Brockton Enterprise: Skyhawks Looking To Soar

After an excellent freshman campaign in 2007, sophomore Brenden Taylor will look to help continue the program turnaround in 2008.

Brockton Enterprise: Skyhawks Looking To Soar

Stonehill seeks further improvement under second-year head coach Robert Talley.

By Jim Fenton, Enterprise Staff Writer

The Stonehill College football team made significant progress a year ago, ending a streak of 10 consecutive losing seasons.

The Skyhawks went 5-5, marking the first time since 1996 that the program did not finish below the .500 mark.

The next step in the rebuilding project being put together by second-year coach Robert Talley is earning a winning record. The Skyhawks begin that quest on Friday night when they host Wagner College of New York at WB Mason Stadium.

Stonehill, which went 5-4 in the Northeast-10 Conference, has been selected to finish fourth in the preseason coaches poll, a lofty standing for the Skyhawks given their recent history.

Talley is well aware that Stonehill is far from the finished product and realizes much more progress is needed this season.

"It's just the first step," said Talley of what happened in 2007. "We came a long way, we have a long way to go. The second year is always important because you want to keep on building the program up.

"The goal is to build this program to the point where it can contend for a conference championship every year, not just one year but year in and year out. We have a long way to go, but everybody is working hard to get there."

Stonehill, which opened 4-1 and then lost four of its final five games, is starting to build depth, one of Talley's goals when he took over. The Skyhawks finished last season with 69 players and have 90 on the roster, including 38 freshmen, entering this season.

"We really needed it," said Talley. "You look at the preseason last year and what we weren't able to do. We weren't able to do much contact stuff, we had a whole bunch of receivers get hurt because they took so many reps. This gave us a chance to do more things because of the numbers."

The boost that Stonehill received by winning some games a year ago has carried over into this season where the Skyhawks are optimistic about continuing to improve.

"I think the expectation level is different," said Talley, who worked on the staff of the San Francisco 49ers before moving to Stonehill. "The kids expect to win where before they kind of hoped to win. They realize we have to work in order to get that done."

Leading the way on offense will be returning starters Cruz Parsons at quarterback after throwing for 1,198 yards and 11 touchdowns and running backs Jeffrey Payne (670 yards, seven TDs) and Eddie Vachon (563 yards, three TDs).

"We were able to run the football last year, which was good," said Talley. "When our quarterback was healthy, he was really able to do a lot of different things to force defenses to be prepared.

"Having someone like (Parsons) is huge. The players believe in him. He's kind of seen everything. He's been through the good, the bad and the ugly. He knows what to expect and he's a competitor."

The Skyhawks have a veteran offensive line to depend on with Matt Tarulli, Jay Norton, Brandon Joseph, Thomas Pheifer, Branden Naraine and Tom Bethany of Hanover. The top wide receivers will be David Pringle (22 catches for 427 yards and four TDs) and track standout Torrey Price, who "is one of the fastest guys in league and we'll start taking advantage of his speed," said Talley.

Stonehill has some holes to fill on defense, particularly at linebacker, according to Talley, but two of the leading tacklers return.

Jared Zanello (56 tackles, four interceptions) and Jeff Cuqua (53 tackles) lead the secondary while end Kevin Bonnett and linebacker George Whetstone will be key players.

"The biggest thing we struggled with last year was defending the run," said Talley. "That's something we've focused on. We've got to stop the run and force people to put the ball in the air."

The Skyhawks will be tested early as they face Div. 1-AA Wagner right away and also take on NE-10 powers Southern Connecticut State and Bentley College in the first month. There is also a game against another Div. 1-AA opponent, Iona, down the road and a second meeting with Bentley to finish the season.

"It's going to be a challenging season," said Talley. "I'm very optimistic, but it's one of those deals I know we're going to be a better team. You look at us personnel-wise, we're a better team. That doesn't always translate in your record. The schedule is tough, especially in the front end."