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Players for Framingham State are wearing decals of the No. 58 and No. 33 on their helmets in honor of two former players and longtime supporters of the Rams' program. |
The three-time defending MASCAC champion Framingham State Rams were leaving early Friday morning for the season's longest road trip. Destination: Cortland.
There would be plenty to think about along the way for coach Tom Kelley and his players. The X's and O's. Avenging last year's loss. A chance to make a statement against a quality opponent.
The return trip was more of the same. There is the matter of getting back on the practice field in the right frame of mind following a 49-21 loss to Cortland. There's a more important game at hand. Now, it's the conference showdown with Fitchburg State. The Rams and Falcons were picked to finish 1-2 in the league; the league portion of the season has arrived.
But you can be certain there was more than X's and O's, game planning and the final score occupying Kelley's thoughts. This is a season of much reflection about life not between the white lines.
Kelley and the Rams are doing a more reflecting about such things than usual this season. They have recently lost a couple of people very close to the program. They had to say good-bye to former players who never stopped following the program and who gave plenty to it.
The Rams are wearing the number 58 of Kevin Gosnell and the number of 33 of Eddie Tamuleviz on their helmets.
Gosnell died just before the start of camp. The 1991 Framingham graduate never lost touch with the program. He was wildly successful in business, but always had the time to contribute to the football program and followed it intently.
Gosnell was supposed to go to lunch with Kelley one day and didn't show. Kelley thought that was odd.
Then he was told that Kevin had just been disagnosed with ALS.
The first sign was a pain in his calf in 2014, something he easily dismissed. The symptoms progressed, and the diagnosis came in May of 2015. The owner of a multi-million dollar paving company with a wife and children knew the end was not far down the road.
"He was so into Framingham football that it was incredible," Kelley said.
He sponsored a 40-year reunion of the football program.
"He was hands on," Kelley said.
Now, he channeled that same interest and energy that he had in Ram football into a new area. He would raise money and plenty of it for ALS research. He founded a couple of organizations to achieve that and, just as in business, he was ultra successful.
The ALS Knights raised $650,000 for ALS research in the first 90 days.
"He told me, 'I'm not dodging this bullet, but I am going to do what I can so others don't have to go through this,'" Kelley said.
"He started doing research and found that three of the foremost ALS doctors were in the Boston area, but they had never met. He got those three doctors together. He raised $5 million.
"I would visit him in Hanover, Massachusetts. He was an unbelievable guy. He wrote a book, 'Life Lessons.'
"He was fading fast."
Fading fast, unable to walk or talk. Yet, he found a way. He did speaking engagements by using a special machine to amplify his voice.
He sent several messages to the team.
Tamuleviz was a defensive back that Kelley described as "tough as nails." He too was dealt a blow. Alzheimer's. He died this year at 55.
"He was another kid close to the program," Kelley said.
Kelley would visit him in the nursing home.
Kelley said there are so many past players who experienced little success on the field. Now, that the program is winning they are enjoying what they did not have.
"They are still very loyal to the program," Kelley said.
Gosnell and Tamuleviz are gone. They are still close to the program, their numbers taking the field, affixed to the helmets every week.
It is a reminder of what they did and of the spirit and the following of the Framingham alumni.
No reminder is necessary for Gosnell and Tamuleviz. Their contributions and interest are still fresh.
But a tribute is necessary. The Rams play hard for No. 58 and No. 33 each day.
Nichols' kids on the move
Nichols earned a 22-7 victory over Anna Maria and the freshmen were right in the middle of it all. Joshua Pierre-Charles rushed for a school record 227 yards. He had a dozen carries of 10 yards or more. Quarterback Chris Mullin threw for 282 yards, and one of his touchdown passes landed in the hands of freshman classmate Tony Martignoli. Another freshman is 6-foot-6, 280-pound Tyler Crawford and he is already starting on the offensive line.
It is all part of an outstanding freshman class.
"Our staff motto is Recruit-Recruit-Recruit," coach Dale Olmsted said.
"We were shooting for 45 [freshmen]. We brought in closer to 35 but with great, great quality."
Pierre-Charles, known as JPC, came from the high school that Olmsted left when he was hired as Nichols' head coach.
Mullin had been on the roster at Division II Merrimack.
Graduate assistants on the staff were the connection for Mullin and Martignoli to Nichols.
"The sky is the limit for that young man," Olmsted said of Mullin.
This week's game is a against Becker, like Anna Maria, a Worcester-area rival.
"All three of us compete for the same kids," Olmsted said.
Next year with the shift in conference landscapes, Becker and Nichols will be in the same conference. This year, while not a league game, it is still a battle to attract area players. Recruit-Recruit-Recruit.
Quick kicks: It has been some time since Plymouth State has been 2-0. They earned that distinction with a 30-28 victory over Mount Ida that took three overtimes. Zach Edwards threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers matched their victory total for all of last year. ... Svenn Jacobson had nine tackles and forced two fumbles for Framingham in the loss at Cortland. ... Malik Garrett ran for two touchdowns but Bridgewater State fell 15-14 to Kean. ... Western New England went to 2-0 by winning the Presidents' Cup, beating Westfield State 55-7. WNE's Anthony Service passed for 214 yards and three scores and also rushed for 63 yards. ... Gallaudet pounded Earlham 30-0 as Antoine McKinney ran for two scores and threw for another. ... UMass-Dartmouth fell to Hartwick 48-41 but Alex Ortega had nine tackles, forced and recovered a fumble and broke up three passes. Abbi Bamgbose had nine catches for 114 yards for the Corsairs. ... Coast Guard's Derek Victory has now thrown 229 consecutive passes without an interception. He also tossed three touchdown passes, but Coast Guard fell to U.S. Merchant Marine 31-27 in the Secretaries' Cup. ... Richie Phillips rushed for 100 yards and three toujchdowns, including one with 24 seconds remaining, to lift Mass. Maritime to a 28-24 victory over SUNY-Maritime in the Chowder Bowl. It was the opener for Mass. Maritime.
The big games
It's Framingham State at Fitchburg State in the MASCAC showdown that could be the key game in the race when all is said and done. This one is on Friday night, and it should be a big crowd at Elliot Field.
Salve Regina has it going and is 2-0. The Seahawks are a contender in the NEFC. Castleton is supposed to be a contender in the ECFC, but the Spartans have struggled and are 0-2. It's not crucial that they beat Salve Regina, but they need to play a competitive game and clean up mistakes that have plagued them through the first two games to set a tone for the conference season that begins the following week.
Plymouth State is breathing the rarefied air of being 2-0, but now it is into the league and the challenge is a tough one with a trip to Western Connecticut. The Colonials will be trying to rebound from a 28-13 loss to Union. This is a rivalry that dates back to the old Freedom Football Conference.
Becker and Nichols are both coming off a win and this one is for area bragging rights and has recruiting implications attached to it.
Want pageantry? Maine Maritime is at Mass. Maritime for the 44th annual Admiral's Cup.
Endicott hosts St. Lawrence. SLU is 2-0 and walloped Norwich 52-0. A good measuring stick for the Gulls before heading into league play the following week at home against Nichols.
