WORCESTER, Mass. -- The 2022-2023 season didn’t go exactly as planned for the Worcester State Lancers and third-year head coach Adam Peloquin, but this year they are looking to make a big presence in the MASCAC. The team finished with a 1-9 overall record with a 1-7 MASCAC record last season, but with an opening night matchup with WPI, the Lancers are set to write a different story this year.
Offense:
The Lancer offense sneakily had some great performances from its squad and showed potential promise to improve on last season's numbers.
During the 2022 season, the team finished their campaign with 1,105 rushing and 2,032 passing yards, both best for fourth in the MASCAC. Their 314 rushing attempts were sixth in the conference while being tied for fourth in passing attempts (289). The offense also finished third in completions on the year (168).
For each game, the team averaged 313.7 yards per game, fifth best in the MASCAC. They totaled 21.1 points per game, 110.5 rushing, and 203.2 passing yards per game. All were sixth best in the conference.
What makes these numbers more impressive is that the team finished last in time of possession per game (25:37). The fact that the team was able to finish top four in major offensive categories with such a short amount of time with the ball gives hope that this season will see an explosion on offense.
Worcester State loses a key player to graduation in QB Aaron Moses-Williams (Springfield, Mass.). In his final year, Moses-Williams had the best efficiency ranking in the MASCAC (150.2) while posting 1,526 passing yards, 173.6 passing yards per game, and fourteen touchdowns, each good for fourth best in the MASCAC. The QB rushed 89 times for 142 yards.
With the offensive monster that Moses-Williams was, he did have the most interceptions in the conference (9) with six fumbles. If the turnovers are kept down from the QB position, the Lancers should be in good shape to make a deep run this season.
Senior Mike Loveless (Nashua, N.H.) will replace Moses-Williams at the important QB position. As the backup last season, Loveless displayed his dual-threat capabilities with his arm and legs in the pocket last season.
In eight games, Loveless went 36/83 (43.4%) with 355 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He rushed 30 times for 196 yards averaging 6.5 yards per carry with five touchdowns, tied for seventh-best in the conference. On top of that, he had the longest rush in the MASCAC last season, ripping off a 68-yard TD run. Loveless fumbled three times which he will look to improve on this season as the play caller.
Loveless has impressed with his five rushing touchdowns in his backup role and has shown the ability to make big plays happen with last year's 68-yard rushing touchdown against the number one team in the league UMASS Dartmouth. It will be exciting to see what he pulls off this season.
In the backfield, the Lancers lost running back Amir Mells (Boston, Mass.) to graduation and his team-leading 113 rushes for 445 yards, both good for seventh and sixth best in the MASCAC.
Stepping up in his place will be junior Nico Holmes (Mansfield, Mass.). In 10 games as a sophomore, Holmes rushed 74 times for 258 yards and three touchdowns, tenth most in the conference. He had ten receptions for 70 yards. Holmes played in every game as a second-year player and will be looked upon to be a leader on this offense this year, and next, as he gains more experience and reps.
The wide receiver room stays intact for the most part. They keep their top guy in junior Dylan Hall (Plainville, Conn.). Last season in 10 games Hall posted 34 receptions for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Each stat landed him in the top ten in his conference.
Junior Deion Osei-Sarpong (Holden, Mass.) returns as he had the second most receptions on the team with 25 with 331 yards and one touchdown in eight games. Osei-Sarpong averaged 41.4 yards per game, sixth best in the conference.
Wide receiver seniors Dan DiVerdi (Sterling, Mass.) and Drew von Klock (Walpole, Mass.) were productive members of last season’s receiving crew who brought back their talents. In nine games DiVerdi finished with 17 receptions and 227 yards. Von Klock finished the year with ten receptions, 117 yards, and two touchdowns. Both will look to make jumps in their games.
Defense:
There is an old saying that defense wins championships, unless said defense is playing Patrick Mahomes. While the Lancers finished in the bottom two in the conference in opponent yards per game (446.5), rushing yards per game (210.8), passing yards per game (235.7), and points per game (39.8), they return a depth of talent that has the experience, potential and determination to up the ante this year.
Four of the team’s top five tacklers are gone this season. Defensive back Noah Peterson (Millbury, Mass.) ended his final season with 66 total tackles, seventh most in the MASCAC. Peterson had the second most pass breakups on the team with five.
Sam Duah Jr. (Worcester, Mass.) and Jayden Da Cruz (Providence, R.I.) both exit the team with 60 and 45 tackles. Duah Jr. completed his final year thirteenth in the conference as first-year Da Cruz leaves with 45 total tackles. Da Cruz finished tied for first on the team in tackles for loss (5) with junior Ebenezer Ankommah Gyau (Worcester, Mass.)
Junior defensive lineman Matt O’Connor (Selkirk, N.Y.) totaled the fifth most tackles on the team (37). Ankommah Gyau returns with his second-best 24 tackles for the DL crew.
For linebackers, senior John McMasters III (Raynham, Mass.) returns with the second most tackles (61) and one sack. McMasters III tacked on an interception and two fumble recoveries. Junior Dominic Annese (Peabody, Mass.) ended his year top ten in tackles on the team (28).
Returning defensive backs senior Curt Marshall (Taunton, Mass.), juniors Jamison Metcalf (Leicester, Mass.), and Conor McTigue (Shrewsbury, Mass.) placed six through eight in total tackles on the roster last season. Metcalf ended with 36 as Marshall and McTigue were right behind with 35.
Special Teams:
Casual fans may brush special teams off as I did once, but it is just as important as the offensive or defensive side of football, especially in college. Good special teams can help your defense, which in turn will help your offense. A good crew hopefully will be able to make the opponents game plan that much harder.
Securing the ball and not coughing up turnovers that gives other teams more opportunities at scoring is devastating for any team. Being able to cause turnovers and put pressure on visiting teams make winning football games a little bit easier.
Junior kicker Santiago Rodriguez-D’Atri (Leominster, Mass.) and his leg return for this season. Rodriguez D’Atri went 4/6 on field goals, 21/26 on extra points. Backing him up is first-year Sete Deletoile (Taunton, Mass.).
The Lancers will lose their punter from last season Kyle Wall (Sterling, Mass.) to graduation but Rodriguez-D’Atri is ready to step into the role as the punter, he is accompanied by first-year Oliver Sciascia (Middleborough, Mass).
Jamison Metcalf returns to put his stamp as the kickoff returner specialist. Von Klock will return punts once again this season.
Conclusion:
The Lancers may have finished eighth in a conference that houses nine teams, but there were a handful of close games that could have pushed Worcester State to more wins and a better finish in the standings.
From October 15 to November 11, the team had three close finishes versus Mass. Maritime, West Conn., and Framingham St., games that were each decided by seven points or less. Football is a game of one or two plays and if some of those broke Worcester’s way we might be having a different discussion about last season.
The youth and new talent on this roster will be something to pay close attention to. There are three graduate seniors and eight seniors on the entire roster. For reference, defending MASCAC champs UMass Dartmouth has 18 seniors suiting up.
The offense should be fun to watch. The Lancers didn’t have the ball much last season but when they did, their offensive weapons were able to produce and put numbers up. Loveless being able to run effectively will add an interesting dynamic to this potential explosive lineup with Holmes in the backfield. Hall, Osei-Sarpong, DiVerdi, and von Klock split outside will keep defenses honest with their ability to make catches.
Players on the defensive side of the ball must step up and fill in for the loss in production from former teammates Peterson and Duah Jr. as each finished the season strong being nominated to the MASCAC Second Team Defense. It will be tough to beat any team allowing nearly 40 points every game.
McMasters III will lead the defense alongside Annese, O’Connor, and Ankommah Gyau in the front seven. Marshall, Metcalf, and McTigue will anchor the defensive backs and eye to improve the defense and the team's chance of winning games.
Overall, it will be exciting to see this team in action and see how the season shapes out. As mentioned, this is a younger team with explosiveness on the offensive side. The defense will be key to the team’s success, but with new players and more experience, there is faith that this team can build something this season and for others to follow.
2023-2024 Schedule:
9/1 7:00 PM @ WPI
9/9 1 PM vs. Union (N.Y.)
9/16 12 PM vs. Fitchburg St.
9/23 12 PM @ Mass.-Dartmouth
10/6 7 PM vs. Bridgewater St.
10/12 7 PM @ Mass. Maritime
10/21 7 PM @ Plymouth St.
10/28 3 PM vs. WestConn
11/4 12 PM @ Westfield St. (Homecoming)
11/11 12 PM vs. Framingham St. (Senior Day)
Roster Positional Breakdown:
Offense:
Offensive Linemen (16): (Jr.) Trever Johnson, (Jr.) Austin Michaelson, (Jr.) Sam Bronco, (Jr.) Austin Michaelson, (Jr.) Matthew Noonan, (Jr.) Kainen Sullivan, (So.) Jake Ambrose, (So.) Sean Daly, (Fy.) Dylan McCabe, (Fy.) Tyler Duggan, (Fy.) Kellan Rahming, (Fy.) Hunter Robie, (Fy.) Mitch Robinson, (Fy.) Antonio Sforza, (Fy.) Zach Stewart, (Fy.) Christopher Talbot.
Quarterbacks (7): (Gs.) Melke Shabo, (Sr.) Mike Loveless, (Sr.) Aidan Bean, (Jr.) Adam Hill, (So.) Cam Ayotte, (So.) Parke Hardesky, (Fy.) MJ Bakaysa.
Running Backs (8): Jr. Nico Collins, So. Jermaine Norfleet Jr., So. Caleb Thompson, Fy. Alex Chouinard, Fy. Collin Fitts, Fy. Ty Hartford, Fy. Day-Von London, Fy. Romeo Holland.
Tight Ends (3): (Gs.) Melke Shabo, Jr. Jordan Maurice, Fy. Tyler Mayer, Fy. Jeffrey Watson.
Wide Receivers (16): (Sr.) Deion Osei-Sarpong, (Sr.) Dan DiVerdi, (Sr.) Drew von Klok, (Jr.) Patrick Dyer, (Jr.) Dylan Hall, (Jr.) Collin Lyons, (So.) Calvin Polchlopek, (So.) Matthew Gibeau, (Fy.) Joey Christian, (Fy.) Noah Jodoin, (Fy.) Griffin Kiniry, (Fy.) Kyle Areias, (Fy.) Joey Moriarty, (Fy.) Javen Nazario, (Fy.) Amir Philips, (Fy.) Lance Williams.
Defense:
Defensive Linemen (13): (Gs.) Ryan Justin, (Jr.) Frank Opoku, (Jr.) Ebenezer Ankomah Gyau, (Jr.) Alex Dipre, (Jr.) Wafic Ellakis, (Jr.) Matt O’Connor, (Jr.) Justin Sneed, (So.) Aaron Becker, (So.) Zach Collman, (So.) Gavin LePage, (Fy.) TJ Famiglietti, (Fy.) Jiovannie Roman, (Fy.) Wil Vogel.
Linebackers (12): (Sr.) John McMaster III, (Sr.) Jayden Caron, (Jr.) Tyler Chaves, (Jr.) Alex Thibeault, (Jr.) Brenden Santos, (So.) Brian Melendez, (So.) Harley Philippe, (So.) Turnbull Sturgis, (Fy.) Jack DeSimone, (Fy.) Nas Jackson, (Fy.) Jayden Roby, (Fy.) Aidan Breen.
Defensive Backs (15): (Gs.) Mason Broyles, (Sr.) Curt Marshall, (Jr.) Conor McTigue, (Jr.) Jamison Metcalf, (Jr.) Damian Mitchell, (So.) Micah Haynes, (So.) Nathan Winco, (Fy.) Bryan Aguilar, (Fy.) James Azzinaro, (Fy.) Jax Christman, (Fy.) Ben Klein, (Fy.) Nolan Legere, (Fy.) Griffin Metcalf, (Fy.) Zach Russell, (Fy.) Tridell Sharpe.
Special Teams:
Punters/Kickers (2): (Jr.) Santiago Rodriguez-D’Atri, (Fy.) P/K Oliver Sciascia, K (Fy.) Sete Deletoile.
Punt Returners (1): (Sr.) Drew von Klock.
Kick Returners (2): (Sr.) Drew von Klock (Jr.) Jamison Metcalf.
By Sean Rollins