Husson got to hoist a trophy, three seasons after the Eagles went 0-10. Husson athletics photo

The Husson Eagles were watching the selection show Sunday night anxious to find out where they would be going. Operative word: going. Toting an 8-1 record and coming out of the lightly regarded Eastern Collegiate Football Conference, they were expecting to board a bus for someplace.

Then came the announcement: Husson will be hosting 9-0 MIT.

"We were surprised. The kids are ecstatic. Anybody's thrilled to be playing at home," head coach Gabby Price said after he and his team watched the show in a room in the athletic complex.

So it is the Engineers singing Roger Miller's refrain from King of the Road: "Destination Bangor, Maine."

"We know MIT is a great team," Price said. But Price also said his squad is healthier in many areas than it has been in some time and that they are playing their best football in many respects.

They polished off a 7-0 league season by winning 41-21 at Mount Ida behind the passing of Joe Seccarecia (206 yards and three touchdowns) and the rushing of John Smith. He had 158 yards with a score.

Kenny Sweet led the way on the other side of the ball. He had 12 tackles and returned an interception 30 yards.

MIT capped its first perfect season in program history with a 24-13 win over Coast Guard before watching the selection show on campus.

Cameron Wager had eight tackles and took an interception back 36 yards for a score. Peter Williams threw for 241 yards and Justin Wallace ran for 135.

The school with the spectacular academic reputation has been attracting attention from national TV to the Wall Street Journal. You had to love coach Chad Martinovich's piece on CBS when said his players would be more likely to own an NFL team than to play on one.

But for a few hours on Saturday they will be think more about winning a game and piling up 500 yards of offense than owning a Fortune 500 company. That will come soon enough.

Rams home

Husson is home, but so are the Framingham State Rams. But in a very different way. The 9-1 record was not enough to earn the Rams a bid and it had to be disappointing to watch and not see their name called.

But Tom Kelley has built a program, not just a team for a season. They have become perennial contenders.

Just an unimaginable hurt for the seniors.

Last week about more than the elite

The final week is when the Hussons and MITs of the world bask in the spotlight, whether it is a feature on national TV or finding out you get to play another game at home.

But it is not just about the playoff teams. There are other great final week stories.

Becker and Anna Maria, nearby rivals, came into their game 0-9. It was the Super Bowl for them. A chance to beat a rival, end the campaign on a positive note and celebrate a victory.

It happened for Becker when Jacob Holmes kicked a 39-yard field goal in overtime to topple Anna Maria.

Curry spices up late season

And then there's Curry. The Colonels finish 3-7 but that doesn't tell the story. They were 0-7 and reeled off three straight wins.

Remember it was not that long ago that Curry was the gold standard in the region. They even won a first-round NCAA playoff game.

Now, they are hoping this three-game win skein puts down a foundation for something special in the future.

It just might. These kids are really young.

"Seventy-four percent of our team is freshmen and sophomores," Curry coach Skip Bandini said.

It is easy to fold the tent at 0-7. The Colonels did not.

"We were 0-7 and they were coming to practice and working their tails off every day. just like we were 7-0," Bandini said.

Many of the youngest kids are the best players. Freshman Devin Williams made 13 tackles, recovered a fumble and had an interception in the season-ending 28-23 win over Maine Maritime. He had 80 tackles and four interceptions on the season.

"He is going to be one of the all-time great linebackers we have had here," Bandini said. "He can run sideline to sideline, and always finds himself around the ball. He always puts the team first. He was very concerned about sending the seniors out a winner."

Mike O'Hearn is just a sophomore and he threw for 320 yards with four touchdowns against the Mariners.

The Colonels played three sophomores and a freshman at quarterback and they will all compete for the job.

Jake Cawlina, another of the young guns, is a sophomore receiver. He had 116 yards in pass receptions on Saturday with two touchdowns.

Bandini knows he needs to recruit some size in the line to get Currry back to those golden days.

"In college football you need a quarterback who can run and an offensive and defensive line that can dominate," Bandini said.

The gold rush is on.

Taking back the bucket

Trace TanCreti is a 1989 Norwich graduate who played in the storied rivalry between Norwich and Middlebury.

Since then his son Cody played four years for Castleton and a younger son Luke currently plays for Norwich.

Norwich and Middlebury ceased playing after the 1991 game because Middlebury's conference no longer allowed competition outside the league.

Trace says the Maple Sap Bucket Game between Norwich and Castleton has already become as big as the Middlebury-Norwich series.

This week Castleton got the Maple Sap Bucket back, dropping the Cadets 48-28.

Castleton had a school record six interceptions against the Cadets and Eric "Hollywood" Mimnaugh had three of them. He returned one for his first career touchdown.

Other records

Andrew Walz set a Western New England record for career touchdowns catches with 21 in the Golden Bears' 41-15 win over Nichols. Walz had three of his TD grabs in that game.

Phillip Saint-Juste set the same record at Fitchburg State with 19 TD catches. Fitchburg got past Plymouth 33-22 with Garrett Dellechiaie firing five touchdown passes, giving him 26 this season.

Framingham State topped Worcester State 29-14 for the win the Rams thought might get them into the brackets with their 9-1 record. Jalen Green rushed for 109 yards and Matt Silva threw three TD passes.

Cranberries for Mass. Maritime

E.J. Bennett earned the Lee Harrington MVP Award in the 36th Cranberry Bowl as he helped Mass. Maritime past Bridgewater State. He caught 12 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-21 victory. John Trudel passed for 315 yards and three scores.

Western Connecticut whipped Westfield State 43-28 as Tory Mack ran for 117 yards.

Endicott quarterback Drew Frenette threw for a whopping 507 yards and it was not enough. Dan Buonocore ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns for Salve Regina in its 35-23 win.

SUNY Maritime earned a shutout. Kameron Knight and Hugh O'Brien had nine and eight tackles, respectively, and each forced a fumble. Kyle Gardner rushed for 153 yards in the 26-0 win over Gallaudet.

Now, Husson and MIT get ready for a game that will end one of them into the second round. Everyone else around here, aside from a couple of ECAC bowl-bound teams, hits the recruiting trail.