SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Nov. 7) – Senior quarterback Justin Walz ran for two touchdowns and passed for  another in his final game as Western New England College ended the best season in school history with a 31-10 victory over visiting Nichols in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) Boyd Division contest Saturday afternoon.

Freshman free safety Phil Tsopanides played a key role with two interceptions, including a 54-yard return for a touchdown with 14 seconds left before halftime that gave the Golden Bears a 21-10 advantage.

Walz completed 15-of-25 passes for 148 yards with an interception and added 73 yards on the ground.

Walz ran one-yard to give Western New England College a 7-0 lead just 3:55 into the game.

Nichols scored 10 unanswered points when freshman Dave Wyrick (Avon, Conn.) kicked a 37-yard field goal with 54 seconds left in the opening period and sophomore quarterback Sean Smith-Vaughan (Cumberland, Maine) fired a 37-yard score to freshman fullback Anthony Terenzi (Londonderry, N.H.) at the 10:21 mark of the second quarter.

WNEC then scored twice in 25 seconds when Walz ended an eight-play, 62-yard drive with a nine-yard scoring pass to junior tight end Dan Crane.

On the next possession, Tsopanides intercepted a Smith-Vaughan pass over the middle at the WNEC 46 and ran down the left sideline for his first college touchdown.

Senior Jake Field kicked a 22-yard field goal in the third period and Walz scored on another one-yard run in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.

Nichols out-gained Western New England College by a 423 to 354 margin, but committed five turnovers, which led to the last four Golden Bears' touchdowns. Two interceptions came in the end zone.

The first took place when junior linebacker Justin Bailey intercepted a pass by Wyrick on a fake field goal attempt late in the second quarter. Tsopanides then made his second pick five yards deep in the end zone and returned it 40 yards to the WNEC 35. That led to Walz' final run for a touchdown with 10:02 left in the game.

Smith-Vaughan was 31-for-54 passing for 344 yards with two interceptions. The 31  completions ties the single-game mark set in 1994 by Doug McKay against Assumption. Senior receiver Mike Seiger (Pittsfield, Mass.) had nine catches for 139 yards. Terenzi finished with a game high 60 yards rushing.

Western New England College freshman running back Mike Graham added 64 yards on the ground on only four carries, including a nifty 55-yard run that led to the final touchdown.

Bailey recorded 12 tackles while junior linebacker Dylan Chandler had nine stops.

Nichols junior linebacker Evan Greathead (Pepperell, Mass.) had 11 tackles. The Bison ended the year with a 4-6 record, including a 3-4 mark in the Boyd Division.

Story courtesy WNEC Sports Information

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