games where everything happened to be clicking and the results showed. I think that's something I'll definitely remember."
He'll have some hardware to serve as a reminder, as the performance earned him MASCAC defensive player of the week honors.
"Bryan was at that level last year," said Cullen. "He's a captain this year as a junior. He's worked very hard in the offseason and he's progressively improved each year he's been with us.
"He's a force. We moved him last year to the outside at defensive end, and it's a real advantage for him because he's so quick and strong and puts the opposing lineman in a real bind."
Naturally, WPI took notice.
Determined not to let Narcisse take over the way he had against Anna Maria, WPI attempted to stymie the Lancers' defensive end with double-and even triple-teams.
But game planning for Worcester State isn't as simple as taking away one player. It's a matter of picking your poison.
The focus WPI gave to Narcisse only opened things up for Skerry, who made six tackles with two sacks while forcing a key fumble in a 15-14 victory that came down to the final minutes.
"If he's doing well they'll put the strength to him and it'll give me an opening and I have to take advantage of it," said Skerry. "And vice versa. If I'm having a good game, it opens things up for him on the other side."
It's a lethal combination, only enhanced by the burgeoning friendship between the players.
"We definitely have a great relationship," said Skerry. "It's kind of like in practice we always look to outdo each other and it's always great competition. It's good fun."
"I love playing alongside Zack," echoed Narcisse. "He's a big goofy character. He's a big ball of joy and it's great playing with someone you get along with so well."
The two defensive ends are far from the only local players on the roster. In fact, WSU seems something of a destination for MetroWest area talent.
Other familiar names on the Lancers include receiver AJ Scerra (Marlborough), receiver Dana Barry and defensive back David Meuse (Hudson), defensive back James Brodeur, defensive end Gabe Caetano and offensive lineman Brian Sanchioni (Milford), and defensive lineman Conor Sayles (Hopedale).
That's in addition to Tom Cullen, the former Scarlet Hawks coach, who now works under his brother as the Lancers defensive line coach — a position that reunited him with Skerry.